Abbott Handerson Thayer

Family Collection

Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849-1921) is among the preeminent American painters of the turn of the 20th century. His works reside in American art collections throughout the country, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Freer Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Crystal Bridges, and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

Thayer was also a renowned naturalist and wildlife advocate. His 1909 publication, Concealing Coloration in the Animal Kingdom, published with his son Gerald, remains among the most innovative and thought-provoking works on wildlife and animal camouflage. By the end of Thayer’s career, his artistic practice had become inseparable from his veneration of the natural world.

With this site, the Abbott Handerson Thayer family is pleased to open its collection to scholars, universities, museums, and anyone with a personal interest in early American art and naturalism. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or requests.

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This website is dedicated to the memory of Jean Reasoner Plunket (1923-2021) — the last surviving grandchild of Abbott Thayer — who helped carry his legacy through her life and work.