Great Female Artists Remembered

The "53rd Exhibition" of the National Academy of Design in New York
April 1st through the end of May 1878

The following article was written by an anonymous female art critic of the 19th century. Today, it is hard to imagine that women in the 19th century were, unless unmarried, always identified with their husband's sir name and had little if any identity of their own.

It was 1848 when the first women's rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. After much debate, 68 women and 32 men signed what was called a "Declaration of Sentiments" which referenced grievances and carved into stone the plan for the women's rights movement. Twelve resolutions were adopted calling for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women.

It was during the period from 1850 to 1890 that the war for women's suffrage was waged. In New York where the 1878 National Academy of Design exhibition was held, it would not be until 1917 that women were finally given the right to vote. And it wouldn't be until August 26, 1920, that the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was signed into law, granting women the right to vote.

So it is important to put this article into context with what women were struggling with in 1878 and in particular female artists of the day. Female artists were not taken seriously during this period and one could argue that even today female artists are relegated to the bottom rung of fame. The male gender dominated as revealed in the following June 1878 article. Though written anonymously, it is believed the article was authored by Jane Cunningham Croly, who was a noted journalist, author, newspaper and magazine editor, and ladies' club leader.

Unfortunately, the 1878 National Academy of Design catalogue described in the following critique is not available, though we did try to locate a copy. If it were, perhaps we would be able to identify more fully the female artists noted in the article. Many of the artists are identified as simply Mrs. "this" or Miss "that" with no further description. Sadly, only a few of the artists mentioned in the following critique are remembered for their body of work in any way. Most are lost to history.

This article is published in its entirety in order to honor all of the female artists that were represented at this "53rd Exhibition" so that those that have been forgotten or lost to obscurity can be resurrected and remembered and perhaps further researched for their contribution to art history, for it is the 19th century female artists as well as those of the 17th and 18th centuries, whose shoulders today's female artists stand on today.

The artist Eliza Pratt Greatorex [different spelling than above] was born in 1819 in Ireland. At least three of her paintings have come up for auction in recent years, commanding a high of $8,813.00 in 2006 for a wonderful painting titled, "Along the Shore in Autumn." She was noted for her landscapes and cityscapes and especially known for her pen and ink drawings of New York City views. As stated above, she was a member of the National Academy of Design and was one of the first two women ever elected. She was one of America’s earliest female illustrators. She was one of the first to record western scenes of Colorado, usually with pen and ink and then later etchings from the same. Her work was so popular that she was one of the few female artists that had the privilege of having her work widely circulated. In 1874, she was honored for her western scenes at a national exhibition of the American Society of Painters in Water Color show in New York. Eliza died in Paris in 1897 at the age of 78.

Jeanette "Jennie" Shepperd Harrison Loop was born in New Haven, Connecticut on March 5, 1840. She is best known for her portraits of children. She studied at New Haven with Louis Bail, W. Hotchkiss, and George Henry Durrie. By the time she married Henry Loop in 1865, she was an artist in her own right. At the time of the 1878 Exhibition, Jennie Loop had four daughters, Mary (12 years), Jessie (6 years), Edith (4 years) and Helen (1 year). Following in her mother and father's footsteps, Edith Loop became a portrait painter. Edith died in 1952. Her mother and father would have been proud to know that two of Edith's paintings were offered at auction, though neither were portraits, rather they were landscapes, rather small at 16" x 12", both selling in 2009 for $1,100 and $300, respectively.

Jeanette Shepperd Harrison Loop 1898, Oil on Canvas, 22" x 18"

Jeanette Shepperd Harrison Loop Oil on Canvas, 30" x 24"

Jeanette Shepperd Harrison Loop 1923, Oil on Canvas, 42 1/4" x 32 1/4"

Few works by Jennie Loop have come to the auction market and thus are quite rare. Only three paintings have been offered at auction. One was the gorgeous "Portrait of a young girl" (pictured above) which sold at Shannon's on October 25, 2001, for $9,200. The second painting, "Portrait of a Woman Wearing a Blue Dress with White Lace" (pictured above), estimated by the Ivey-Selkirk auction house at $1,200 to $1,500 and offered at auction on September 18, 2010, did not sell. The third painting "Portrait of Mrs. Kemp" (pictured above) sold at Stair Galleries on October 8, 2010 for $250.

