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John Haberle
1856–1933
BirthplaceNew Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
Death placeNew Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
Biography
John Haberle was born in 1856 to German immigrant parents in New Haven, Connecticut, where he lived all his life. Apprenticed as a fourteen-year-old to a New Haven printing firm, Haberle developed his skills as an engraver and lithographer, eventually entering business for himself as a printmaker and illustrator. An early project involved illustrating scientific publications for Otheniel Charles Marsh, founder and curator of Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural History, an experience that likely helped to prepare him for the detailed, specific work of trompe l’oeil painting.
In 1883 Haberle founded the New Haven Sketch Club, where he would regularly exhibit artwork over the course of his career. Primarily trained as an illustrator, Haberle’s only formal artistic education was a year spent attending the National Academy of Design in New York between 1884 and 1885. In 1885 he exhibited two paintings at the National Academy in New York: Editorial Board and A Five Dollar Bill, the latter of which was one of his earliest currency paintings.
Following his return to New Haven in 1886, Haberle committed himself to trompe l’oeil painting, earning a position as one of the best in the field. Along with William Michael Harnett (1848–1892) and John Frederick Peto, Haberle created works that were meant to “fool the eye,” accurately capturing a still-life scene so as to momentarily convince the viewer that it was real. He varied his subjects, painting currency, ephemera, packages, menu slates, architectural features, and domestic interiors. While precise and minutely detailed, Haberle’s paintings stand out from those of his contemporaries for their joking manner and humorous tone.
Through the late 1890s and early 1900s, Haberle’s style grew looser and less realistic as his vision worsened. He died in 1933 at the age of 76, having stopped painting decades before. Though he achieved success in his lifetime, exhibiting at the National Academy of Design and the Art Institute of Chicago, Haberle fell into obscurity as artistic taste shifted away from trompe l’oeil painting. Today, however, he is recognized as a major figure in the genre, one who used technical skill and a unique sense of humor to capture late nineteenth century American concerns about politics, truth, reproduction, and visual illusionism.
In 1883 Haberle founded the New Haven Sketch Club, where he would regularly exhibit artwork over the course of his career. Primarily trained as an illustrator, Haberle’s only formal artistic education was a year spent attending the National Academy of Design in New York between 1884 and 1885. In 1885 he exhibited two paintings at the National Academy in New York: Editorial Board and A Five Dollar Bill, the latter of which was one of his earliest currency paintings.
Following his return to New Haven in 1886, Haberle committed himself to trompe l’oeil painting, earning a position as one of the best in the field. Along with William Michael Harnett (1848–1892) and John Frederick Peto, Haberle created works that were meant to “fool the eye,” accurately capturing a still-life scene so as to momentarily convince the viewer that it was real. He varied his subjects, painting currency, ephemera, packages, menu slates, architectural features, and domestic interiors. While precise and minutely detailed, Haberle’s paintings stand out from those of his contemporaries for their joking manner and humorous tone.
Through the late 1890s and early 1900s, Haberle’s style grew looser and less realistic as his vision worsened. He died in 1933 at the age of 76, having stopped painting decades before. Though he achieved success in his lifetime, exhibiting at the National Academy of Design and the Art Institute of Chicago, Haberle fell into obscurity as artistic taste shifted away from trompe l’oeil painting. Today, however, he is recognized as a major figure in the genre, one who used technical skill and a unique sense of humor to capture late nineteenth century American concerns about politics, truth, reproduction, and visual illusionism.