Robert McGill Mackall, the artist

Robert McGill Mackall (1889-1982) was the son of Charles Mackall. Charles Mackall was the brother of Robert McGill Mackall (the Mosby Raider) and Richard Mackall (no info) and also Mary James Mackall (the great-grandmother of Philip B. May Jr MD and Palmer Mackall May and the great-great grandmother of Hope Elizabeth May PhD). Robert McGill Mackall (artist) had 3 siblings (Colin McKenzie Mackall, Charles Mackall, and Christine Bowie Mackall).

Throughout most of his career, Robert Mackall was primarily known for his work as a muralist and stained-glass maker. He came from a very genteel old Baltimore family, growing up on Charles Street, in what is now the historical district, and counting among his ancestors several governors and military leaders. His schooling at the Art Students League, the Munich Academy and the Ecole des Beaux Arts prepared him as a craftsman, and as an artist with a certain conservative perspective. He regarded his murals, in particular, as a response to modernism, intended that they not “hit you in the eye with cubistic allegory or super-realistic detail.” The middle ground he chose personifies the late American Impressionism. During the W.P.A. era Mackall painted several murals for public spaces, notably the enormous work installed in the Hall of Tools, set in a Smithsonian American History installation. Other mural work included representations of Lord Calvert's landing for the Baltimore Trust Building, the birth of the National Anthem for Fort McHenry National Park, and Maryland's heroes for the Baltimore War Memorial in City Hall Plaza. Among his more famous stained-glass installations are those in Christ Church, Baltimore, featuring the Nativity, the Adoration of the Magi, and Christ's first miracles. For these works, one observer felt that he "must know more about color and the laws of light than the artist who works alone on canvas. " Mackall also painted a number of portraits, and a few easel paintings. Though a native of Baltimore, where he also established a viable career, he did have ties with nearby Washington, where this work is set. He was a member of the old Washington Arts Club, which occupies the former Dolly Madison House on Pennsylvania Avenue, opposite George Washington University. That club counted among its members many of the Washington Impressionists. Solidity and the dramatic contrasts between Iight and shadow, endow the work at hand with a rnellow panoramic feel. Within, we see the solid forms of furniture, musical instrument, and the well appointed accessories of a beautiful room. Without, the bright light filtering through the trees permeates the room, resulting in a backdrop with just that feel of stained-glass enhanced by the direct rays of the sun which one might expect. In the sometime small world of the South, Mackall was a cousin of Corinne Lawton Mackall, the wife of the painter Gari Melchers. In fact Mr. Mackall's wedding reception...was held at the Melchers’ home. Melchers' impact upon Mackall's work may be only cursory, seen perhaps in the warmth of light, and the quietly beautiful gentility of subject matter.

"Gilly" Mackall's great grandfather was Leonard Mackall (1768-1843). A picture of his sister Christine at age 16 and a group picture showing the aging artist are also shown above.

Selected works are shown below.