The Old Print Shop

George Laurence Nelson

1887-1978

George Laurence Nelson was an American painter and printmaker. Born in New Rochelle, New York, Nelson eventually settled in Kent, Connecticut at the Seven Hearths, which is now a house museum operated by the Kent Historical Society. Nelson had great affection for the 18th century house and created a number of artistic pieces capturing its unique qualities.

Nelson grew up in an artistic family, allowing him plenty of support in his pursuits. The Kent Historical Society notes that while in high school "in 1904 his crayon sketch of a cow won first prize, a pair of skates, still at Seven Hearths, in a contest sponsored by Crayola Crayons. It would be the first in a legion of awards and prizes that he would gather during the long years ahead." 

As with so many artists during the early twentieth-century, Nelson traveled to Europe to broaden his studies. He took lessons at Beaux-Arts and Academie Julian in Paris, France before returning to the U.S. in 1913, two years after he'd left home. He married Helen Redgrave in 1916 and together they moved into Seven Hearths in 1919.

 

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