Guy C. Wiggins
An American Impressionist who turned the bustling, snow-cloaked canyons of New York City into scenes of vibrant, atmospheric beauty.
1883–1962 (age 79)·American painter·Birthday: February 23·The Lost Generation
Biography
Guy Wiggins painted the American city with the soul of an Impressionist. Born into an artistic family—his father was a successful painter—Wiggins studied architecture but quickly turned to the brush. He found his signature subject not in the pastoral landscapes favored by many of his peers, but in the dynamic heart of early 20th-century Manhattan. His genius was in capturing the metropolis in winter, transforming what could be a bleak scene into a symphony of color and light. In his hands, a snowstorm on Fifth Avenue or a view of the Woolworth Building became a vibrant spectacle, with dashes of red and yellow from traffic and signage glowing against the white and gray. A central figure of the Old Lyme Art Colony in Connecticut, he balanced this urban focus with New England scenes. Wiggins’s work offered a romantic, yet lively, portrait of a modernizing America, making him one of the most popular interpreters of the New York cityscape of his era.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Guy was born in 1883, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Guy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1883
Guy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1883Born
President: Chester A. Arthur
1888Started school
President: Grover Cleveland
1896Became a teenager
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
President: Grover Cleveland
1899Could drive
President: William McKinley
1901Could vote
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1904Turned 21
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1913Turned 30
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Turned 40
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1933Turned 50
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1943Turned 60
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1953Turned 70
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1962Died at 79
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
Key Achievements
- Became one of the foremost painters of New York City winter scenes in the American Impressionist style.
- Served as President of the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts.
- Was an active and influential member of the Old Lyme Art Colony, America's premier Impressionist center.
- His works are held in major institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Did You Know?
He was the son of the noted landscape painter Carleton Wiggins.
He studied architecture at the Polytechnic Institute in Brooklyn before focusing on art.
During World War I, he served as a captain in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
He maintained studios in both New York City and Old Lyme, Connecticut.
“I paint the blizzard on Fifth Avenue to find the city's quiet heart.”
