Ernest Wadsworth Longfellow

Longfellow assembled an extensive collection of 19th Century French and American paintings. Son of the distinguished poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ernest studied engineering at Harvard, but chose to become a painter. He often traveled to France and was influenced by the Barbizon landscapes that comprised most of his personal collection. Longfellow studied with Thomas Couture, among others, and became known for his landscapes. He owned Lambinet's Village on the Sea, which he purchased in 1921 and bequeathed to the MFA in 1937. While Longfellow preferred an academic style as opposed to modernist trends like Impressionism, he did own John White Alexander's art nouveau Isabella and the Pot of Basil which he gave to the MFA in 1898. He also donated many pieces to the museum which he inherited from his uncle, prominent collector Thomas Gold Appleton.