Thirty-One (31) Finely Wrought Botanical Paintings Charting Progress of Art Student at Girls' School in Portland, Maine c.1850
- Portland, Maine , 1850
Portland, Maine, 1850. Good to very good. Some toning, dust soiling, short tears or nicks. Sewing a little loose. Minor wear.. A fine group of artwork completed by a student for her lessons at Mrs. L.K. Wells' High School for Misses in Portland, Maine (also referred to as the "Park Street Boarding and Day School for Young Ladies", at 36 Park Street). Subjects offered at the school included modern languages, needle work, music, English, and, of course, art and drawing. The student, who identifies herself on some of these pieces as "E. Slater", shows clear improvement over the course of the drawings, going from basic pencil drawings of flowers to complex and finely detailed pastoral landscapes. Also of note is her distinctive style of working with watercolor and gouache that, coupled with what appears to be stenciling, effectively mimics chromolithography in a unique and very beautiful manner in some of the pieces. The student (or perhaps, her teacher's) chosen subjects appear to be largely botanical, tying the artist to a long tradition of women and girls creating herbaria. Interesting to see the clear progression of her artwork, which gains detail, insight, and skill as she practices. The artwork is housed in two albums:
[Untitled sketchbook of botanical drawings and paintings by E. Slater. Portland, Maine, c.1850]. Unbound gathering of 16 blank leaves, with approx. eighteen (18) pencil sketches and watercolor/gouache paintings, mainly of botanical subjects (e.g. tiger lily, fruit) and with one very accomplished landscape depicting an Italian (?) villa against mountains and lake. Also includes three (3) scrap pieces of paper with paintings of similar subjects, for a total of twenty-one (21) pieces. Most of the botanicals are labeled in ink or pencil with a lesson number (e.g. "Lesson 2").
[Untitled sketchbook of botanical drawings and paintings by E. Slater. Portland, Maine, c.1850]. Blank sketchbook (9" by 13"), approx. ten blank leaves with approx. four (4) inserted scraps/leaves from other sketchbooks, in original marbled wrappers back in black leather. Sketchbook contains approx. six (6) paintings in gouache or watercolor with pencil, with majority of leaves blank. Subjects include still life of fruit, landscapes with pastoral scenery. One particularly nice loose painting attributed in ink to "E. Staten" in lower left-hand corner of Romantic/pastoral European ruins.
[Untitled sketchbook of botanical drawings and paintings by E. Slater. Portland, Maine, c.1850]. Unbound gathering of 16 blank leaves, with approx. eighteen (18) pencil sketches and watercolor/gouache paintings, mainly of botanical subjects (e.g. tiger lily, fruit) and with one very accomplished landscape depicting an Italian (?) villa against mountains and lake. Also includes three (3) scrap pieces of paper with paintings of similar subjects, for a total of twenty-one (21) pieces. Most of the botanicals are labeled in ink or pencil with a lesson number (e.g. "Lesson 2").
[Untitled sketchbook of botanical drawings and paintings by E. Slater. Portland, Maine, c.1850]. Blank sketchbook (9" by 13"), approx. ten blank leaves with approx. four (4) inserted scraps/leaves from other sketchbooks, in original marbled wrappers back in black leather. Sketchbook contains approx. six (6) paintings in gouache or watercolor with pencil, with majority of leaves blank. Subjects include still life of fruit, landscapes with pastoral scenery. One particularly nice loose painting attributed in ink to "E. Staten" in lower left-hand corner of Romantic/pastoral European ruins.