Carle Blenner was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1864, and educated in Marburg, Germany.  After graduating from the Art School at Yale University in c.1885, Blenner moved to Paris for six years.  There he attended the Academie Julian, where he studied under the great French Salon artists William Adolphe Bouguereau, Robert Fleury & Aman-Jean.

Blenner's work has always been well received.  As a portrait painter, he was especially known for his attention to the details sur­rounding his sitter.  He had a special knack for knowing what to eliminate from the surroundings so as not to detract from the focus of the painting.  He is also known for his expert depiction of flowers which are true to life (and science) and seem to sit in his pictures commanding the presence of real flowers.

As an active member in several art clubs throughout America, including, The Alliance for American Artists, Salmagundi Club (1890), Newport Art Association, Washington Art Club, The Academy of Fine Arts, and the New Haven Paint and Clay Club (which awards a "Carle J. Blenner" award to contemporary artists) Blenner made many contributions to the international art scene.  He was a frequent exhibitor in the States and abroad, receiving several medals and honorable prizes.  He also taught at the Fine Arts departments at Columbia University, New York and at Yale Univer­sity, New Haven.

Blenner's paintings are in the collections of the University of Cleveland; Columbia University in New York; Univer­sity of Vermont; Rutgers University; Houston Museum of Fine Art and the Fort Worth Museum of Fine Art.