Esther Edmonds Fahey (1887–1976) was an American painter.
Fahey was born Esther Edmonds in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
the daughter of painter
Abraham Edmonds,
who was among her teachers; she also had lessons at the
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists.
Although artists may stu ...
and the
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, and was a graduate of the
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...
.
Her family moved to
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, where with her father she opened a studio in
Columbia in 1910.
The following year Abraham was offered a commission from the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
to produce a portrait of
James Lawrence Orr
James Lawrence Orr (May 12, 1822May 5, 1873) was an American diplomat and politician who served as the 22nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1857 to 1859. He also served as the 73rd governor of South Carolina from 186 ...
, onetime
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** In ...
of that body, to hang in the
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...
. He died prior to its completion, and Esther took it up in his stead. The completed work is now part of the United States Capitol collection. At its accession, coming as it did at the same time as a portrait of
John Griffin Carlisle
John Griffin Carlisle (September 5, 1834July 31, 1910) was an American politician from the commonwealth of Kentucky and was a member of the Democratic Party. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives seven times, first in 18 ...
by
Ellen Day Hale
Ellen Day Hale (February 11, 1855February 11, 1940) was an American Impressionism, Impressionist painter and printmaker from Boston. She studied art in Paris and during her adult life lived in Paris, London and Boston. She exhibited at the Paris S ...
, the number of works in the Capitol art collection by women artists was doubled. In 1917 Edmonds married William Fahey, and in 1920 moved to
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
after living for a time in
.
She remained in Washington for much of the rest of her life, dividing time in her later years between the homes of her two daughters in
Potomac,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
and
Stockton,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
before dying in the latter town in 1976.
She is interred in the Parklawn Memorial Park and Menorah Gardens in
Rockville, Maryland.
There is some confusion in the literature over elements of Fahey's biography; notably, she was active at the same time as another artist, Esther Topp Edmonds of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
. As a result, the middle name "Topp" has been given to her by some writers, but this is almost certainly erroneous.
Some sources further confuse the issue by ascribing the work of one of the two artists to the other.
Her maiden name is also given as Edmunds by some writers.
References
1887 births
1976 deaths
American women painters
American portrait painters
20th-century American painters
20th-century American women artists
People from Columbia, South Carolina
Painters from Washington, D.C.
Painters from New York City
Painters from South Carolina
Art Students League of New York alumni
American alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts
Cooper Union alumni
Burials at Parklawn Memorial Park
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