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All rights reserved. UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Aibor, MI 48106 P..... .. ............ Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. WOMEN ART STUDENTS IN AMERICA: AN HISTORICAL STUDY OF ACADEMIC ART INSTRUCTION DURING THE NINETEENTH CENTURY by Marcia Hyland Green submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of The American University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration Signatupqs of Committee: ^ A Chair: / % , / ujlU. Dean of (the College â'jo Date 1990 The American University Washington, D.C. 20016 t e e AMÉBICM DlîIv'EnSîTY LIBRARY Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. @ COPYRIGHT BY MARCIA H. GREEN 1990 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEDICATION To B. S. G.,III, with my love Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. WOMEN ART STUDENTS IN AMERICA: AN HISTORICAL STUDY OF ACADEMIC ART INSTRUCTION DURING THE NINETEENTH CENTURY BY Marcia Hyland Green ABSTRACT Art historians have suggested that one reason for the small number of women artists prior to the twentieth cen­ tury was limited access to appropriate artistic instruc­ tion. Current art historical texts on nineteenth-century American art have given very little attention to women artists of the period. It was the researcher's goal in the present study to determine if a lack of appropriate edu­ cational opportunities was one explanation for the obscur­ ity of nineteenth-century American women artists. There­ fore, the purpose of the research was to analyze academic art training for American women during the past century. The study examined four nineteenth-century art schools: the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the National Academy of Design, the Art Students League, and the Corcoran School of Art. All four schools employed the French academic model for art instruction. The "academic" approach to art training emphasized drawing instruction in ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. which elementary students copied plaster casts of antique Greek and Roman statues; advanced students drew from live, usually nude, models. The research focused on the curri­ culum, faculty, student competitions, and the educational environment of each program as it pertained to women's art education. The research findings indicated that American academic art schools during the nineteenth century provided women students with thorough and rigorous academic art instruction and that there were only minor differences in the curricular course of study for men and for women. The researcher did uncover specific instances of racism, sexual harassment, gender stereotyping, and restrictive social attitudes. However, even with these occurrences, the four schools under study provided women art students with com­ prehensive training, professional opportunities, and per­ sonal support. There was relative equality in the educa­ tional environment for male and female students. Although the study did not cover nineteenth-century European art schools, the surprising implication was that the American schools were far more progressive and offered greater opportunities than their European counterparts. Therefore, the conclusion of the study was that a lack of appropriate education cannot be adduced as the reason for the obscurity of nineteenth-century American women artists. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Deep thanks and appreciation go to Ruby Weinbrecht of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, David Dellinger of the National Academy of Design, and Lawrence Campbell of the Art Students League. They provided invaluable archival assistance. Without their help this research could not have been conducted. I also want to express my gratitude and appreciation to Margaret Meyers of the Archives of American Art, Washington, D.C. She displayed enormous patience with a very tempermental copier. I owe especial thanks to the faculty and staff of the Art Department of The American University. They were, at all times, gracious and professional to me, a student from another discipline. Rebecca Army of the School of Education guided me through the maze of administrative paperwork surrounding the production of a dissertation. I am most appreciative of her assistance. I want to thank my dissertation committee. Dr. Bernard Hodinko, Dr. Mary D. Garrard, and Dr. Renee Sandell. Dr. Hodinko furnished essential technical advice and moral support. The scholarly writings of Dr. Garrard iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. and Dr. Sandell were particularly insightful and provided the impetus for this research. I am most indebted to them. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................... iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS................................ viii Chapter 1. Introduction: Women as Artists ................ 1 Methodology ............................... 9 Definition of T e r m s .................. .. 13 2. THE ACADEMIC TRADITION: THE EUROPEAN MODEL FOR TRAINING IN THE VISUAL A R T S ............ 15 The Academy in F r a n c e .................. 20 The Royal Academy of Lo n d o n ............... 26 Curriculum in Nineteenth-Century France . 28 European Art Training for Nineteenth- Century W o m e n ...................... 35 Academic Art Education in the United S t a t e s .............................. 38 3. THE SOCIAL MILIEU: AMERICA'S RELATIONSHIP WITH ART, ARTISTS AND WOMEN ......................... 44 American Women During the Nineteenth C e n t u r y ............................ 53 America's Relationship with Women Artists in the Nineteenth Century............ 59 4. TRAINING IN THE VISUAL ARTS FOR AMERICAN WOMEN ......................................... 70 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts . 72 National Academy of Design ................ 126 Art Students L e a g u e ..................... 165 Corcoran School of A r t ................... 203 5. EDUCATIONAL ANALYSIS: FINDINGS, CONSIDERATIONS IMPLICATIONS ................................... 243 Gender Considerations in the Nineteenth- Century School Curriculum ............ 246 Cultural Considerations Regarding Nineteenth-Century Women Art Students. 250 Conclusion and Implications .............. 254 vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. POSTSCRIPT ............................................258 APPENDIX A ............................................261 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................... 264 vil Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AAA Archives of American Art PAFA Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts NAD National Academy of Design ASL Art Students League CGA Corcoran Gallery of Art Vlll Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION: WOMEN AS ARTISTS "Submit yourself to