Homer, William Innes

Art historian and scholar William Innes Homer was born in Merion, Pennsylvania on November 8, 1929. His Father, Austin Homer, was president of the J.E Caldwell & Co. in Philadelphia. Homer attended Princeton University, where he received his B.A in Art in Archaeology in 1951. He then studied at Harvard University where he received the M.A and Ph.D in Fine Arts in 1954 and 1960, respectively. In 1961 Homer took a job as an assistant professor in the Art and Archaeology Department at Princeton. He then went on to be an associate professor of Art History at Cornell University in 1964. In 1966 Homer was hired by the University of Delaware. He was later named the H. Rodney Sharp Professor Emeritus of Art History and acted as Chairman of the Art History Department at the University of Delaware from 1966 until 1981 and again from 1986 until 1993. Homer continued to teach at the University of Delaware until his retirement in 2000. During his tenure he published several books including Thomas Eakins: His Life and Art and Alfred Stieglitz and the Photo-Secession. He has also been a consultant on documentary films pertaining to his areas of expertise including the Thomas Eakins: Scenes from Modern Life. Homer married Virginia Doris Keller in 1954; he married Christine Datri Hyer in 1986.

From the guide to the Papers, 1953-1960, (Harvard Art Museum Archives)

Art historian; Professor Emeritus of art history at the University of Delaware.

From the description of William Innes Homer-Thomas Pollock Anshutz papers, [ca. 1870]-2000. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70974357

Art historian and scholar William Innes Homer was born in Merion, Pennsylvania on November 8, 1929. His Father, Austin Homer, was president of the J.E Caldwell & Co. inPhiladelphia. Homer attended Princeton University, where he received his B.A in Art in Archaeology in 1951. He then studied at Harvard University where he received the M.A and Ph.D in Fine Arts in 1954 and 1960, respectively. In 1961 Homer took a job as an assistant professor in the Art and Archaeology Department at Princeton. He then went on to be an associate professor of Art History at Cornell University in 1964. In 1966 Homer was hired by the University of Delaware. He was later named the H. Rodney Sharp Professor Emeritus of Art History and acted as Chairman of the Art History Department at the University of Delaware from 1966 until 1981 and again from 1986 until 1993. Homer continued to teach at the University of Delaware until his retirement in 2000. During his tenure he published several books including Thomas Eakins: His Life and Art and Alfred Stieglitz and the Photo-Secession. He has also been a consultant on documentary films pertaining to his areas of expertise including the Thomas Eakins: Scenes from Modern Life. Homer married Virginia Doris Keller in 1954; he married Christine Datri Hyer in 1986.

From the description of Papers, 1953-1960 (inclusive). (Harvard University Art Museum). WorldCat record id: 422808380

Broun, Elizabeth. Albert Pinkham Ryder. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989. Homer, William Innes and Lloyd Goodrich. Albert Pinkham Ryder: Painter of Dreams. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1989.

Albert Pinkham Ryder was born on March 19, 1847, in New Bedford, Massachusetts. One of fours sons born to Elizabeth (Cobb) and Alexander Gage, Ryder began painting in his teens. In 1868, the family relocated to New York City, where Ryder began to study art under William E. Marshall. Ryder entered the National Academy of Design in 1871. Throughout his life, Ryder lived in the city in a small apartment which he used as a studio. Never married, he lived a simple life deeply absorbed in his work. His most productive years were between 1873 and 1898. These were also the years during which he produced his best work. Ryder’s work has been characterized as utilizing dreamy, romantic subjects while incorporating literary and narrative themes. Ryder’s paintings tended toward abstraction and pastoral scenes. After 1915, declining health forced Ryder to move to Elmhurst, Long Island, where he resided with friends in near seclusion until his death on March 28, 1917.

William Innes Homer was born on November 8, 1929, in Merion, Pennsylvania. He received his B.A. from Princeton University in 1951. From Harvard University, Homer received his M.A. in 1954 and his Ph.D. in 1961. In 1961, Homer was hired as an assistant professor in the Art and Archaeology Department at Princeton. In 1964, he became an associate professor of Art History at Cornell University. In 1966, Homer came to the University of Delaware where he served as Chairman of the Art History Department from 1966 until 1981 and again from 1986 until 1993. He retired from the department in January 2000. Homer is the author of numerous books and articles, including Alfred Stieglitz and the American Avant-Garde, Albert Pinkham Ryder: Painter of Dreams, and Thomas Eakins: His Life and Art . He has also served as a consultant for various exhibitions and film projects.

From the guide to the William Homer papers related to Albert Pinkham Ryder, 1883–1999, 1980–1989, (University of Delaware Library - Special Collections)

Art historian, educator; Newark, Del.; b. 1929.

William Innes Homer is an art historian whose areas of expertise include European and American painting from 1865 to 1925 and American art after World War II. He has taught at Princeton University and Cornell University, but is most closely associated with the University of Delaware, where he is Professor Emeritus. He taught there from 1966 until his retirement in 1999.

From the description of William Innes Homer papers, 1938-1980. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 77808789