Maud Earl
1864–1943 · British-American painter of dogs
Maud Alice Earl (Marylebone, London, c. 1863 – New York, 1943) was a British-American painter best known for her portraits of dogs. Her work appeals to dog enthusiasts and to those who study breeds, since it records many of them with notable accuracy.
She came from a family of animal painters. Her father, George Earl, was her first teacher and had her study anatomy by drawing dog, horse and human skeletons. She later trained at the Royal Female School of Art. From 1884 she exhibited at the Royal Academy, the Royal Society of British Artists and the Paris Salon. Her clients included members of the British royal family, among them Queen Victoria and Queen Alexandra.
Her style passed through four phases: a rich naturalism up to 1900, a looser, sketchier handling between 1900 and 1915, an 'oriental' period of delicate bird pictures that she regarded as among her best work, and stylized dog portraits in the 1930s. After World War I she settled in New York in 1916, where her images spread through books and prints.