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Harold Mathews Brett (1880-1955) was an American illustrator and painter best known for his New England scenes and portraits. His style is that of Realism (visual arts) and [Genre works]. His illustrations have been featured in Harper's Weekly, Bazar, Collier's Weekly, and the The Saturday Evening Post. Brett's paintings hang in the Brandywine River Museum, Cape Cod Museum of Fine Art, and the Catham Historical Society, among others.

Early Life and Education[edit]

Brett was born in Middleboro, Massachusetts and grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts. He studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston under Philip Hale and Frank Benson. Later, he moved to New York to study at the Art Students League with Walter Appleton Clark, H. Siddons Mowbray, and Kenyon Cox.

By then a well-trained artist, Brett went to Wilmington, Delaware, in 1906, to study further under the famous illustrator Howard Pyle.^[1]

Career Success[edit]

Soon after Brett's move to Delaware he made his professional debut as an illustrator in Harper's Weekly. An example of Brett's keen sense of narrative and human form is seen in his oil painting The Checkers Game which appeared on the cover of the June 2, 1906 issue of “Harper’s Weekly.” In a period provision shop a businessman, appearing confident, looks on as his checkers opponent, a sea Captain, decides his next move. The shop keep, aged yet spry, provides support as an old man watches the scene.

Harold Brett settled in Chatham, Massachusetts on Cape Cod, where he continued to illustrate for magazines and books and was a member of the Fenway School of Illustration in Boston, Massachusetts. Examples of his print success include reproduced oils and original drawings for the author Joseph C. Lincoln used to illustrate several publications. Brett's painting for the jacket cover to Rafael Sabatini novel Hounds Of God exemplifies his ability to capture on canvas human emotion and plot.

Brett's painting and illustrations encompassed the same arena as [Norman Rockwell], to which many compare him. Brett sought to capture on canvas a moment suspended in time, often dealing with subject matter quintessential to American life. Like Rockwell, Brett's painting include plot, emotion, and a nostalgia for times past.^[2]

Later Career[edit]

Brett's career continued to evolve as his talent for portrait painting developed. Brett maintained two studios, one in New York City, and the other in Chatham, MA. His portrait style followed that of his genre painting and captured the best of an individual as preserved in a moment in time. His portraits of females are gentile and refined while Brett's portraits of men are confident and calm.

Descriptive Examples of his Work[edit]

When the Choir Sings, Have length figures of four men and women in a row singing from two sheets of music, one held by young couple at left, other be older couple right.

Supper Bell, Farm hand washing face near kitchen of farmhouse, old lady standing in vine covered door ringing bell.

So Near and yet so Far, Father seated holding skirt of baby who is trying to walk across table to its mother.

Twixt love and duty, Lady teacher and young man seated at desk holding hands and watching small boy write on blackboard.^[3]

References[edit]

^ Reed, Roger and Walt. The Illustrator In America, 1880-1980, A Century of Illustration. Madison Square Press. 1993.
^ Cape Code Times, "Brett Illustrates Charm of Cape Era Gone By", December 14, 2000.
^ Library of Congress. Copyright Office. Cataglogue of Copyright Entries. Vol. 5. Nos. 1-4. Washington. 1910

[1] Reed, Roger and Walt. The Illustrator In America, 1880-1980, A Century of Illustration. Madison Square Press. 1993.

[2] Cape Code Times, "Brett Illustrates Charm of Cape Era Gone By", December 14, 2000.

[3] Library of Congress. Copyright Office. Cataglogue of Copyright Entries. Vol. 5. Nos. 1-4. Washington. 1910

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