Adam Lehr
ADAM LEHR was born and spent most of his life in Cleveland. Upon his father’s death, the adolescent Lehr supported his family by working as a house painter, then as a letterer and sign painter. Hearing of the young man’s skills, a local carriage and wagon manufacturer, Busch and Lang, employed him as a decorator. His most memorable design was images of polar bears for ice wagons.
He studied with De Scott Evans in 1874 and with Archibald Willard between 1875 and 1880. Lehr exhibited at the Cleveland Loan Exhibition (1878) and the studio of James F. Ryder (1880). During the winter of 1880-81, Alexander Gunn and William Whitney provided Lehr with funds to attend the Art Students League in New York, where he studied with William Merritt Chase.
On returning to Cleveland, Lehr established himself as a still-life painter, specializing in game, fruit and flowers, but he also painted landscapes. Lehr exhibited actively in Cleveland and occasionally in New York for the balance of a career that last until 1919.
He studied with De Scott Evans in 1874 and with Archibald Willard between 1875 and 1880. Lehr exhibited at the Cleveland Loan Exhibition (1878) and the studio of James F. Ryder (1880). During the winter of 1880-81, Alexander Gunn and William Whitney provided Lehr with funds to attend the Art Students League in New York, where he studied with William Merritt Chase.
On returning to Cleveland, Lehr established himself as a still-life painter, specializing in game, fruit and flowers, but he also painted landscapes. Lehr exhibited actively in Cleveland and occasionally in New York for the balance of a career that last until 1919.