It is interesting to note that despite male dominance over the female gender in fine art exhibitions in the 19th century; in today's market, Jennie Loop's works have sold at auction for far more than her husband’s works, whose highest auction price yielded only $1,992 in February 1990. Jennie Loop and her husband had very similar careers. Both were figurative painters.

Other works by Jennie Loop are held privately and are also believed to be in the collections of Merchants House in New York City and Yale University Art Gallery.

Phoebe Jenks was born in 1849 in Portsmouth, N. H. Her first teachers were B.C. Porter and D. T. Kendrick, both of Boston. Her entire professional life had been passed in Boston, where she painted a great number of portraits of women and children. She occasionally painted landscapes and figure paintings. Her figurative work titled, “Patience” was exhibited in this 1878 Exhibition. Many of her pieces were commissioned by Bostonians of the day. Her painting "Industry" was in the private collection of Oliver Ditson who was a prominent businessman and founder of Oliver Ditson and Company, a major music publishing house of the late 19th century. "The First Attempt" and "Making Dolly's Dress," were in the Oliver Ames collection. Oliver Ames was president of Union Pacific Railroad when the railroad met the Central Pacific Railroad in Utah for the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in North America.

Phoebe's paintings are also rare on the market today. Only five of her paintings have come up for auction in recent years, one in 2004, titled "A Portrait of a Young Girl" and another in 2006, titled "In the Tapestry Room", with an estimated value between $12,000 and $5,500 respectively - neither sold. A portrait of a gentleman sold in 1998 for $6,000, and another large portrait (50" x 27") titled "Enfant à l'habit de velours" sold in 2001 for $7,419. A small oil painting on panel, titled "Due Putti" sold for $249 in 2008. Jenks was part of the famous "Studio Building" which was home to a significant number of artists' studios and was in operation in Boston from 1861-1906.

The New York Times reported that Phoebe Jenks "the portrait painter" died on Sunday, January 20, 1907 at her residence in New York City.

Mary Kollock was born in Norfolk, Virginia on August 20, 1832. She was a descendent on her mother's side from John Alden of the Mayflower. She was a portrait, landscape, and still life painter. She was also a sculptor. Two of her contributions to the 1878 exhibition were titled, "A November Day" and an "Evening Walk". The greater part of her professional life was spent in New York contributing to the National Academy of Design scenes from the Adirondacks and Lake George.

In the book, "The twentieth century biographical dictionary of notable Americans," by Rossiter Johnson and John Howard Brown, the following is written of Mary Kollock:

An example of Mary Kollock's work was sold at Sloans & Kenyon auction on February 7, 2010 for a hammer price of $1,100.

Mrs. Culver's full name was Louisa Bellamy Carver. Little is known about her and her work. There are no auction records available and we could not locate any images or examples of her work. We know that she must have exhibited more than once at the National Academy of Design. It is a certainty that she painted "The Deserted Homestead." Wouldn't it be wonderful to locate the painting today? It is important to note that the critic mentions Louisa Carver's landscape was "very like a Cropsey". This is no doubt reference to Mrs. Culver's male counterpart, the famous Hudson River School artist, Jasper Francis Cropsey, who died in anonymity and was rediscovered in the 20th century - like many of the female artists in this article, he was not so famous while he lived and worked - most artists do not discover fame while they are living - it is after death that fame usually comes. More than 370 of Cropsey's paintings have come to the auction market commanding a high of over a $1 million in 1995 for his 1868 painting, "Lake George, Sunrise." So if Louisa Culver was being compared to Cropsey of her day, then she was most assuredly an accomplished painter. It is a shame that more is not known about Louisa Carver. Nevertheless, she is being remembered and honored for her contribution in this article as a tribute to her and all female artists who have been long ago forgotten.

Mademoiselle Lucie-Louise Fery is another rather obscure artist historically. A couple of her paintings have come on the auction market, selling for under $1,000. We were able to determine the following by researching ancestry records. Lucie-Louise "Lucy" Fery was about 30 years old at the time of the 1878 National Academy of Design exhibition. She was born on November 6, 1848 in Metz, France and died on April 28, 1922 in Charleston, South Carolina. She is referenced in the "Dictionary of Women Artists."

