Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908 - 2004)

Acclaimed French Photographer. He was the founder with Robert Capa and David Seymour of Magnum Agency and he is considered one of the most importants photographers in the world. His photos reflected the History of 20th Century. He was captured by the nazis in II World War, but he escaped and he was witness of […]

Howard Carter (1874 - 1939)

Scientist, Archeologist. Born in 1874 to Samuel and Martha Joyce (Sands) Carter in Kensington. He was a sickly child of humble origin having had, as a result, no old school ties to his name. He was, however, educated as an artist by his father, who was an accomplished and well-known draughtsman himself. As an infant […]

Pierre Cartellier (1757 - 1831)

Sculptor. The son of a locksmith, Pierre studied at the Ecole Gratuite de Dessin, Paris, and then in the studio of Charles-Antoine Bridan and at the Académie Royale. He failed to win the Prix de Rome and began to earn his living modelling decorative motifs for bronze founders. At a time in European history when […]

Leonora Carrington (1917 - 2011)

Artist. One of her generation’s premier Surrealist painters, she also achieved renown as a sculptor and novelist. Born to wealth and high position, she apparently had artistic ambitions from early childhood but was pushed by her father into a conventional education. Though bright, she was possessed of a rebellious nature that led to a succession […]

Dora Carrington (1893 - 1932)

Artist. She was trained at the Sladeschool of Fine Art and designed the wood-cut decorations for Leonard and Virginia Woolf’s first Hogarth publications. She had affairs with the painter Mark Gertler, writer  Gerald Brenan and married Ralph Partridge; but the most important relationship of her life was with  Lytton Strachey. After Strachey’s death she commited […]

Emily Carr (1871 - 1945)

Artist, Author. Known as a “Canadian icon,” she was one of the first painters in Canada to adopt a modernist and post-impressionist painting style and was one of the earliest chroniclers of life in British Columbia. Her works were heavily inspired by the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. She was born the send-youngest […]

Francis Bicknell Carpenter (1830 - 1900)

Artist. A portrait painter, he is most famous for during the portrait of President Abraham Lincoln and his family. He became a friend of Lincoln’s and wrote a book called “Six Months in the White House with Abraham Lincoln.”  (bio by: Laurie)  Family links:  Spouse:  Augusta Prentiss Carpenter (1836 – 1926)*  Children:  Elliot Lloyd Carpenter […]

Jane Dornacker (1947 - 1986)

Jane Dornacker was the tall lead singer (Leila), keyboardist, and songwriter of the 1970s/1980s San Francisco “tack” rock group Leila and the Snakes. Pearl Gates and Pamela Wood provided supporting vocals. Their repertoire included “Rock and Roll Weirdos,” “Pyramid Power” and a spoof version of Peggy Lee’s “Is That All There Is?” Gates later left […]

Franklin Carmichael (1890 - 1945)

Artist.  He was one of the original members (and youngest) of the Group of Seven, a group of Canadian landscape painters from 1920 to 1933 that also included Lawren Harris, A. Y. Jackson, Frank Johnston, Arthur Lismer, J. E. H. MacDonald, and Frederick Varley.  His artistic talent was so evident at an early age that […]

Jacques Carlu (1890 - 1976)

Architect. Notable works include the Palais de Chaillot (The Trocadero) in Paris, the Rainbow Room and Rockefeller Center in New York, and The Carlu (Eaton’s College Park) in Toronto. Brother of Jean Carlu. The exact birth and death dates conflict among sources. Some say his birthday was April 7, some say July 4; some say […]

Solveig Dommartin (1961 - 2007)

Actress. Born in Paris, France, she appeared mainly in international films is best known for her roles in the Wim Wenders movies “Wings of Desire”, (1987), “Until the End of the World”, (1991) and “Faraway, So Close”, (1993). She also had a memorable performance in the films “The Prisoner of St. Petersburg”, (1989) and “I […]

Alois Carigiet (1902 - 1985)

Artist. The brother of actor Zarli Carigiet, he illustrated several children’s books and was the recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for illustration in 1966. (bio by: DC)

John Edward Carew (1970 - 1868)

Sculptor. He was primarily known for sculptures of historical subjects in London. His projects included the “Death of Nelson”,  at the base of Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square, London, and his statues of Dick Whittigton at London’s Royal Exchange and of Edmund Kean at the Drury Lane Theatre. (bio by: s.canning)

Claire Anne Dodd Dodd (1911 - 1973)

Actress. She starred in several dozen Hollywood features during the 1930s. Born Dorothy Arlene Dodd, to Walter and Ethel Cool Dodd (who later divorced), she was raised in Iowa until she moved to New York in her mid-teens in order to support herself. While working on Broadway in the “Ziegfeld Follies”, she was spotted by […]

Manuel Carbonell (1918 - 2011)

Artist. He was the last of the Cuban master sculptors, known for his imposing work in different styles. He began drawing and sculpting clay figures as a boy and was educated at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in Havana. From 1945 to 1959, he received much acclaim for his life-sized sculptures and carvings, as […]

