Lawton Silas Parker was born in Fairfield, Michigan in 1868. When he was about five his parents, John and Sarah Parker and sister, Ida moved to a farm south of Kearney, Nebraska, probably on land released from the old Fort Kearny Military Post. Eventually the family moved into the city of Kearney where Lawton attended the Kearney Public Schools.

Parker’s talents were first recognized as a student at Kearney High School. In response to an amateur art competition announced in 1886 by a Dr. Gray in the pages of his religious magazine-Interior-young Parker sent a sketch to Chicago where it was awarded first prize.

Lawton entered a drawing contest and was awarded a scholarship to study at the Chicago Art Institute, and his father was persuaded to allow him a period of free art instruction under John H. Vanderpoel-a professor at the Art Institute of Chicago.  In 1888 the aspiring painter set sail for France. In Paris he passed the strict entrance exam to enroll in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Parker exhibited a portrait in the Salon of 1890. These were the beginnings of an illustrious career as artist, teacher, and arts administrator.

In addition to the Chicago Art Institute, he studied at the Julian Art School and Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, and the Art Students League in New York. He studied with imminent artists Jean Leon Gerome, Albert Besnard, Jean Paul Laurens, James McNeill Whistler, William Merrit Chase, William Bougereau, and John LaFarge.
The Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma, included Parker in its major exhibition and catalog, In the Studios of Paris, William Bourguereau and His Students.

Parker was an instructor at several prestigious art schools including St. Louis School of Fine Arts, Beloit College, Chase School of Art, New York; New York School of Art, Chicago Art Institute, Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, and his own Parker Academy in France. He also served as Director or President at a number of these schools.

His paintings won several awards including a Silver Medal at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition, a Gold Medal at the International Exhibition in Munich, Germany for Portrait of an English Girl, Miss Mabel Gains; First Medal, Chicago Society of Artists in 1908; Gold Medal at the Paris Salon in 1913 (the first non-French person awarded this prize) and the 1916 Altman Prize from the National Academy of Design.

Even though Parker was well traveled he always considered Kearney his hometown.
Mrs. George See saved newspaper clippings about Parker and later Maud Marston Burrows compiled the material into a book. Margaret Stines Nielsen wrote articles about Parker for the Buffalo Tales. In 1897 Parker took his parents to France to live with him for several years. Both of Parker’s parents, John and Sarah, are buried in the Kearney Cemetery. Parker remembered both of his parents with portraits.

In August of 1902 on a hot summer night a reception was held in honor of Parker at the home of his sister & her husband, Ida & William Freeman. a local contractor. News accounts of the time reported ice cream, cake, and lemonade were served on the lawn of the house on West 27th Street, which was festooned with electric red, white and blue lights. Parker was presented with a gold headed cane which he humbly received and thanked his many friends and supporters for their interest in his welfare both in Kearney in the early years and later while he was abroad.

In 1923 when Kearney was celebrating its Golden Anniversary Parker donated his award-winning painting to the city library, Portrait of an English Girl, Miss Mabel Gains. He said in his letter that although he could not attend the celebration, he always considered Kearney as his hometown because of the support it provided to him in the early years and even later.

Parker’s life was filled with adventure. He lived in France on several occasions studying art and teaching. He had a summer home and studio in Giverny for several years from 1903 to 1913 renting a house between Carl Frieske and Claude Monet for one summer. In 1927, when Parker was 60, he married 30-year-old Bea Snow. Bea was an American who had received an award to travel to France for her work in librarianship. The following year their only child, Larry was born.

By this time Parker had become financially independent and no longer had to paint because of his foresight and good fortune to invest in American Telephone and Telegraph stock. By the time Germany invaded France in World War Two Parker was living with his family north of Paris. Deciding it was unsafe for his family to remain in France, he helped them return to the U. S. which proved to be a harrowing experience involving a quick decision to flee, a train that was strafed by German planes, scrutiny at the border of France and Spain, and the horrors of war washed up along the beaches.

After seeing his family safely out of France and arrangements made for them to board a ship to the U. S. Parker returned to Paris but- except for a few forays to collect strawberries from his garden- he was unable to return to his beloved Chateau d’Andecy as it had been taken over by refugees and then the advancing Germany army. After two years and fearing he might be sent to a work camp due to his age, Parker also decided to flee France. Dressed as a peasant and with the help of the French underground he was able to escape to Spain and on to the U. S. to be reunited with his family.

Eventually the Parker chateau was also used as a hospital by the allies and when Bea returned to assess its condition sadly realized that it could not be restored. They lived in Pasadena, California where Lawton Parker passed away in 1954.

Parker was a unique individual and there are many stories to be told about him. According to his nephew he developed his own color transfer press, creating numerous prints of his paintings. He read the Bible at least four times, made his own toothpaste and shoe polish.

Among the pieces at the Museum of Nebraska Art, the collection catalogue lists this:
Parker Lawton S. – Untitled Nude oil on canvas n.d. 32 x 18
Gift of Carl Rohman and Clay Smith Accession 1999.40

by Jean Jacobsen, with minor editorial additions