Murphy, a native of Savannah, was born in 1869. He studied with Eban Comins in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and was also a friend of Joseph Pennell, the printmaker. Murphy worked in watercolor, oil, charcoal and pastel. He painted in Massachusetts, New York, Washington, D.C., North Carolina and Georgia. He was a member of the American Watercolor Society, the Southern States Art League and the Savannah Art Club.
In 1900 Murphy married Lucile Desbouillons, another Savannah artist. Their children, Margaret and Christopher, Jr., both became artists, the son achieving greater fame than his father.
Biography courtesy of The Charleston Renaissance Gallery, www.antiquesandfineart.com/charleston
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