FREDERICK MULHAUPT

Frederick Mulhaupt, known for his skillful depictions of the landscape and seascapes of Cape Ann, Massachusetts, was born in Rockport, Missouri in 1871. After moving to Kansas City, Missouri, he apprenticed to a sign painter and studied at the Kansas City School of Design, and later, at the Art Institute of Chicago. Mulhaupt was one of the founding members of the Palette and Chisel Club in Chicago. He remained in Chicago for many years, becoming an instructor in figure classes at the Art Institute in 1902.

In 1904 Mulhaupt moved to New York to further his career. From there, he traveled to Paris and lived there for several years exhibiting at the Paris Salon and enjoying the influence of Impressionism. While in Paris, he traveled to St. Ives in Cornwall, England. It may have been there that Mulhaupt became interested in depictions of harbor scenes and the working life of the fishermen.

On his return to the United States, Mulhaupt again settled in New York. He spent his summers, beginning in 1907, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and in 1922 became a year-round resident. He was active in the Boston North Shore Art Association and exhibited at major museums including the National Academy of Design, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In 1926, he was elected an associate member of the National Academy of Design and remained a vital part of the New York art world even when he lived elsewhere. Mulhaupt’s paintings, especially his working harbor scenes, captured the essence of early twentieth century Gloucester and its environs, which was already a favorite subject of famous painters such as Winslow Homer and Fitz Henry Lane. Mulhaupt died at his easel of a heart attack.