John Joseph Enneking
John Joseph Enneking's artistic legacy shines brightest through his portrayals of "November Twilight" and the ethereal moments of early spring, late autumn, and evening. His masterful brushwork breathed life into New England's diverse landscapes, embracing the vast woodlands and majestic mountains veiled in the ever-changing humidity of the seasons. Enneking skillfully captured the intrinsic beauty of these places, revealing their unblemished allure. Throughout his lifetime, he earned the esteemed reputation of being one of the most significant American painters, revered and cherished by many. Sadly, following his passing in 1916, many of his paintings were stored in a Boston warehouse, where they remained forgotten.
John Joseph Enneking, Hillside Meadow in Byfield, Oil on Board, 8.5" x 7", $1,500
John Joseph Enneking, Still Life of Fruit, Pastel on Paper, 12.5" x 17", $1,400
John Joseph Enneking, Nantucket Shore, 1892, Oil on Board, 4" x 6", $6,250
John Joseph Enneking, Sunset, Hyde Park, 1870s, Oil on Canvas, 10" x 14", $4,750
John Joseph Enneking, Harbor Scene, Coast of Normandy, 1877, Oil on Canvas, 11.75" x 18", $8,500
John Joseph Enneking, Sunrise after a shower, Adriatic Coast, 1878, Oil on Board, 4.5" x 6.25", SOLD
John Joseph Enneking, Neponset, Oil on Board, 10" x 14" Charles Prendergast Frame, SOLD
John Joseph Enneking, Fireplace, Old Eliot House, 1883, O/C, 18" x 24", SOLD
Timeline of Enneking’s Life
1841 - October 4th, Born in Minster Ohio to Joseph Enneking and Margaretha (Bramlage) Enneking
1856 - Enneking’s mother and father died, moved to Cincinnati to live with an aunt
1858 - Entered Mount St. Mary College and was encouraged in drawing by President Rosecrans
1861 - Left to join Union Army during Civil War, received injuries and returned to Cincinnati
1864 - Moved to NYC, then Boston where he studied lithography and industrial drawing
1864 - October 14th, Married Mary Eliot of Corinna, Maine
1865 - Began to manufacture tinware, the business succeeded then collapsed
1867 - Birth of daughter Florence, Married name Long d. 1937
1871 - Birth of daughter Emily, unmarried d. 1918
1872 - Left for Europe with his family
1872 - Spent 6 months at the Munich Royal Academy studying figure and landscape painting with Professors Eduard Schleich and Adolphe-Heinrich Lehr
1872 - Spent 3 months in Venice
1873 - Left for Paris via Switzerland with a letter of introduction to Leon Joseph Bonnat from Porter Vinton
1873 - Spent 3 years in Bonnat’s Studio
1873 - Became acquainted with Charles Francois Daubigny
1874 - Studied with Eugene Boudin for 3 months
1876 - Returned with family to Hyde Park and added a studio to his house
1876 - Birth of daughter Grace, Married name Ward d. 1964
1878 - May 2nd and 3rd, Major exhibit and auction of 100 of Enneking’s paintings at Williams and Everett’s Gallery in Boston, highest price picture was a large cattle scene for $650
1878 - Won 2 Gold Medals in the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association Fair for Freshly Picked and Drove of Cattle on a November Day
1878 - Returned to Paris, after Daubigny’s death, left France to spend 6 months in Amsterdam
1878 - Returned to Boston and established studio at 149a Tremont Street
1879 - December 16, Exhibited 150 paintings and sketches in the gallery of the Unitarian Church in Hyde Park
1880s - Bought a summer house in North Newry Maine
1880s - Son Joseph Eliot born
1881 - Exhibited November Twilight at the National Academy of Design
1882 - July, Exhibited Winter Twilight at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston
1883 - January, Enneking one of a group of artists exhibiting at the American Art Galleries in New York, Enneking commended in local papers alongside Hassam, George Fuller, and Frederick Porter Vinton
1883 - One-man exhibition of 81 paintings at Williams and Everett’s Gallery, many of the works done in the Netherlands, Venice, and France
1883 - December 7-29, The Springfield Art Association’s “First Annual Exhibition of Oil Painting” included After Vacation and Winter Twilight
1884 - April 18-29, Exhibited 68 paintings at Williams and Everett’s Gallery, Enneking had broadened his subjects to include spring and summer landscapes, figures of children, and New England Kitchen Interiors since last exhibitions at Williams and Everett’s
1884 - Boston Art Club bought November Twilight for $600
1884 - Portrait of George Fuller was exhibited at the Bostonian Society in the Old State House
1885 - April 7-8, “Paintings American and Foreign” at Williams and Everett’s Gallery included Winter Twilight and Vacation Ends With Autumnal Days
1885 - Portrait of Enneking’s daughter Florence won a medal of honor at the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association Fair and was valued at $2,000
1887 - After a Shower--October was included in the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association’s “Sixteenth Triennial Exhibition”
1888 - Won an award for Kelp Gatherers at the Columbus Exhibition in Washington D.C.
