Who Is James Jebusa Shannon?

James Jebusa Shannon was born in the United States and moved to England in 1878 where he trained at South Kensington.

According to ArtUK,

“Shannon enjoyed early success and, under the influence of Sargent, developed a bravura portrait style which made him one of the most sought after society portraitists of the Edwardian period; elected RA (1909), and President of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters (1910–1923)”

American or British?

Shannon studied in London during the 1880s and remained there, enjoying success as a society portraitist and figure painter. (In 1922 he renounced his United States citizenship in order to accept a knighthood.)

The Met

Reading Kipling’s Jungle Book

“Jungle Tales” portrays the artist’s wife reading to their daughter, Kitty, shown in profile, and another child. The painting’s title and date and its London origin suggest that the little group is captivated by Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book, which had appeared in 1894.

The Met

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Slideshow best viewed At Sunnyside

Details for “Jungle Tales”

• Artist: James Jebusa Shannon (1862–1923)
• Date: 1895
• Culture: American (British?)
• Medium: Oil on canvas
• Dimensions: 34 1/4 x 44 3/4 in. (87 x 113.7 cm)
• Credit Line: Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund, 1913
• On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 768
• High resolution image found at Wikimedia Commons

Learn More

• James Jebusa Shannon at Wikimedia Commons
• James Jebusa Shannon at ArtUK
• James Jebusa Shannon at Art Renewal Center
• James Jebusa Shannon at SAAM
• James Jebusa Shannon at Met Museum
• James Jebusa Shannon at Invaluable
• James Jebusa Shannon at Tate
• James Jebusa Shannon at Artnet
• James Jebusa Shannon at Google Art Project
• James Jebusa Shannon at Artcyclopedia

Thanks for Visiting 🙂

~Sunnyside