Benjamin Osro Eggleston was born in 1866 on a farm near Marshall, Minnesota, the son of Hubert Newbury Eggleston, a Union Army sergeant, and Caroline Nelson Eggleston. He grew up in rural Minnesota where he showed an early aptitude for art. In his late teens, he received instruction from an accomplished woman art instructor in Marshall (her name remains unidentified despite archival searches). At 17, Eggleston left home to live with his uncle in Redwing. Ever resourceful, he was able to save $150 (nearly $6000 today) to move to Minneapolis and pursue an art education.
Education and Training
Eggleston enrolled in the inaugural class of the Minneapolis School of Fine Arts (now the Minneapolis College of Art and Design), where he studied under noted American painter Douglas Volk. This formal training helped shape his foundational technique and introduced him to broader artistic currents at the turn of the century.
Early Career
Eggleston began his professional life as a staff artist and illustrator for the Minneapolis Tribune, producing work that demonstrated both technical skill and narrative strength. After a period of illness, he spent time in Ohio recuperating before heading abroad for further study.
Paris and Influences
In Europe, Eggleston pursued study in Paris and exhibited work at the Paris Salon, exposing his work to international audiences and contemporary art movements. He expressed particular admiration for the English Pre-Raphaelite painter Sir John Everett Millais, whose attention to detail and luminous technique influenced Eggleston’s own approach.
American Art Career
Eggleston exhibited widely in the United States. His work appeared at prestigious venues, including the National Academy of Design, the Pouch Gallery, and the Katz Gallery. He was active in New York art circles and regularly showed in Salmagundi Club exhibitions. A Brooklyn Eagle society column in 1932 noted his participation in a Salmagundi Club small paintings exhibition and recognition in charitable art events.
In 1934, reviews of the Brooklyn Society of Artists’ annual exhibition praised Eggleston’s figure composition “Sunday at Grandmother’s” for its meticulous craftsmanship and its evocative reflection of contemporary American life.
Portraiture and Commissions
Eggleston was known for his portrait work as well. In 1936 he painted a portrait of Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the international Scouting movement, which he presented to the Brooklyn Council of the Boy Scouts. The occasion was marked by a celebratory event at the Waldorf-Astoria, indicating the esteem in which he was held by civic and cultural leaders.
Leadership and Community Engagement
He served as president and governor of the Brooklyn Society of Artists, contributing to the organization’s direction and prominence in the New York art scene.
Later Life and Death
Benjamin Osro Eggleston died on February 16, 1937, in Brooklyn, New York. Obituaries noted his distinguished career as an artist, his leadership in artistic communities, and his earlier connection to Minnesota as a staff artist for the Minneapolis Tribune. He was survived by his sister, Anna C. Eggleston, herself an accomplished portrait painter.
Anna C. Eggleston (Sister)
Anna continued her life and artistic practice in Brooklyn. After Benjamin’s death, she was involved in managing aspects of his former West Stockbridge, Massachusetts property (an old stone mill that had served as his summer studio). She died in 1945, with her obituary noting studios in Vanderveer Park and downtown Brooklyn, and her burial in Evergreen Cemetery alongside her brother and mother.
Written and researched by Darren S. Leno, 2026.