Two paintings by women artists of the Boston School acquired by National Gallery of Art
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Thursday, November 14, 2024


Two paintings by women artists of the Boston School acquired by National Gallery of Art
Mary Bradish Titcomb, The Writer, c. 1912. Oil on canvas. Overall: 76.2 x 63.5 cm (30 x 25 in.) National Gallery of Art, Washington. Gift of Funds from James and Christiane Valone in honor of Nancy K. Anderson 2023.135.1



WASHINGTON, DC.- The National Gallery of Art has recently acquired two works by women painters of the Boston School: The Writer (c. 1912), by Mary Bradish Titcomb (1858–1927), and The Breakfast Tray (c. 1910), by Elizabeth Okie Paxton (1877–1971). These two paintings—along with Gretchen Rogers’s Five O’Clock (c. 1910), acquired in 2022—bring greater balance to the National Gallery’s existing collection of excellent works by men artists of the Boston School. Titcomb, Paxton, and Rogers were part of an early 20th-century effort for women to secure independence from restrictive cultural roles and live as self-supporting professionals.

Titcomb’s The Writer is on view opposite Rogers’s Five O’Clock in Gallery 70 on the Main Floor of the West Building. Paxton’s The Breakfast Tray will join these two works in the galleries beginning April 12, 2024.

At a time when women were actively engaged in the fight for suffrage, the men artists of the Boston School enjoyed great success by marketing images of women engaged in activities traditionally defined as feminine—such as sewing, knitting, and reading—or posed in elegant interior spaces, unengaged in any activity.

Women artists of the Boston School, who competed in the same market as their male counterparts, often produced similar works. However, they also created works that referenced women’s efforts to establish professional careers as artists, writers, and musicians. By finding ways to pay for academic training, establishing support groups, securing independent studios, exhibiting their work widely, and serving as their own marketing agents, they represent an important inflection point in the history of American art.

The Writer (c. 1912) by Mary Bradish Titcomb (1858–1927)

Mary Bradish Titcomb moved to Boston in 1886, where she enrolled in drawing classes and taught drawing in public schools to support herself. In 1902 she resigned her teaching position and enrolled in painting classes taught by the highly regarded men artists of the Boston School: Edmund Tarbell, Frank Benson, William Paxton, and Joseph DeCamp.

After several years of study, Titcomb leased a studio space and launched her career. The Writer (c. 1912) depicts a young woman seated at a table, writing or sketching in front a row of flowering narcissus. Although she exhibited the work on multiple occasions, she never sold it—choosing, instead, to keep it for the rest of her life, perhaps as a reminder of her own struggle to live an independent life as a professional artist.

The Breakfast Tray (c. 1910) by Elizabeth Okie Paxton (1877–1971)

A key member of the Boston School, Elizabeth Okie Paxton first studied art at the Cowles Art School in Boston. As a professional artist, she exhibited in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, contributing over the course of her career to six Corcoran Biennial exhibitions (1912–1941). It was at her first Corcoran show that she exhibited The Breakfast Tray (c. 1910), described as “sensuous” and “daring” in an early review. Unlike the work of fellow artists Tarbell, DeCamp, Benson, and her husband, William—whose subject matter favored picturesque landscapes and images of genteel women in interiors—Paxton’s composition depicts cascading sheets, tossed pillows, a pair of women’s shoes strewn on the floor, and an elaborate breakfast still life on a chair next to the bed. With its allusions to undress and perhaps even sexuality, the work was exceptionally modern and provocative for its time.










Today's News

March 27, 2024

Asia Week New York 2024 rings up over $100M in sales

Long before Amsterdam's coffee shops, there were hallucinogenic seeds

Two paintings by women artists of the Boston School acquired by National Gallery of Art

A rare and important manuscript of the Khamsas of Nizami leads Christie's sale

A rock fell from space into Sweden. Who owns it on Earth?

Haines announces representation of Deborah Butterfield

PIASA auction: La Joconde by Marcel Duchamp for sale

Haus der Kunst: Xue Tan to become Chief Curator of Haus der Kunst

Jon Nicholson to release MACCHINA photographic book, London exhibition and Ayrton Senna print

For one Afghan potter, home is in his work

The encounter that put pianist Kelly Moran on an unexpected path

What 'KateGate' says about royalty, celebrity and internet culture

How do you become the U.K.'s hottest new band? The old-fashioned way.

Has fashion canceled canceling?

A second act for ballet in Iran?

States have spent $25 billion to Woo Hollywood. Is it worth it?

Vampire Weekend did not make a 'Doom and Gloom Record'

National Portrait Gallery calls for entries to its annual Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize

Asian & Indian art from "The Collection of Walter and Nesta Spink" highlight Moran's 2-day Traditional Collector sale

A French-Malian singer is caught in an Olympic storm

Game-Changer Galore: Elevate Your Play with Online Slot Innovation

New Rabona Games Released in March 2024

Art as a Healing Journey: Exploring th Therapeutic Advantages of Creativity

The Future of Online Casino Payments in Singapore: Cryptocurrency

Dazzle Your Kitchen The Artistry of Glass Kitchen Splashbacks

Unraveling Threads: The History and Evolution of Crochet

Take the Plunge with Smonet SR5 Pool Skimmer: Say Goodbye to Pool Debris




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Holistic Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful