Colin Campbell Cooper is perhaps best known for his marvelous urban depictions of New York and Philadelphia, which encapsulate the vibrant modernity of these street scenes and skyscrapers. A Philadelphia native, Cooper enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts at the age of 23, where he studied with the renowned Thomas Eakins. He greatly admired Eakins, whose unusual scientific approach to painting had a strong influence on the development of Cooper’s own technique. In 1886, Cooper travelled to Europe where he furthered his studies at the Academie Julian in Paris. During his stay in Europe, Cooper fell in love with the picturesque beauty of his surroundings, in particular the majestic architecture of the ancient towns, bridges, and cathedrals.

Upon returning to America, Cooper’s interest in these architectural structures translated into a long series of works focusing on the modern cityscape. These paintings were generously received as evidenced by this critic’s remarks: “Colin Campbell Cooper…is pre-eminently the artist who has shown the modern world that there is beauty, even poetry, in its towering structures of steel, as well as old cathedrals laid stone by stone.”1 Because of his special gift for capturing the beauty of the urban environment, Cooper has often been compared with the prominent American impressionist Childe Hassam.

Cooper was also a firm proponent of plein-air painting, as this quick and lively study titled New York Scene, Chatham Square clearly demonstrates. This small oil sketch was no doubt a study for his larger work Chatham Square, New York, which was exhibited in 1919 at the National Academy of Design and in 1921 at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In contrast with this grand and more polished work, Cooper’s delightful oil sketch embodies the loose and energetic nature of his impressionist technique.

1 From “Among our Contributors,” The Century, Vol. 100, no. 6, October, 1920, p. vii.