Milne Ramsey was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1847 and died March 16, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ramsay is considered a landscape, still-life and portrait painter. He began his studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of fine Art. After finishing his studies in 1866, Ramsey would open a studio for a short time in Philadelphia at 524 Walnut Street.

Milne Ramsey, like all young painters want to travel to Paris and study. In 1868, he would close his studio and make his first European trip. After arriving in Paris, Ramsey rent a small apartment at 39 rue Douai. He would later move to 75 Boulevard Clichy, which was next door to his fellow American Frederic Arthur Bridgman (1847-1928). For the next five years, Ramsey would study at the atelier of figure painter Leon Bonnat (1833-1922). He would remain in Paris for a total of ten years and exhibit at the various Paris Salons and with the Societe des Artistes Francais.

Ramsey was one of the founders of the Society of American Artists in Paris. The members of the Society openly identified themselves as a group apart and superior to the old-guard National Academicians. They were proud of their achievements and confident in their superior judgment in matters of art. In 1877, when the Society of American Artists were discussing the possibility of a New York exhibition forty artist were present. They had all exhibited for years in Paris and were excited about sending their works from Paris to New York, as a group. Ramsey and Bridgman would offer their studios for the reception and a place for the contributions to be judged. While in Europe, Ramsey painted small intimate plein-aire landscapes to record his travels, especially in and around the Normandy and Brittany countryside. Ramsey used a heavy impasto and impressionistic style in his landscapes which was a complete departure from his more academic still-life and figure painting. He built a reputation on his crisp, well organized compositions. Ramsey was a master with color and his handling of fabrics. Like other artist from his generation, he collected and was fascinated with oriental objects, which he often included in his works.

In 1882, Ramsey returned to Philadelphia and opened a studio at 1523 Chestnut Street. He continued exhibiting his academic still-lifes at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art until 1903. He would briefly open a studio in New York City and divide his time between it and a seaside home in Atlantic City.

In 1900, Milne Ramsey would return to Philadelphia, where he would spend the rest of his life.

Museums:
Georgia Museum of Art, The University of Georgia, Athens
Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, 12th & R Street, Lincoln, Nebraska
The Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Ohio
Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Museum of Art at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

Listed:
E. Benezit
The Annual Exhibition Record of the Pennsylvania Academy of Art
Who was Who in American Art, Falk
Exhibition of the National Academy 1861-1900
American Art at the 19th Century Paris Salons, Lois Marie Fink
American Art Analog, vol.II, Michael David Zellman
Art Across America, Two Centuries of Regional Painting, volume one New England, Mid-Atlantic, William Gerts
The Reality of Appearance: Trompe L'Oeil Tradition in American Painting, Alfred Frankenstein
After the Hunt: William Harnett and Other American Still Life Painters, Alfred Frankenstein
Milne Ramsey 1846  1915, William Gerts
Americans in Brittany and Normandy 1868-1910, Sellin, David / J K Ballinger
American Still Life Painting, William Gerts
Thomas Eakins and His Fellow , Artists at the Philadelphia Sketch Club, Sellin, David; Mark Sullivan

Biography courtesy of Roughton Galleries, www.antiquesandfineart.com/roughton