Ronald Paulson, YC ’52 and GRD ’58, a distinguished scholar of eighteenth-century literature and art, died on August 7th at the age of 94 in his home in Baltimore, MD. An interdisciplinary scholar of both text and image, Paulson authored over twenty books, including field-defining studies of the artist William Hogarth.
Paulson’s life and career were deeply intertwined with Yale University, where he studied as both an undergraduate and a graduate student, and later served as a professor in the English department from 1975 to 1984. As one of the preeminent scholars of his generation, his contributions to eighteenth-century studies earned him numerous awards and honors. He was a beloved mentor to his students at both Yale and Johns Hopkins, where he taught for twenty years before retiring.
Paulson was predeceased by his son Andrew Paulson and is survived by his daughter Melissa Paulson, grandchildren Matthew Stallings and Sara Stotler, and his former wife Barbara Paulson. His loss will be deeply felt by his colleagues, students, and friends at Yale and around the world.