First full biography of MFA Boston founder Charles Callahan Perkins to be published

A new biography of Charles Callahan Perkins (1823-1886), the founder of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, will be released on July 4, marking the 150th anniversary of the museum's dedication. Perkins, a noted art historian, was instrumental in introducing art education to the United States. Born into a wealthy Boston family with a China Trade fortune, he was raised by guardians including Karl Follen and poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow after his father's early death. He studied art under Ary Scheffer in Paris and music under Ignaz Moscheles in Leipzig, and was recognized as a musical prodigy in his youth.