Elizabeth Hamilton Huntington, (October 8, 1878 – 1963) was a 20th-century American painter best known for her

still life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, m ...

and floral paintings, often executed in

pastel A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...

on paper.

Early life and education

Elizabeth Hamilton Thayer (later Elizabeth Hamilton Huntington) was born in South Braintree,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

in 1878. Huntington was related to the painter Abbot Thayer, via her mother,

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

. She attended the Massachusetts College of the Arts in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

where she studied under Ernest Lee Major.

Career

During her engagement to her future husband, Raymond, Huntington was diagnosed with

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

that paralyzed the right side of her body. In order to continue painting she had to manipulate her non-functional right arm using her left arm. Huntington's husband hand made a desk that could be fit to a car in order for her to paint. Huntington's disability greatly affected her ability to take part in the art community of

. Huntington created a salon in her home, where people would show their art and give lectures. In 1933, this group became officially known as th
Wellesley Society of Artists
ref name=":1"> The WSA is still in operation today. Huntington's work was exhibited in the late 2000s and early 2010s both at

Fruitlands Museum Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, Massachusetts, is a museum about multiple visions of America on the site of the short-lived utopian community, Fruitlands (transcendental center), Fruitlands. The museum includes the Fruitlands farmhouse (a National ...

Harvard, Massachusetts Harvard is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is located 25 miles west-northwest of Boston, in eastern Massachusetts. A farming community settled in 1658 and incorporated in 1732, it has been home to several ...

and at the now-defunct Floria Museum for Women Artists in DeLand, Florida. Huntington's work was collected by champions of the unknown, like Samuel M. Robbins of

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...

Personal life

Huntington married Raymond Edwards Huntington on June 9, 1909 in

Wollaston, Massachusetts Wollaston, Massachusetts, is a neighborhood in the city of Quincy, Massachusetts. Divided by Hancock Street or Route 3A, the Wollaston Beach side is known as Wollaston Park, while the Wollaston Hill side is known as Wollaston Heights. It is b ...

Death and legacy

Huntington painted until her death in 1963. Huntington left approximately 5,000 works in oil, pastel, and watercolor. A collection of her materials is held at the

Smithsonian Institution's The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded o ...

Archives of American Art The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washingt ...

and the

Peabody Essex Museum The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, US, is a successor to the East India Marine Society, established in 1799. It combines the collections of the former Peabody Museum of Salem (which acquired the Society's collection) and the ...

library.

Exhibitions

* 2009: ''The Nature of Apples'',

*''White Mountain Artists 1840-1940'', Florida Museum for Women Artists * ''New England Impressionists Rediscovered'',

Books

Huntington's book, ''Water Colors by Elizabeth T. Huntington'' was published in Boston in 1939. Huntington's paintings are featured in several exhibition catalogs/books, including: * ''Paintings by American Women: Selections from the Collection of Louise and Alan Sellars'' (1989) * ''Women Artists in the White Mountains, 1940-1940'' (1990) * ''Things of Beauty: Floral Still-Lifes: Selected from the Louise and Alan Sellars Collection of Art by American Women'' (1992)

References

External links

Elizabeth Hamilton Thayer Huntington papers

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huntington, Elizabeth 1878 births 1963 deaths 19th-century American painters People from Braintree, Massachusetts 20th-century American painters Painters from Massachusetts