Abbott Handerson Thayer

Abbott Handerson Thayer was an American artist, naturalist, and painter, known as the “father of camouflage” for his pioneering theories on protective coloration in nature. Some key facts about him:
• Thayer was born in 1849 in Boston, Massachusetts.
• Thayer studied at the National Academy of Design and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
• Thayer started as an animal and portrait painter, later focusing on depictions of women and winged figures in landscapes. His paintings are characterized by diffuse light and atmospheric effects.
• Thayer became fascinated by protective coloration in nature, especially the COUNTershading of animals. He argued that animals are darker on their upper parts and lighter on their undersides so as to neutralize the effects of light and shadow. This makes them less visible to predators.
• Thayer applied these theories during World War I as a member of the U.S. Army Camouflage Corps, helping to camouflage equipment and installations. His book Concealing-Coloration in the Animal Kingdom published with his son Gerald Thayer in 1909 laid out his theories on camouflage.
• Thayer’s artworks are in the collections of major museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
• Thayer died in 1931 at the age of 82 in Dublin, New Hampshire.
• Thayer is regarded as a pioneer in the laws of protective coloration and shaped modern camouflage techniques. His theories and artworks have influenced art and military camouflage.