Artist Bio
Batcheller, Frederick Stone
(1837-1889) Although his family was disappointed by his choice of a
career in art over music, Frederick Batcheller left an indelible legacy
on the artistic development of Providence.
He apprenticed with Tingley Brothers, marble carvers in Providence, as
a marble cutter and later a sculptor of busts, but after 1855 turned to
painting. With painters James Morgan Lewin, John N. Arnold, Thomas
Robinson, and Marcus Waterman, Batcheller was a member of “the Group of
1855,” one of the first groups to promote art in Providence. In 1880,
Batcheller and colleagues Charles Walter Stetson and George William
Whitaker met at Edward M. Bannister’s studio to organize the Providence
Art Club, which became the second-oldest art club in the country after
New York’s Salmagundi Club. Despite his artistic energy and enthusiasm,
Batcheller was plagued by episodes of melancholy. His friend George
Whitaker, calling him “the Romantic,” noted the moody lapses during
which Batcheller locked himself in his studio, playing violin. Today
Batcheller is best remembered for his still life paintings, which are
some of the finest produced by the renowned group of still life
painters who flourished in the Fall River- Providence region in the
late 19th century. No items found.