Brass Candle Stick

Edward A. Howell, born in Phoenixville, PA, was the eldest of seven children. He moved with his family to Reading, PA and attended the local schools. With the encouragement of well-known local painter, Francis D. Devlan, Howell pursued his love for painting, producing still lifes, detailed landscapes, portraits, and even business signs, while serving as Librarian of the Reading Public Library until his death in 1924.

This realistic still life of a candlestick, newspaper, stack of books, and candle snuffer highlights Howell’s ability to use light and shadow to bring an arrangement of objects to life for the viewer. Perhaps it is also a tribute to his late-in-life career as a librarian.