Ralph Earl deCamp

Ralph DeCamp is best known as a Montana landscape painter, muralist, illustrator, and photographer. Raised near Milwaukee, he studied art with W.A. Sydaten and later operated a threshing business in Minnesota while painting and teaching. After the death of his wife, he studied at the Pennsylvania School of Art in 1881-1882. In 1885, DeCamp was commissioned by the Northern Pacific Railroad to paint Yellowstone National Park, a project that helped establish his reputation. He moved to Helena, Montana in 1886, where he worked as a draftsman and co-founded the Helena Sketch Club with Charles Russell. Russell praised DeCamp’s landscapes, particularly his ability to capture water. DeCamp was commissioned to paint murals for the Montana Capitol in 1912 and 1927. His work, including his photography, can be found at the C.M. Russell Gallery and in private collections, cementing his legacy as one of Montana’s early landscape painters.