16 Facts About Elihu Vedder

Elihu Vedder was an American symbolist painter, book illustrator and poet from New York City.

Elihu Vedder was born on 26 February 1836 in New York City, the son of Dr Elihu Vedder Sr.

Elihu Vedder's mother supported his goals to be an artist while his father reluctantly assented, convinced that his son should try a different occupation.

Elihu Vedder's brother, Dr Alexander Madison Vedder, was a Navy surgeon who witnessed the transformation of Japan into a modern culture while he was stationed there.

Elihu Vedder first visited Italy from 1858 until 1860, becoming deeply emotionally attached to fellow painter Giovanni Costa.

Penniless, Elihu Vedder returned to the United States during the American Civil War and made a small living undertaking commercial illustrations.

Elihu Vedder was involved in the bohemian 'Pfaff's' coffee house group and painted some of his most memorable paintings notable for their visionary nature, romantic imagery and often Oriental influences.

Elihu Vedder became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1865.

Elihu Vedder married Caroline Rosekrans on 13 July 1869 in Glen Falls, New York.

Elihu's son Enoch Rosekrans Vedder was a promising architect who married jewelry designer Angela Reston.

Elihu Vedder had a home in Rome and - after the financial success of his 1884 Rubaiyat work - on the Isle of Capri, then a haven for male aesthetes.

Elihu Vedder visited England many times, and was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, and was a friend of Simeon Solomon.

Elihu Vedder was influenced by the work of English and Irish mystics such as William Blake and William Butler Yeats.

In 1890 Elihu Vedder helped establish the In Arte Libertas group in Italy.

Elihu Vedder decorated the hallway of the Reading Room of the Washington Library of Congress, and his mural paintings can still be seen there.

Elihu Vedder occasionally returned to the United States, but lived only in Italy from 1906 until his death on 29 January 1923.