Theodore Earl Butler

Fecamp – The Artists – Butler, Theodore Earl

This page forms part of a series of pages dedicated to the many artists who worked in Fecamp. A full list of all the artists with a link to their works can be found at the bottom of this page.

Theodore Earl Butler
Theodore Earl Butler

Movement(s): Impressionism

Theodore Earl Butler, (1861–1936) was an American impressionist painter. He was born in Columbus, Ohio, and moved to Paris to study art. He befriended Claude Monet in Giverny, and married his stepdaughter, Suzanne Hoschede. After her death he married her sister, Marthe Hoschede. Butler was a founding member of the Society of Independent Artists.

In Paris, Butler enrolled at La Grande-Chaumière, Academie Colarossi and at Academie Julian. Butler studied under Emile Carolus Duran. Carolus opened an art studio in 1873 on Boulevard Montparnasse, called the “81”. Carolus, who was also known to have given free private lessons to some painters, introduced his students to the work of Claude Monet. Monet had moved to Giverny on April 29, 1883. Butler stayed for some time in the same building as Carolus, and Butler won an honorable mention in 1888 at the Paris Salon for a painting entitled “La Veuve”, (the Widow).

Angelina and Lucien Baudy opened Hotel Baudy in June 1887. The hotel became the hub for many American expatriates. At Hotel Baudy, artists could buy canvases from Lefevre Foinet and American food celebrating Thanksgiving was served. The village began to attract a great deal of attention. According to Terra Museum historians Katherine M. Bourguignon and Vanessa Lecomte, over 350 painters from eighteen countries painted in Giverny.

After becoming close friends with Claude Monet, Butler married Monet’s stepdaughter, Suzanne Hoschedé in 1892. Suzanne is known as The woman with a Parasol and she was Claude Monet’s favorite model. 

After a lingering illness, Suzanne Hoschede died in 1899. Thereafter most of Butler’s paintings were landscapes. Marthe Hoschede, Suzanne’s sister helped Butler raise Jimmy and Lilly. In 1899 Theodore Earl Butler decided to go back to the United States. A letter from Henry Prellwitz to Philip Leslie Hale indicated that Hart told him that Butler will sail on the 16th of September on La Touraine [1899].

After six months he was back in Giverny. He married Marthe Hoschedé, Suzanne’s sister in 1900.

Theodore Earl Butler was the son of Courtland Philip Livingston Butler (1813–1891) and Elizabeth Slade Pierce (1822–1901). His son, James Butler, was also a painter, and as the grandson of Claude Monet, was one of only four painters to have painted in Monet’s garden in Giverny. His sister Mary Elizabeth Sheldon, née Butler (1849–1897), is the paternal great grandmother of U.S. President George H.W. Bush and the great-great grandmother of U.S. President George W. Bush.

Click here to read Butler’s full bio on Wikipedia.

NOTE: Click on any image below for a bigger version (no new window will open).

NOTE: A black box like this one, means that there is an explanation text about today’s situation of the painting above it.
NOTE: Click on this photo icon anywhere below a painting to see a photo of what the area looks like today.

NOTE: A blue box like this one, means there is an explanation or a note.

NOTE: To our knowledge, Butler did NOT paint in Fecamp, instead worked in its suburb, Yport.

Yport

Yport (population: 850), a small fishing village (with no harbour), lies close to Fecamp on the South-West alongside the coast. Today it’s a seaside resort village with a casino, restaurants and hotels.

1909 - Theodore Earl Butler - Fishing Boats at Yport
1909 – Theodore Earl Butler – Fishing Boats at Yport

TODAY: Yport never had, and still doesn’t have, a harbour. Instead, fishing boats are dragged on land.

Butler painted a lot in Normandy. Here are most of the places he painted in ( a link “” to his works will appear below when published ):

Fecamp is a picturesque fishing town which made for a great backdrop for many artist. Here are all the artists who applied their arts in the town and its surroundings (a link “” will appear when we have published an article on this artist’s works in Fecamp):

NOTE: a “*” besides the artist’s name indicates that the artist did NOT work directly in Fecamp, instead worked in Fecamp’s surroundings only.

NOTE: You can subscribe to our new articles by entering your email address in the box on the right column (or at the very bottom of this article) and clicking on the button “Subscribe”.

You will need to check your incoming emails and validate your subscription. If you can’t see an email from us, check your Spam folder. Without validating your email address, you will not get notifications from us. WE WILL NEVER GIVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESSES TO ANYONE!

Related Posts

  • 95
    Fecamp – The Artists – Monet, ClaudeClaude Monet is without any doubt the most famous impressionist painter. He started the movement, and he was the master of it. Although he was born in Paris, France (and died in Giverny, Normandy, France), his heart was Normandy, particularly the Normandy coastline. His family moved to Le Havre in…
  • 94
    Fecamp – The Artists – Renoir, Pierre-AugustePierre-Auguste Renoir (1841 – 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to Watteau."…
  • 94
    Fecamp – The Artists – Maclet, EliseeJules Emile Elisee Maclet (1881–1962) was a French Impressionist painter, particularly known for his views of Montmartre. Maclet was born the son of a gardener and a laundress at Lihons in the Santerre region in Picardy. His family was poor and he began work very young as an assistant to…
  • 94
    Fecamp – The Artists – Boudin, Eugene-LouisEugene Boudin is a real Normandy based artist, born and died in Normandy. He was an Impressionist painter and a close friend of Claude Monet. He was the son of a harbour pilot who later went on and set up a picture framing and stationery shop. His son took to…
  • 89
    Fecamp – The Artists – Weber, Theodore AlexanderTheodore Alexander Weber (1838 - 1907) was born in Leipzig, Germany and died in Paris, France. He was a German painter who took the French nationality in 1878. Here are his paintings he made in Fecamp, Normandy.
Today: Fishing boats on the beach of Yport
Today: Fishing boats on the beach of Ypor
Powered by
Scroll to Top