Caroline Peart, American Artist
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School School of Humanities MOMENTS OF LIGHT AND YEARS OF AGONY: CAROLINE PEART, AMERICAN ARTIST 1870-1963 A Dissertation in American Studies by Katharine John Snider ©2018 Katharine John Snider Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2018 The dissertation of Katharine John Snider was reviewed and approved* by the following: Anne A. Verplanck Associate Professor of American Studies and Heritage Studies Dissertation Advisor Chair of Committee Charles Kupfer Associate Professor of American Studies and History John R. Haddad Professor of American Studies and Popular Culture Program Chair Holly Angelique Professor of Community Psychology *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School ii ABSTRACT This dissertation explores the life of American artist Caroline Peart (1870-1963) within the context of female artists at the turn of the twentieth century. Many of these artists’ stories remain untold as so few women achieved notoriety in the field and female artists are a relatively new area of robust academic interest. Caroline began her formal training at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts at a pivotal moment in the American art scene. Women were entering art academies at record numbers, and Caroline was among a cadre of women who finally had access to formal education. Her family had the wealth to support her artistic interest and to secure Caroline’s position with other elite Philadelphia-area families. In addition to her training at the Academy, Caroline frequently traveled to Europe to paint and she studied at the Academie Carmen. Caroline achieved flashes of greatness as a painter: she won the coveted Mary Smith Prize which the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts awarded annually (1879-1968) to the best work by a female artist. Her works were displayed at multiple exhibitions, including the Pan-American Exhibition in Buffalo, New York, and the Carnegie International in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She conscientiously integrated herself into the larger artistic community in Philadelphia and took advantage of organizations such as the Plastic Club in order to cultivate a sense of belonging with other female artists in the area. Despite these successes and efforts, Caroline never became a full-fledged professional artist. This could be in part due to the fact that Caroline focused on traditional portraiture and, as modernism took hold in America, public interest in portraits waned. More likely, Caroline failed to establish a career because she did not possess the iii required mix of talent, drive, status, and support needed to find success. Her ongoing struggles in her personal life resulted in her decisions to abandon painting and make an ill-fated decision to marry Christian Brinton, a well-known art critic, which quickly ended in divorce. The pressure of these setbacks resulted in Caroline relying on mediums, the occult, and spiritualism to survive day-to-day. These obsessions, combined with the overwhelming responsibility of caring for her aging mother, consumed, and largely destroyed, her. She lived in absolute poverty despite her wealthy early years and for the last decades of her life she lived in Washington Boro, Pennsylvania, in a home without electricity, heat, or running water. Upon her death, the community was shocked to discover that she left her estate to Franklin & Marshall College, an institution with which she had no ties save that it, like Washington Boro, was in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The estate was valued at over $565,000 in 1963. Caroline’s biography provides a window through which to examine many topics, including American art at the turn of the twentieth century and the rise of female artists, spiritualism, and the occult. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Illustrations ............................................................................................................. vi Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... vii Dedication ........................................................................................................................... x Introduction… ..................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter One: Women in Art at the Turn of the Twentieth Century ................................... 5 Chapter Two: Family, Art, and Unfulfilled Promise ........................................................ 32 Chapter Three: Private Life .............................................................................................. 92 Chapter Four: Ghosts, Agony, and Spiritualism ............................................................. 113 Chapter Five: Old Age and Legacy ................................................................................ 139 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 153 Appendix: Caroline Peart Chronology ............................................................................ 165 v LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. Caroline Peart, Portrait of Martha Peart, 1895 ............................................ 77 Figure 2. Caroline Peart, Woman with Green Necklace, n.d ........................................ 78 Figure 3. Caroline Peart, Seated Woman With Green Beads, n.d… ............................... 79 Figure 4. Caroline Peart, Portrait of John Peart, n.d ...................................................... 80 Figure 5. Caroline Peart, Portrait of Elizabeth Jane Harberger, 1896 .......................... 81 Figure 6. Caroline Peart, Self Portrait, n.d ..................................................................... 82 Figure 7. Caroline Peart, Portrait of Mary Peart, 1897 ................................................... 83 Figure 8. Caroline Peart, Woman with Violet Corsage, n.d ............................................ 84 Figure 9. Caroline Peart, Green Gloves (Martha Peart), 1896… ................................... 85 Figure 10. Caroline Peart, Once Upon A Time, n.d. (reproduction) .............................. 86 Figure 11. Caroline Peart, Sea Breeze (Alice Staman), n.d ............................................ 87 Figure 12. Caroline Peart, Grace, n.d ............................................................................. 88 Figure 13. Caroline Peart, Carolyn Breneman Bockius, Age 10, 1896… ........................ 89 Figure 14. Caroline Peart, Portrait of Carolyn Breneman Bockius (Mrs. N.C. Wyeth), n.d ...................................................................................................................................... 90 Figure 15. Caroline Peart, Portrait of Carolyn Breneman Bockius (Mrs. N.C. Wyeth), n.d ...................................................................................................................................... 91 vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to many individuals whose assistance throughout my research and writing proved invaluable. At Franklin & Marshall College, I would like to thank Margaret Hazlett and Maria Flores-Mills who supported my request to take an administrative sabbatical in order to prepare for and take my comprehensive exams. My colleagues, particularly Beth Proffitt and Suzanna Richter, took on my professional responsibilities so that I could focus on my academic work, and I am grateful for their willingness to step in (as well as their years of friendship). My former student, Lauren Muliawan, and I spent a lot of time thinking and talking about Caroline, and I appreciate all of her good humor and assistance in thinking about this dissertation. I have spent a lot of time in the Franklin & Marshall archives and have greatly enjoyed the company of Christopher Raab, Associate Librarian, Archives & Special Collections, and Michael Lear, Research & Collections Management Specialist. I appreciate them making materials available, discussing all of Caroline Peart’s many peculiarities, and listening to me complain about her handwriting. Lindsay Marino, Assistant Director and Collections Manager at the Phillips Museum, Franklin & Marshall College, made Caroline Peart’s paintings available to me and kindly shared numerous images of her paintings for my dissertation. The following individuals provided assistance as I searched for materials related to Caroline Peart: Gail Stanislow and Christine Podmaniczky, Walter and Lenore Annenberg Research Center, Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania; Jasmine Smith, Chester County Historical Society, West Chester, Pennsylvania; Hoang vii Tran, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Sarah Lerner and Elizabeth Tufts-Brown, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Renee Williams, Worcester Museum of Art, Worcester, Massachusetts. Don Sherick lent his time for a lengthy interview on Caroline Peart. His mother, Grace, served as Caroline’s caretaker and Mr. Sherick had access to Caroline few did during her later life. He shared many memories which painted a much richer picture of Caroline in her old age. Going back to school over ten years after thinking I was done with formal education was daunting, and I am grateful that I landed in such a wonderful program. Both John Haddad and Charlie Kupfer lead compelling courses and going to class each week to learn from them was a gift. They were generous of time, and I appreciate