We discovered a document evidencing that Lucy Fery sailed to the United States from Alsace-Lorraine, France, on July 18, 1872. We also were able to locate her death certificate which indicates an incorrect estimated year of birth, which leads one to believe that little information was truly known about her. The death certificate indicates her occupation as "artist" living at 119 Rutledge Street, Charleston, South Carolina. She never married. Her parents' names were unknown. Sadly, the last five years of her life Lucy suffered from breast cancer which had metastasized. Ultimately the breast cancer and toxemia contributed to her death. A copy of her death certificate and a photograph of her grave stone are pictured below. Lucy was 74 years old when she died.

Helena de Kay was a strikingly beautiful woman and very well connected. She married Richard Watson Gilder, a poet and Editor of "The Century Magazine." Helena is best known for founding the Society of American Artists and the Art Students League (from which artists like Georgia O'Keefe would emerge), the two institutions that became competition for the rock solid and ever present National Academy of Design. Helena studied privately with Winslow Homer. It is believed that Homer had a romantic interest in Helena de Kay, but his love for her was not reciprocated. Before her marriage to Richard Gilder, Helena was the subject or the model for a number of Winslow's works in the early 1870s.

For many years Helena's home was the literary and artistic center of the city. Many of her friends were writers as well as artists. Her brother, Charles de Kay founded the Authors' Club and she was one of the four painters who founded the Society of American Artists, which held its first meetings in her home. The New York Times reported that Helena died at her home at 24 Gramercy Park, at the age of 70, on May 28, 1916. She was the daughter of Commodore de Kay and a granddaughter of Joseph Rodman Drake, the poet. She was also a descendent of one of the earliest Dutch settlers. She had two sons, Rodman and George de Kay Gilder, and three daughters, Francesca, Rosamond and Dorthea.

There is no question that Helena de Kay Gilder was a member of the most important elite social circles of her time. However, we could locate no auction records for Helena de Kay's artwork and no images or examples of her work are available. Perhaps her lack of available work is because of the increased burden of her family life after 1886. She gave up her position with the Society of American Artists, due to family pressures, and no other woman after her held any position on its board. In 1906, The Society of American Artists eventually merged with the National Academy.

There is scant information at all on Inez Ludlow. Her married name was Inez Ludlow Spencer. Though she is a listed artist, there are no auction records reporting sales of her work. It would be great to see images of her cat paintings.

Another artist that was long ago forgotten is H. Sidney Baylies. Little can be found on her, but record of her accomplishments, along with her contemporaries (other forgotten 19th century female artists), are at least referenced in the 1878 National Academy of Design exhibition catalog. We were able to locate "The New York Evening Post," dated Monday, May 15, 1871, which reported the following about Ms. Baylies while attending the National Academy of Design: "It would be impossible to refer to all of the drawings that deserve notice. But we will speak of a few of the most meritorious. Superior in merit is the drawing from the cast of the 'River God Illyssus' (from the western gable of the Parthenon), by H. Sidney Baylies who was awarded the 'Elliott Bronze Medal,' which is given to the best drawing of the torso or bust."

It is also noted that Baylies was a member of "Sorosis," which was the first ladies' club established for professional women in the United States. Sorosis was first organized in 1868 by the first female journalist in the United States, Jane Cunningham Croly, who was also a brilliant author and newspaper Editor. We believe that this 1878 article is authored by Jane Cunningham Croly. Fine Art Registry holds a large collection of Jane Cunningham Croly's literary works, some excessively rare. Art, literature, science and all manner of professional pursuits by women were addressed at the Sorosis club meetings for which there was a large membership.

Jennie Augusta Brownscombe became an accomplished artist. She was confident in her technique and skill and was business like in her work. Jennie was born on December 10, 1850 in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. The first painting that Jennie ever sold was exhibited in 1876 at the National Academy of Design titled, "Grandmother's Treasures". She supported her art studies by teaching at the "Art Students' League" and by illustrating for periodicals of the day like "Scribners" and "Harper's Weekly." The painting she is most famous for is titled "The First Thanksgiving," which is now in the Museum of Pilgrim Treasures in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

At least 83 of her works have been auctioned in recent years. The highest price commanded for one of her paintings at auction ("In Anticipation of the Invitation") was in excess of $39,000 in 2005. "The Homecoming" and "Ready for the Oven" are two paintings that sold for in excess of $28,000 in 2004 and in excess of $26,000 in 2006. All of her paintings are delightful and well executed. Many of them feature patriotic and Revolutionary War scenes. Her works were exhibited at the Art Students League, the Royal Academy and the Rome Watercolor Society. She exhibited in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago.