José Capuz (1884 - 1964)

Sculptor. He was born in Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain. Born in a family of artists, he is best remembered for his religious sculptures such as “Cristo Yacente,” “Desprendimiento” and “Virgen de la Piedad.” A big part of his work was for the confraternities of Cartagena, Murcia such as “Santo Amor de San Juan en la […]

Robert Capa (1913 - 1954)

Photographer. Capa covered the Second World War from 1941 to 1945 in the European theatre, and received the Medal of Freedom Citation from General Dwight D. Eisenhower. His photographs of the D-Day landings are classics. He became known as the quintessential war photographer though war was not the only subject of his camera.  Family links: […]

Gottlieb Christian Cantian (1794 - 1866)

Architect, Stonemason, and Builder. He studied at the Berlin Academy of Architecture, after apprenticing as a stonemason in his father’s business in Bunzlau (today Boleslawiec, Silesia, Poland). He was a builder and also served as a building inspector in Berlin from 1822-1832. He served on the Berlin City Council from 1842 to 1859 and was […]

Antonio Canova (1757 - 1822)

Italian sculptor.Antonio Canova, born in Possagno, in the Republic of Venice on 1 November 1757, was considered the greatest sculpture of his time in Europe.  His father died when he was three and his mother remarried, sending him to live with his paternal grandparents.  His grandfather, Pasino Canova, was an accomplished stonecutter and sculptor and […]

Milton Caniff (1907 - 1988)

Cartoonist. He is best remembered as the creator and long-time producer of the comic strips “Steve Canyon” and “Terry and the Pirates.”  He was one of the first cartoonists to bring realism, suspense and sensuality into the comic strips, combining all with a grace and sensitivity that brought renewed public interest to the medium.  Born […]

Rosemary Dexter (1944 - 2010)

Actress, Model. Often cast in sexually frank-themed films. Born in Pakistan, to a British father, her mother was of Anglo-Burmese descent. While vacationing in Italy, she was spotted by director Ugo Gregoretti who cast her in the Science Fiction picture “Omicron” (1963). She became known to a broader audience, when she played Lee Van Cleef’s […]

José Camarón Boronat (1730 - 1803)

Painter. Considered one of the leading Spanish Painters of the 18th century. Born in Segorbe, Castellón, Boronat studied in Valencia and Madrid. In 1753 he settled in Comunidad Valenciana,  where he created one of his most important paintings,  “The Last Supper.” In the second half of the century he also prolific as an illustrator. Boronat […]

Colleen Dewhurst (1924 - 1991)

Actress. During her 45-year career, she is remembered mostly for her theater roles and was once regarded as “the Queen of Off-Broadway.” Born Colleen Rose Dewhurst in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, she was an only child whose father owned a chain of confectionery stores. When she was around four years old, her family moved to Massachusetts, […]

Edward Calvert (1799 - 1883)

Painter,  Print Maker. His early work was greatly inspired by William Blake and he later became a member of the Blake-influenced group known as The Ancients.  He was born in Kent and studied at the Royal Academy. Among his finest works are exquisite wood engravings and etchings which date from the 1820s and early 1830s. […]

Frank J. Callier (1883 - 1971)

Internationally renowned violin maker. Known as the “Stradivari of his day.” (bio by: A.J. Marik)

Philip Calderon (1833 - 1898)

Artist. He began studying engineering, but became more interested in the drawing side of the profession, consequently deciding to become a painter. His first painting appeared at the academy in 1853, but he had little success until his painting, “Broken Vows” (1857), painted in the spirit of the Pre-Rapaelites was well received with the critics […]

Alexander Milne Calder (1846 - 1923)

Sculptor. The son of a stone-cutter, he studied carving at the Royal Institute of Arts in Edinburgh and also in Paris and in London, where he later worked on the carving of the Albert Memorial. In 1868 he went to Philadelphia and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts with Thomas Eakins. In […]

Alexander Stirling Calder (1870 - 1945)

Sculptor.  Alexander Stirling Calder was the son of the renowned artist Alexander Milne Calder, who influenced his work and taught him most of what he applied in his later works.  A. Stirling Calder was taught by Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts as well as at the Académie Julian in Paris […]

Constance Adams DeMille (1874 - 1960)

Actress. Born Constance Adams in Orange, New Jersey, after graduating from school, she was performing on Broadway when she met and later married director-producer Cecil B. DeMille in August 1902. She only appeared in one film “Where The Trail Divides” (1914), but remained married to Cecil B. DeMille until his death in 1959. (bio by: […]

Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976)

Artist. A prolific sculptor, he is best known for inventing the kinetic sculptures called mobiles. The first American abstract sculptor to achieve international acclaim, he is considered one of the great pioneers of his time. Born in Lawnton, Pennsylvania (now part of Philadelphia) into a family of artists, both his father Alexander Stirling Calder and […]