Frederick Rondel

A talented landscape artist and teacher—Rondel is noted as the only formal instructor of the famed American realist, Winslow Homer.
By Chelsea DeLay

I. Biography

Frederick Rondel was born in Paris, France, where he studied in the studios of landscape and marine artists Auguste Jugelet and Thèodor Gudin. In 1855, Rondel immigrated to Boston Massachusetts, but after five years he decided to move to New York City.  Once he established his studio, Rondel accepted a young artist by the name of Winslow Homer under his instruction; he is credited with teaching Homer—his most prodigious student—the technique of oil painting.

Rondel was elected an Associate member of the prestigious National Academy in 1861; he traveled to Europe in 1862, where he remained for several years during the American Civil War. After his return to the United States, Rondel accepted a teaching position at the National Academy of Design in 1868.  He traveled west in 1875, where he actively painted in San Francisco, California.1  In 1892, Rondel passed away in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

During the course of his career, Rondel painted landscapes and genre scenes that were exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Art Association, the National Academy of Design, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Today his work is included in the permanent collections of respected institutions that include the Bear and Weil Galleries—Wheaton College, The Butler Institute of American Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and New Britain Museum of American Art.

 II. Chronology

• 1826 Born in Paris, France
• 1855 Immigrates to Boston, Massachusetts
• 1858 Spends time in South Malden, Massachusetts
• 1860 Moves to New York City, New York
• 1861 Winslow Homer studies under his instruction; elected Associate member of the National Academy of Design
• 1862 Returns to Europe during the American Civil War
• 1865 Returns to New York City, accepts teaching position at the National Academy of Design
• 1875 Actively paints in San Francisco, California
• 1892 Passes away in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

III. Collections

• Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts
• The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio
• Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
• New Britian Museum of American Art, Connecticut

IV. Exhibitions

• 1855–68 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
• 1857–92 National Academy of Design
• 1881 The Brooklyn Art Association
• 1889 The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois
• 1891 The Brooklyn Art Association

V. Memberships

• National Academy of Design, Associate, 1861

VI. Notes

1. Peter H. Falk, “Frederic Rondel, Sr.” In Who Was Who in American Art, (Madison, Connecticut: Sound View Press, 1999), 2818. “Famous Painter’s Death,” Times (London), August 13, 1919, 9.

VII. Suggested Resources

• Hughes, Edan Milton. Artists in California 1786–1940. San Francisco, CA: Hughes Publishing Company, 1989.
• Edwards, Lee M. Domestic Bliss: Family Life in American Painting 1840–1910. Yonkers, New York: The Hudson River Museum of Westchester, Inc., 1986.