Peter Hurd (1904-1984)

Peter Hurd, (born Feb. 22, 1904, Roswell, New Mexico Territory, U.S.—died July 9, 1984, Roswell, N.M.), U.S. painter, printmaker, and illustrator in the regional realist tradition.

He was born Harold Hurd, Jr on February 22, 1904 in Roswell, New Mexico, but his parents called him Pete from an early age.  (He later legally changed his name to "Peter.")  Hurd's father came from a prominent Boston family and had established a law practice in New York City before moving to southeastern New Mexico for his health.  Pete grew up on a small ranch outside of Roswell where he explored the arid terrain of arroyos and mesas, forming a bond with the land that would last throughout his life and career.

Hurd attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., resigning after two years to pursue a career in painting. During a term at Haverford College in Pennsylvania he made the acquaintance of the renowned illustrator N.C. Wyeth, who lived in the area, and subsequently apprenticed in his studio. At Wyeth’s urging he entered the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1924. In 1929 Hurd married Wyeth’s eldest daughter, Henriette, herself a painter.