Ernest Lee Major (Massachusetts 1864-1950) “Saint John and the Peonies” oil on canvas, signed upper left. A teacher and painter noted for his portraits, figures, and still lives, Ernest Lee Major was among the leaders of the Boston School of artists. He won the prestigious Hallgarten Prize while studying with William Merritt Chase at the New York Art Students League, attended the Academie Julian in Paris and exhibited at the Paris Salon.Upon his return to Boston in 1889, he replaced Dennis Miller Bunker as a teacher at the Cowles Art School. In 1896, he joined the faculty of the Massachusetts Normal Art School where he taught for forty-six years.