William Merritt Chase begins drawing, producing likenesses of his family and friends.
1870
Moves to his own studio in the YMCA building on 23rd Street, New York, and supports himself by painting still lifes.
1872
Enters Royal Academy in Munich in the fall, receiving instruction there from Alexander von Wagner and Karl von Piloty. Becomes friends with Franks Duveneck, Walter Shirlaw, and J. Frank Currier.
1877
Paints Ready for the Ride, purchased by prominent American art collector Samuel P. Avery. Exhibits three works at Interstate Industrial Exposition in Chicago.
1880
Elected president of Society of American Artists (Serves one year).
1885
Elected president of Society of American Artists (Serves for ten years).
1886
Begins series of small landscape and marine paintings in and around Brooklyn and New York.
First one-man exhibition of 133 works held at Boston Art Club, includes his portrait of Whistler and is well received by critics.
1887
His first child, Alice Dieudonnée is born.
1888
Second Exhibition of Painters in Pastel, at Wunderlich Gallery.
Second child Koto Robertine is born.
1889
Portrait of Mrs. C. awarded a second-class medal at Exposition Universelle, Paris.
First son William Merrit Jr. is born.
1891
Shinnecock summer art school opens, with Chase as director and principal teacher.
Two-year-old William Merrit Jr. dies.
1896
Opens his own school, The Chase School of Art, in New York, where he taught through 1907.
1897
Important one-man show at Art Institute of Chicago, comprised of 71 of his works.
1901
Portrait of a Lady with a Rose awarded Temple Gold Medal at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Idle Hours awarded gold metal at South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition.
1904
His youngest daughter Mary Content is born.
Teaches summer class in England and takes his students to studios of Sargent, Lavery, Brangwyn, Edwin Austin Abbey, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, and John James J. Shannon.
1908
Elected member of Academy of Arts and Letters in New York.
1910
Receives Grand Prize at Exposición Internacional de Bellas Artes in Santiago, Chile.
1912
Travels to London to pose for a portrait by John Singer Sargent, commissioned by his pupils and intended as gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
1915
Commissioned to paint self-portrait for Richmond Art Association, Richmond, Indiana.
Serves on Art Committee for Panama-Pacific Exhibition, San Francisco and returns to California to arrange major display of 32 of his works at this international exhibition.
1916
Traveling one-man exhibition visits Detroit and Toledo museums.
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