Earl Henry Brewster (1878–1957) was an American painter, writer, and scholar, best known today for his close friendship with D.H. Lawrence, and for his compilation of the life of the Buddha, first published in 1926 and still in print. Early life Brewster was born in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, in 1878. Education After studying art at the Cleveland School of Art, he moved to New York, where he attended the Art Students League of New York and the New York School of Art, working with William Merritt Chase and Frank Vincent DuMond. Career While living in New York, Brewster exhibited his paintings at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Boston Art Club, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and in New York City at the Society of American Artists' 28th Annual Exhibition, the National Academy of Design and the New York School of Art. One of his paintings, The Grey Harbor, was purchased by artist William Merritt Chase; another was later acquired by the Hillyer Gallery at Smith College. In 1904 a fellow art student, the poet Vachel Lindsay, introduced Brewster to his future wife, Achsah Barlow, herself a painter, after noticing her resemblance to an imaginary portrait Earl had painted for a magazine cover. The two were married in 1910 and immediately moved to Italy. Except for a brief visit in 1923, they never again returned to the United States. Their daughter, Harwood, was born in Paris in 1912. The Brewsters spent nearly twenty years in southern Italy, with travels to Greece, France, Ceylon and India. After six years in southern France, they moved in 1935 to live at snowview estate Crank's Ridge in Almora, Uttarakhand, India. Earl and Achsah Brewster's art was influenced chiefly by the mural paintings of Puvis de Chavannes and the Italian primitive painters. Their work exhibits a wide-ranging spirituality, encompassing Christian, Buddhist and Hindu subjects. Earl painted mostly landscapes, portraits, and religious scenes, as well as some abstract works. During their years in Italy, the Brewsters exhibited regularly at the Salon d'Automne and the Société des Artistes Indépendants. They also had shows at the Galerie Cheron and the Grand Palais in Paris, the Pincio Casino in Rome and with the Secessione in Rome. In 1923 they published L'oeuvre de E.H. et Achsah Barlow Brewster, which set forth their artistic principles, influences and goals. Earl's greatest artistic success came during his years in