Charles Kaelin was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1858.  He is recognized as a Post-Impressionist painter in oils and pastels.  He began spending his summers on Cape Ann, Massachusetts in 1900, and in 1916 he settled in Rockport where he painted harbor scenes and landscapes until his death.  He was known as the "Hermit Painter", although he had many friends among his artist-neighbors.  He was also a poster and advertising designer for F. Tuchfarber Lithography Co. and the Strobridge Lithography Co. in Cincinnati in the 1890’s. Kaelin's name was consistently linked with art activity in the Midwest and in the Northeast. In Cincinnati, his work was frequently displayed at the annual exhibitions of the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Society of Western Artists, and the Duveneck Society of Painters and Sculptors. He also had important one-man exhibitions in Cincinnati (1913, 1920), Saint Louis (1909), and Buffalo (1920). In 1915, he was awarded a silver medal at the Panama-Pacific Exposition for his pastels.

     Following his move to Rockport, Kaelin's work was exhibited at the Gallery-on-the-Moors in Gloucester, the Boston Art Club, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. He was also a founding member of the Rockport Art Association (1921). In 1930, a year after his death, Kaelin's numerous friends and admirers organized an important memorial exhibition of his work for Traxel's Galleries in Cincinnati.

     Examples of Charles Kaelin's work can be found in many public and private collections including museums and the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts and ITT Corporation, New York.

Studied

McMicken School of Design with Thomas Noble, 1877-78; John Twachtman in Cincinnati; ASL, with Beckwith, 1879-80s

Member

Cincinnati AC; Philadelphia AC; Rockport AA; North Shore AA

Exhibited

Cincinnati AM, from 1895; AIC; PAFA Ann., 1899-1903, 1926; Expo Universelle, Paris, 1900; St. Louis A. Mus., 1909 (solo); Pan-Pac. Expo., San Fran., 1915 (medal); Gallery on the Moors,1916-; Albright Art Gal. (Buffalo) and Cincinnati Art Museum, 1920 (solo show organized by Kaelin’s NYC dealers); Traxel’s Galleries, Cincinnati, 1930 (solo); Cincinnati AC; Soc. of Western Artists; Phila. WCC; North Shore AA; Rockport AA; Spanierman Gal. NY, 1990

Work

Cincinnati Art Museum; Queen City Club; Cincinnati University Club

References

WW27; Dialogues with Nature:  Works by Charles Salis Kaelin (1858-1929); Exhibition Catalog with essays by Carol Lowrey and Richard Boyle (Spanierman, 1990); Cincinnati Painters of the Golden Age; Falk, Exh. Record Series