She was a member of the Mayflower Descendants and a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

According to U.S. Census records, Jennie never married. From about 1900 until her death she traveled. Official records reflect that she boarded at hotels in New York City with dozens of other boarders. She died in 1936 in New York City at the age of 85. The diagnosis at death was atrophy of the brain with cardiac complications. She is buried at Dyberry Cemetery in Honesdale. Her parents are buried there, too.

Little is known about Florence D. Bond. She certainly did not make it to the same rank as that of Jennie Brownscombe. Like some of the other female artists in the 1878 catalogue, she remains obscure. No auction records for Florence Bond's work could be located and no images of her work are currently available. Whatever the case, it seems that the critic thought her work worthy to be praised.

Nothing at all is located for Mrs. Berter. Short of accessing the historical primary source records for the National Academy of Design and/or the original 1878 Exhibition catalog, her first name and nothing else about her can be identified. Her works are currently lost to history. This is unfortunately the case with today's living artists who do not make a permanent record of their work. What a shame for Mrs. Berter and her descendants.

The artist is Alice Preble Tucker de Haas, who was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She spent the majority of her life in East Gloucester, Massachusetts and in New York City. She studied art with William Merritt Chase, R. Swain Gifford and with the Dutch/American painter Mauritz de Haas. She eventually married de Haas. At least six of her works have come up for auction in recent years; the highest selling for a paltry $627.00 in 2000. She has quite an exhibition record. Alice was devoted to painting in watercolor, landscapes and sea views. She was also skilled at miniatures. But one tends to agree with the critic in 1878. Her paintings are not all that exciting which is probably why they command so little at auction.

We could not immediately locate any official records for Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Lamb, Mrs. Fassett, Mrs. Rathbone, Mrs. Julia Rees, Mrs. Ely, Mrs. Florence Miller and Mrs. W. Dumont. Without the necessary primary source records, and especially the 1878 National Academy of Design catalogue, it is impossible to fully identify and provide histories for these artists. Mrs. Florence Granger, Mrs. Campton, and Lottie E. Chapin are all referenced in the book, "Who Was Who in American Art."

A painting by Abigail "Abby" Oakes came up for auction in May, 2000 and sold for $1,150. She was born in 1823 in Charleston, Massachusetts. She was active in California as an artist and particularly in the bay area. She is credited with being California's first professional artist. She died in 1898.

Out of the 24 women noted above to have sold their work at the 1878 exhibition, only one or two became quite famous. The first already profiled above was Helena McKay (though noted more for the institutions she founded than her art) and the second is Fidelia Bridges who is a noted watercolorist today. More than 70 of her works have been auctioned in recent years with a high selling price in excess of $35,000 in 1999. She is ranked with the most skilled in watercolor technique, including artists Winslow Homer, William Trost Richards, Thomas Moran, Henry Roderick Newman, Thomas Earkins and John La Farge.

The remainder, although listed artists with brief mentions in published art journals, like the 1999 publication, "Who Was Who in American Art," by Peter Hastings, these women and their work as artists are for the most part completely forgotten and unknown. Was it because they didn't take their art seriously? Was it because they stopped producing? Did they lose interest? Was there no one to represent them? Perhaps it was because of the social pressures that women faced at the time, especially family - or was it the stigma of being looked upon as second class citizens which is what this 1878 article suggests?

It is my pleasure to have honored these female artists of the 19th century in the publication of this educational article, many of whom have no historical record of their body of work, and have not since May 1878 been recognized for their contributions and thus all but forgotten. However, at the same time, this article also begs more serious questions as it relates to female artists:

1. Have things really changed that much for female artists?
2. Is it true that female artists are prejudiced even today?
3. Does the male artist still dominate today in this 21st century?
4. Where do women rank today among the more famous artists of our day?
5. Do female artists still fear rejection and criticism as the 1878 article suggests?
6. Are female artists' works relegated to the proverbial ceiling in today's exhibitions?
7. Is it true that men are the only ones capable of aesthetic importance?

--Edited by Theresa Franks for Fine Art Registry

— by Theresa Franks  |  November 30, 2010

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