Robert Lee Eskridge

Robert Lee Eskridge
American (1891-1975)

Robert Lee Eskridge was born in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania and received his art training from the Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles College of Fine Arts, and Paris.  He arrived in Honolulu in 1932 after having spent four years in Tahiti, Mangareva, and other parts of the South Seas.  By the time he arrived in Hawai’i, he had already evolved a distinct, boldly-graphic, and decorative style. Eskeridge taught at the University of Hawai’i from 1939 to 1941 and wrote and illustrated several books about Hawai’i.  He remained in Hawai'i for several more years, returned for long periods of time, and died in Honolulu.  His paintings were exhibited in Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Paris as well as in galleries and group exhibitions in Hawai'i.