Helen Hyde (April 6, 1868 – May 13, 1919) was an American

etcher Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

and engraver. She is best known for her color etching process and woodblock prints reflecting Japanese women and children characterizations.

Life

Born in Lima, New York, Hyde spent her adolescent years in California. Her art education began at the age of twelve when she studied for two years with her neighbour,

Ferdinand Richardt Joachim Ferdinand Richardt (10 April 1819 – 29 October 1895) was a Danish-American artist. In Denmark he is mostly known for his lithographs of castles and manor houses. After emigrating to the United States he specialized in paintings of Niag ...

, an American-Danish artist. After the death of Hyde's father in 1882, her aunt, Augusta Bixler, provided the remaining Hyde family with a home in San Francisco.The Art of Japan-Fine Japanese Prints
, accessed June 30, 2008.Helen Hyde (1868–1919)
, accessed May 20, 2009. Between 1882 and 1888, Hyde continued her education by graduating from Wellesley School for Girls and attending the

California School of Design San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a private college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Approximately ...

.Joan Jensen
"Women Artists of the American West: Helen Hyde, American Printmaker". accessed June 30, 2008. For the next six years, Hyde developed her artistic talents through her studies with

Franz Skarbina Franz Skarbina (24 February 1849 - 18 May 1910) was a German impressionist painter, draftsman, etcher and illustrator. Life Born in Berlin, he was the son of a goldsmith from Zagreb. From 1865 to 1869, he studied at the Prussian Academy of Ar ...

in Berlin, and

Raphaël Collin Louis-Joseph-Raphaël Collin (17 June 1850 – 21 October 1916) was a French painter born and raised in Paris, where he became a prominent academic painter and a teacher. He is principally known for the links he created between French and Japa ...

Biographical sketches of American artists, by Michigan State Library, Lansing, Michigan, 1912, page 92 and Félix Régamey in Paris. Régamey introduced Hyde to the

Japonism ''Japonisme'' is a French term that refers to the popularity and influence of Japanese art and design among a number of Western European artists in the nineteenth century following the forced reopening of foreign trade with Japan in 1858. Japon ...

movement through his vast Japanese art collection. The paintings of Mary Cassatt, an American impressionist, were also very influential in Hyde's decision to focus on Japanese attributes in her works. Mary Cassatt's paintings were significantly inspired by Japanese works of art, and many of her paintings were women and children themes.Joan M. Jensen
"Women on the Pacific Rim: Some Thoughts on Border Crossings". ''The Pacific Historical Review'' Vol. 67, No. 1 (Feb., 1998), accessed June 30, 2008. Hyde also studied with

Emil Carlsen Soren Emil Carlsen (October 19, 1853 – January 2, 1932, New York City, U.S.) was an American Impressionist painter who emigrated to the United States from Denmark. He became known for his still lifes. Later in his career, Carlsen expanded his r ...

, an American painter, and

Kanō Tomonobu Kanō Tomonobu (, 24 April 1843 – 15 July 1912) was a Japanese painter of the Kanō school. He used the art names Shunsen () and Isseisai (). Life and career Tomonobu apprenticed under the official painter for the ''shōgun'' (the ''ok ...

, the final master painter at the famous Kanō school of Japanese painting.K. W. McG.
"Helen Hyde", ''Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago'' Vol. 14, No. 5 (May,1920), accessed June 30, 2008. By 1894, Hyde had returned to California and began to sketch likenesses of Chinatown women and children. Through her association with the Sketch Club, Hyde met and became friends with Josephine Hyde. Together they attempted color etchings, and in 1899, the two Hyde women settled in Japan to study the country's painting techniques. While Josephine Hyde returned to America, Helen Hyde continued her study in Japan in color woodblock printing. In Japan, Helen Hyde learned the Japanese woodblock printing techniques from masters such as Emil Orlik, a European living in Japan. Hyde resided in Japan from 1903 through 1913 and refined color woodblock printing to a fine art. During this time, Hyde also traveled extensively to China, India, and Mexico. In 1914, Hyde left Japan and took up residency in the United States until her death in 1919.Castle Fine Arts
Helen Hyde (1868–1919), accessed June 30, 2008. In its tribute to Hyde, The American Magazine of Art remarked:

Work

Hyde's prints are still sold at public galleries, and a vast collection of her works are within the confines of the Library of Congress in Washington,D.C. Examples of Hyde's works can be seen at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. Two of Hyde's award winning works are "A Monarch of Japan" and "Baby Talk". In 1901, Hyde's "A Monarch of Japan" took first place in the Nihon Kaiga Kyokai exhibition. This work is now housed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.Smithsonian American Art Museum
accessed June 30, 2008. In 1909, Hyde's "Baby Talk" received a Gold Medal at the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition. This work is now housed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.Smithsonian American Art Museum
accessed June 30, 2008.

References

External links

*Mae Silver
"Helen Hyde (1868-1919)"
''1894 Midwinter Fair: Women Artists, an appreciation'', March 17, 1994 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hyde, Helen 1868 births 1919 deaths American etchers American engravers People from Lima, New York 20th-century American women artists American women printmakers 20th-century American printmakers Women etchers Women engravers 20th-century engravers

Life

Work

See also

References

External links