Elizabeth Nourse
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Nourse was a portrait
and landscape painter
born in Cincinnati, Ohio
in the Mt. Healthy area. She also was familiar with working with watercolors, painting furniture and sculpting.
household of Caleb Elijah Nourse and Elizabeth LeBreton Rogers Nourse on October 26, 1859, Elizabeth and her twin
sister were the youngest of ten children. She attended the McMicken School of Design
in Cincinnati at age fifteen, and was one of the first women admitted to the women's life class offered there taught by Thomas Satterwhite Noble
. She also studied watercolor painting while there. She studied at the school for seven years and was even offered a teaching position, which she declined.
In 1882 both parents died, and with the assistance of an art patron
, she went to New York
to continue her studies, briefly in the Art Students League
. In 1883 she had returned to Cincinnati and made her living decorating home interiors and painting portraits. From 1884 – 1886 she spent most of her summers in Tennessee
in the Appalachian Mountains
doing watercolor landscapes.
She moved to Paris, France in 1887 and attended Académie Julian
, studying under Gustave Boulanger
and Jules Lefebvre. Finished with studies, she opened her own studio, and in 1888 her work was featured in her first major exhibition at the Societé Nationale des Artistes Français. She soon became the second American
woman to be accepted as a member of the society. Her subjects were often women, mostly peasants and depictions of France's rural countryside. In 1920 she was operated on for breast cancer
, and in 1937 the cancer was back. She died on October 8, 1938. Some of her works are displayed at the Cincinnati Art Museum
.
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
and landscape painter
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
born in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
in the Mt. Healthy area. She also was familiar with working with watercolors, painting furniture and sculpting.
Biography
Born to the CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
household of Caleb Elijah Nourse and Elizabeth LeBreton Rogers Nourse on October 26, 1859, Elizabeth and her twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
sister were the youngest of ten children. She attended the McMicken School of Design
Art Academy of Cincinnati
The Art Academy of Cincinnati is a private college of art and design, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, in Cincinnati, Ohio...
in Cincinnati at age fifteen, and was one of the first women admitted to the women's life class offered there taught by Thomas Satterwhite Noble
Thomas Satterwhite Noble
Thomas Satterwhite Noble was born in Lexington, Kentucky. He grew up on a plantation where hemp and cotton were grown. Noble saw the effects of slavery firsthand and portrayed many scenes of the Old South in his works. He attended Transylvania University in Lexington and studied art with Oliver...
. She also studied watercolor painting while there. She studied at the school for seven years and was even offered a teaching position, which she declined.
In 1882 both parents died, and with the assistance of an art patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
, she went to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to continue her studies, briefly in the Art Students League
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
. In 1883 she had returned to Cincinnati and made her living decorating home interiors and painting portraits. From 1884 – 1886 she spent most of her summers in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
in the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
doing watercolor landscapes.
She moved to Paris, France in 1887 and attended Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
, studying under Gustave Boulanger
Gustave Boulanger
Gustave Clarence Rodolphe Boulanger was a French figure painter known for his Neo-Grec style. He was born at Paris, studied with Delaroche and Jollivet, and in 1849 took the Prix de Rome. His paintings are prime examples of academic art of the time, particularly history painting...
and Jules Lefebvre. Finished with studies, she opened her own studio, and in 1888 her work was featured in her first major exhibition at the Societé Nationale des Artistes Français. She soon became the second American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
woman to be accepted as a member of the society. Her subjects were often women, mostly peasants and depictions of France's rural countryside. In 1920 she was operated on for breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
, and in 1937 the cancer was back. She died on October 8, 1938. Some of her works are displayed at the Cincinnati Art Museum
Cincinnati Art Museum
The Cincinnati Art Museum is one of the oldest art museums in the United States. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies. Its collection of over 60,000 works make it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Midwest.Museum founders debated locating...
.