1893 - Exhibited at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Included were Twilight, The Black Bull, and Duxbury Clam Digger
1897 - November 4-January 1 1898 - Enneking exhibited Sunset at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh
1898 - January 10-February 22, Exhibited Sunset again at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts’ “Sixty-seventh Exhibition”
1898 - January 22-February 19, Exhibited October Eve, Among the Berkshire Hills, and Sheep in Stable in the Boston Art Club’s “Fifty-seventh Exhibition”
1898 - The Ten American Painters group was founded by Childe Hassam, John Twachtman, and J. Alden Weir, Enneking was invited to join but declined
1900 - Won honorable mention for a painting at the Paris Exposition
1901 - Won a silver medal at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo
1901 - Had an exhibition at the Lotos Club in New York
1902 - January 4-February 1, Exhibited 2 paintings in the Boston Art Club’s “Sixty-fifth Exhibition”: Chocorua Mountain, New Hampshire and Indian Summer Afternoon
1902 - The Soule Art Company of Boston included four paintings by Enneking in their catalogue of reproductions: Fireplace, Interior, Sheep, and Sunset
1903 - January 3-31, Entered 2 paintings in the Boston Art Club’s “Sixty-seventh Exhibition”, Cloudy Day in the Mountains and New England Hillside
1903 - April 16-18, To finance a third trip to Europe Enneking auctioned 150 paintings at the Beacon Art Galleries in Boston, in the first day about 50 paintings were sold for $5,000, the entire collection brought $8,000
1903 - After the auction Enneking left for Europe
1904 - January 1-30, 2 paintings by Enneking were included in the Boston Art Club’s “Sixty-ninth Exhibition”, Sunset--Ogunquit, Maine and Twilight
1905 - January 6-February 4, Was a member of the Jury of Admission and the Committee on Hanging at the Boston Art Club’s “Seventy-first Exhibition”
1905 - Acted as Chairman of the Advisory Committee and Jury for the Chicago World’s Fair Art Department, representing the New England States
1906 - January 6-February 3, Participated in the Boston Art Club’s “Seventy-third Exhibition”, November Morning and December Morning were exhibited
1907 - Completed and copyrighted the picture of The Mother Church of Christ, commissioned as a gift for the founder of the First Church of Christ Scientist, Mary Baker Eddy, he received $10,000 for the picture
1912 - April, Exhibited 2 paintings at the Copley Gallery in Boston, Fairmount Bridge, Winter and December Thaw
1915 - March 6, A testimonial dinner was held at the Copley Plaza Hotel to honor Enneking, Over 1,000 people attended this tribute to a living artist and speeches were given - Enneking was crowned with a laurel wreath after the banquet
1915 - Enneking won a Gold Medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco for December Thaw
1916 - May 1-13, December Thaw and twenty other paintings by Enneking were exhibited at the Galleries of the Guild of Boston Artists
1916 - November 17, Died of Pneumonia at the age of 75, Funeral services were held at the Unitarian Church in Hyde Park and he was buried at the Fairview Cemetery in Hyde Park
1916 - Everything that was in Enneking’s studio was packed and stored in a warehouse, forgotten
1960 - The Boston warehouse which had stored the contents of Enneking’s studio was scheduled for demolition and the numerous paintings in room 610-D were once again brought to light prompting new interest in the artist
Inquire today about works by John Joseph Enneking for sale.