biography of Edgar Samuel PAXSON (1852-1919)
Birth place: East Hamburg, NY
Death place: Missoula, MT
Addresses: Buffalo, NY (until 1877); Deer Lodge, MT (1879-81); Butte, MT (1881-1905); Missoula, MT (1905-on)
Profession: Illustrator, muralist
Studied: assisted his father as a sign painter & decorator.
Exhibited: S. Indp. A., 1917.
Work: Missoula County Court House (8 murals); Montana Capitol Bldg. (56 murals); Univ. Montana; Whitney Gal. Western Art, Cody, WY.
Comments: Paxon"s claim to fame was his 6' x 10' mural, "Custer's Last Battle," which took many years to paint, was exhibited nationally, and lauded for its accuracy of detail. He went West in 1877, and served as a scout in the Nez Perce war in Montana; thereafter, he specialized in painting Indians and pioneer life.
Sources: WW19; P&H Samuels, 363.