Charlotte Harding (1873–1951) was an American illustrator. She signed her work with her maiden name, but her name in her personal life was Charlotte Harding Brown after she married James A. Brown in 1905. She illustrated magazines, such as ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely ...

'' and '' Harper's Bazaar'', and books such as ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

''.

Early life

Harding was born in Newark, New Jersey, on August 31, 1873, the daughter of Joseph and Charlotte Elizabeth Harding. Harding lived in Philadelphia beginning in 1880 and attended public schools there. Her younger brother,

George Matthews Harding George Matthews Harding (1882–1959) was an American painter, author-illustrator, and a muralist. He served as an official war artist during World War I and World War II. Life and career George Matthews Harding was born in Philadelphia. At ...

, also became an artist and illustrator.

Education

Harding studied from 1893 to 1894 under

Robert Henri Robert Henri (; June 24, 1865 – July 12, 1929) was an American painter and teacher. As a young man, he studied in Paris, where he identified strongly with the Impressionists, and determined to lead an even more dramatic revolt against A ...

at the

Philadelphia School of Design for Women Philadelphia School of Design for Women (1848–1932) was an art school for women in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Housed in the former Edwin Forrest House at 1346 North Broad Street, under the directorship of Emily Sartain (1886–1920), ...

, where she won the George W. Childs gold medal and the Horstman Fellowship. The following year she was an instructor at the school. She received a fellowship and continued her studies at the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

from 1894 to 1895 and under

Howard Pyle Howard Pyle (March 5, 1853 – November 9, 1911) was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. He was a native of Wilmington, Delaware, and he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy. In 1894, he began ...

at the Drexel Institute of Illustration from 1894 to 1900. Harding is identified as one of Pyle's first and noted students. Her works were exhibited at Drexel in 1897 and 1898, one of which was commissioned for a manuscript.

Career

After she completed her studies at Drexel, Harding set up a studio in Philadelphia with

Alice Barber Stephens Alice Barber Stephens (July 1, 1858 – July 13, 1932) was an American painter and engraver, best remembered for her illustrations. Her work regularly appeared in magazines such as ''Scribner's Monthly'', ''Harper's Weekly'', and ''The Ladies Ho ...

. Harding illustrated for a number of magazines, including ''

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Hous ...

,'' '' Harper's Bazaar'', ''

The Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In 18 ...

'', ''

McClure's Magazine ''McClure's'' or ''McClure's Magazine'' (1893–1929) was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism ( investigative, wat ...

'', ''

'', and ''

The Century Magazine ''The Century Magazine'' was an illustrated monthly magazine first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City, which had been bought in that year by Roswell Smith and renamed by him after the Century Associatio ...

''. She was one of the artists to contribute to the

Golden Age of Illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, video ...

(1890–1920). Other women who made significant contributions to the movement and illustrated "important British and American books", according to author Catherine Golden, were

Jessie Willcox Smith Jessie Willcox Smith (September 6, 1863 – May 3, 1935) was an American illustrator during the Golden Age of American illustration. She was considered "one of the greatest pure illustrators". A contributor to books and magazines during the lat ...

, Elizabeth Shippen Green, and

Violet Oakley Violet Oakley (June 10, 1874 – February 25, 1961) was an American artist. She was the first American woman to receive a public mural commission. During the first quarter of the twentieth century, she was renowned as a pathbreaker in mural dec ...

. Harding's illustration, ''Algy'', was made for a poem about a boy who would rather have kisses from his mother than the family dog. File:Charlotte Harding, Basket Ball, Bryn Mawr.jpg, ''Basket Ball, Bryn Mawr,'' 1903. Illustration for Alice Katherine Fallows, "Athletics for College Girls", ''Century,'' May 1903,

Brandywine River Museum The Brandywine Museum of Art is a museum of regional and American art located on U.S. Route 1 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania on the banks of the Brandywine Creek. The museum showcases the work of Andrew Wyeth, a major American realist painter, an ...

. File:Charlotte Harding, Algy, 1905.jpg, ''Algy,'' 1905. Illustration for Helen Hay Whitney, ''Verses for Jock and Joan,'' The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, New York Harding was a founding member of The Plastic Club in 1897 and was a member there until 1913 and was a member of the Philadelphia Watercolor Club. In 1900 she received silver medals at the Woman's Exposition in London and received honors and prizes at the 1915 St. Louis Exposition and other exhibitions. She continued to sign her works "Carolyn Harding" after her marriage in 1905. She had a studio and lived in

Holmesburg, Philadelphia Holmesburg began as a Village within Lower Dublin Township, Pennsylvania. It is now a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Holmesburg was named in Honor of Surveyor General of Pennsylvania Thomas Holme, who was a c ...

. Harding stopped illustrating in 1917.

Personal life

Harding married James Adams Brown, an engineer, in 1905. She died on November 1, 1951, in

Smithtown, New York Smithtown is a town in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. The population was 116,296 at the 2020 Census. The census-designated place (CDP) of Smithtown lies within the town ...

. They had a daughter, Charlotte Adams Brown.

Works

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References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, Charlotte 1873 births 1951 deaths American women illustrators Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni American children's book illustrators 20th-century illustrators of fairy tales Philadelphia School of Design for Women alumni