American Impressionists - The great ladies

I have written a few times before on the words of art critic Gustave Geffroy, who said that Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, and Marie Bracquemond were the “Three great ladies” of French Impressionism.

But of course, the Impressionist movement is so much larger than just what happened in France. So today, I wanted to take the chance to introduce you all to a few of the lesser known “great ladies” from across the Atlantic with American Impressionism.

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As always, we won’t have enough space to tell each artist’s story in the way that they deserve to be told - in fact, we are really only scratching the surface of Impressionist talent that is still out there waiting to be rediscovered.

Yet still, I hope this little exhibition can help to introduce you all to a few new favourites, or to shine a little light on some artists who are long overdue a bit more attention in the pages of art history.

And, perhaps most important at all, perhaps this can be one more gentle reminder that while Morisot, Cassatt and Bracquemond are quite rightly among the most famous artists of the last 150 years . . . there have always been so many more than just “three great ladies” of Impressionism.

1. Lillian Westcott Hale

(Born 1880 - Died 1963)

Associated with the Boston School of Impressionism, and highly gifted at drawing as well as painting.

Nowadays, Hale’s work is in a number of important American collections including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Yet still, she is nowhere near as famous as she should be! So I sincerely hope one of these institutions will choose to give her a full exhibition at some point.

Woman resting - 1920s - Florence Griswold Museum

Left: Home Lessons - 1919 (Courtesy of Philips Collection) - Right: Portrait of a woman (1920s) - Private Collection

2. Matilda Browne

(Born 1869 - Died 1947)

Matilda first learnt paint at only 9 years old due to her neighbour being an artist associated with the famous Hudson River school.

By 12 years old, she had her first work accepted into an exhibition at the National academy of design in New York. And throughout the rest of her life, she did go on to win a number of other awards, along with a decent amount of critical praise- though perhaps still not quite enough to really cement her as a household name.

Peonies - 1907

3. Jane Peterson

(Born 1876 - Died 1965)

Probably the best known of all the artists featured her today - though, once again, still definitely deserving of a bit more attention!

Jane Peterson was a real “artists artist” - not just for her bold and often experimental painting style, but also for her personal spirit and independent heart too.

Gloucester Fleet - (private collection)

The Engagement Ring - 1909 - (Private collection)

4. Lilla Cabot Perry

(Born 1848 - Died 1933)

Compared to our other artists today, Lilla was much more of a direct descendant of French Impressionism due to her friendship with Camille Pissarro and also being briefly mentored by Claude Monet during her travels to France.

But her innovative style of impressionism was also greatly influenced by further travels around America, and the time she spent living in Japan with her husband too.

In a Japanese Garden - 1898 - 1901 - (Private Collection)

5. Mary Agnes Yerkes

(Born 1886 - Died 1989)

A talented painter and photographer. Mary’s professional career as a painter was severely impacted by the great depression in the 1920s. Yet still, she continued to paint and practice all manner of other art forms well into her 90s.

Proof, once again, that a creative spirit is a fire that can never be fully extinguished!

Mount Shasta, CA - 1923 - Private Collection

Moon Set and Sunrise Glow - 1964 - Private Collection

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