McDaniel was born in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia (2 October 1906) and died in Quincy, Massachusetts (2 March 2008). He emigrated at age 19 from Bridgewater, Nova Scotia to Boston, Massachusetts where he studied at the Vesper George School of Art (1925-1927) with Vesper George, Prescott Jones, William Hazelton and Frank Waldo Murray.
McDaniel earned his living in advertising. He was art director of four Boston agencies, Bennett and Northrup, Inc.; Norman-Buffet Display Industries,Inc.; Vose Swain Inc. and Bowne of Boston,Inc..
He developed his skills with watercolor in his leisure time beginning in the 1930s and painted en plein air for 20 years before he began his studio art in the 1950s. His first one-man exhibit (1940) consisted of Nova Scotian scenes at The Boston City Club Gallery. McDaniel stopped painting at age 100 after completing over 500 works, most of which are in private collections; some are in museums and corporate offices. His fine art work and articles by or about him have appeared in 27 publications from 1936-2010.
McDaniel's first print, "Fishing the Dry on the Upper Connecticut", was a limited edition made at Royal Smeets Offset Printers in Weert, Netherlands in 1973 for the members of The Anglers Club of New York. His painting hangs at the club with the art of Winslow Homer and Ogden Pleissner. His print "Morning on Taylor Shore" was presented to Charles, Prince of Wales in 1978 at the International Atlantic Salmon Foundation Symposium, London, England. It was produced by the International Atlantic Salmon Foundation and the Crossroads of Sports, Inc. in 1976. A later print, "Miramichi Morning", was produced in 1989 by the Atlantic Salmon Federation for its members. For this painting, McDaniel was named artist of the year by the ASF.
Henry McDaniel's art and illustrations were used in two books: "The Art of the Atlantic Salmon Fly" by Joseph D Bates, Jr. (1987), published by David R Godine, Boston, MA. and "The Compleat Lee Wulff" by Lee Wulff (1989), published by Truman Talley Books, E P Dutton, Ny, NY.
Like artists of the Hudson River School, McDaniel painted streams, seascapes and landscapes as an outpouring of his passion for place and to promote conservation. Yet, McDaniel was determined not to stage or sentimentalize his art, often choosing unconventional subjects such as "Bush Island Castaways" and "Memories of Blue Rocks". He was influenced by Ogden Pleissner, Winslow Homer and Aiden Lassell Ripley. His paintings are representational and notable for realistic water and light effects. As he was a skilled and avid fisherman, he painted trout and salmon scenes with authentic detail. Most of his fishing scenes are set in New England and Maritime Canada.
1951 Boston Watercolor Society
1953 The Guild of Boston Artists
1988 The Hudson Valley Art Association
The Holyoke Museum of Art, Holyoke, Massachusetts
American Museum of Fly Fishing, Manchester, Vermont
Miramichi Salmon Museum, Doaktown, New Brunswick, Canada
Awards and honors
1950s Several awards for Excellence at the Boston Guild of Watercolor Society Painters exhibits, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts.
1958 B.L. Makepeace award for "Approaching Shower" at the Boston Society of Watercolor Painters exhibit, Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
1960 Richard Mitton medal for " Waitsfield, Vermont" most popular in Class D.
1964 Richard Mitton medal for "Road to the Sea" most popular in Class D.
1966 Richard Mitton medal for "Down East Memories" most popular in Class D.
The Richard Mitton medals were given at the Annual Exhibit of Paintings by Contemporary Artists of New England at the Jordan Marsh galleries in Boston, Massachusetts.
1973 The Angler's Club of New York selected "Fishing the Dry on the Upper Connecticut" for their gallery and to be used for prints for their members.
1988 First Place at The State of Maine Wildlife Art Show.
1989 Third Place at the State of Maine Wildlife Art Show.
1989 Artist of the Year, The Atlantic Salmon Federation, Montreal, Canada for his "MIramichi Morning" made into a print for ASF members.
1991 New England Watercolor Society prize, annual Grumbacher Show, Guild of Boston Artists.
1993 Hall of Fame Inductee Miramichi Salmon Museum, Doaktown, New Brunswick, Canada.
1940 Boston City Club Gallery, a one-man show of Nova Scotian scenes.
1949, 1955, 1957 National Academy Galleries, 5th Ave. N.Y. American Watercolor Society.
1958,1972 Scituate Arts Festival, Scituate, Massachusetts.
1963 7th Annual Eastern States Art Exhibit, Springfield, Massachusetts.
1955−1959 An Exhibition of Paintings from the Ford Times Collection of American Art, "Artists and Fishermen", Ford Motor Company and New England Journeys Exhibits toured New England museums, art galleries and libraries.
1940-1973 Contemporary New England Artists exhibits at Jordan Marsh Company Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts, 22 shows.
1940−1975 Boston Society of Watercolor Painters exhibits: Vose Galleries in 1950, Boston Museum of Fine Arts 1951-1973, Boston Center for the Arts 1974 and 1975, 23 shows.
1955 and on Guild of Boston Artists, Boston, South Braintree and Lexington, Massachusetts.
1979 Thomas Crane Public Library, Quincy, Massachusetts, a one-man show; also 1976.
1973 The Angler's Club of New York, New York City.
1975 Arlington Art Association, Arlington, Massachusetts.
1979 Soaring Wings Gallery, Eugene, Oregon.
1985, 1986 Atlantic Salmon Federation Conclaves, Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada.
1987−1989 Atlantic Salmon Federation Dinners, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1990 Hudson Valley Art Show, Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York.
1990 The Miramichi Salmon Museum Art Festival, Doaktown, New Brunswick, Canada.
1993 Atlantic Salmon Federation show at L.L. Bean, Freeport, Maine.
2010 Petite Riviere, Nova Scotia, Canada, a one-man retrospective exhibit of his paintings of Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia accompanied by a lecture on the paintings by Brian Oickle, Toronto MFA.
1936 National Sportsman May vol. LXXV, no. 5, cover painting.
1937 National Sportsman April vol. LXXVII, no. 4, cover painting.
1954 Lincoln-Mercury Times March–April published by the Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan "Song of the Margaree" story and paintings by Henry McDaniel pgs. 1-4.
1955 Ford Times May published by Ford Motor Company "Big Trout in Vermont Streams" story and paintings by Henry McDaniel pgs. 2-5.
1957 Ford Times March published by Ford Motor Company "Nova Scotia's Little Rivers" story and paintings by Henry McDaniel pgs. 2-7
1957 Ford Times July published by Ford Motor Company "Quebec's Roadside River for Salmon" by Peter Barrett, paintings by Henry McDaniel pgs. 28-33.
1959 Ford Times June published by Ford Motor Company "St. Mary's River for Salmon" story and paintings by Henry McDaniel pgs. 2-5.
1960 Ford Times June published by Ford Motor Company "Connecticut River Trout Pools" by Corey Ford, paintings by Henry McDaniel pgs. 2-7.
1961 Ford Times September published by Ford Motor Company " River of Distinction" by Jeff Rawlings, paintings by Henry McDaniel pgs. 31-33.
1962 Ford Times published by Ford Motor Company "The Water is Always Bluer" by Robert G. Deindorfer, paintings by Henry McDaniel pgs. 61-63.
1974 Sports Afield magazine February painting by Henry McDaniel pg. 36.
1976 Gray's Sporting Journal Spring vol. 1, no. 2 cover painting by Henry McDaniel.
1984 Gray's Sporting Journal Summer vol. 9, issue 2 inside cover painting by Henry McDaniel.
1985 Atlantic Salmon Journal Summer vol. XXXIV, no. 2 "A Brush With Adventure: the sporting art of Henry McDaniel" by Spence Conley pgs. 36-39, 41.
1986 Spawner Sport Fishing Annual cover painting by Henry McDaniel.
1987 Landmarks, Ontario's Natural Resources Magazine painting by Henry McDaniel pg. 9.
1987 The Fishers Forum December "The FlyFisher's Artist - Henry McDaniel" by Tom McMillan pgs. 1, 12, 13.
1987 Book "The Art of the Atlantic Salmon Fly" by Joseph D. Bates, Jr. published by David R. Godine, Boston, Massachusetts "The Return" and line drawings by Henry McDaniel.
1989 Atlantic Salmon Journal Autumn vol. XXXVIII, no. 3 painting by Henry McDaniel pg. 16.
1989 Book "The Compleat Lee Wulff" by Lee Wulff published by Truman Talley Books, E.P.Dutton, N.Y., N.Y. cover painting and illustrations by Henry McDaniel.
1990 Fishing Collectibles Magazine Fall vol. 2, no. 2 cover painting by Henry McDaniel.
1992 Fly Rod and Reel April "Profile: Henry McDaniel" by Spence Conley pgs. 29-30, 84-86.
2003 Art of Angling Journal vol. 2 issue 2 "A Brush With Immortality in the Art of Henry McDaniel" by Douglas Marchant cover and pgs. 4, 26-64.
2004 The Magazine Antiques July "Fishing in the Rapids" a painting by Henry McDaniel attributed falsely to John Whorf by Avery Galleries. Haverford, Pennsylvania.
2005 Atlantic Salmon Journal Spring vol. 54, no. 1 cover "Unnamed Pool" painting by Henry McDaniel attributed falsely to John Whorf.
2005 Atlantic Salmon Journal Summer vol.54, no. 2 "Stealing Henry's Name" pgs. 60-65 and "The Henry McDaniel Affair" pg. 4 both by Martin Silverstone, editor.
2005 IFAR International Foundation for Art ResearchJournal vol. 8, no. 1 "The Painting is Real, The Name is Not" by Sharon Flescher painting by Henry McDaniel pgs. 4-5.
2008 Atlantic Salmon Journal vol. 57, no. 2 "Perfect Water" by Martin Silverstone, "The Return" painting by Henry McDaniel (1906-2008).
2009 Photographic book, "A Celebration of Henry McDaniel", 208 paintings reproduced, privately published by Joseph W McDaniel.
