Mabel Pugh (1891–1986) was an art teacher, painter, woodblock printmaker and illustrator.

Early life and education

Born in Morrisville, North Carolina, she studied at the Art Students League, the Pennsylvania Academy as well as with Charles W. Hawthorne. As the winner of the

Cresson Traveling Scholarship The Cresson Traveling Scholarship, also known as the William Emlen Cresson Memorial Traveling Scholarship, is a two-year scholarship for foreign travel and/or study awarded annually to art students at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Phi ...

in 1919, she sketched throughout Europe for four months.

Career

Pugh then established her professional career in New York, contributing illustrations to ''

McCall's ''McCall's'' was a monthly American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-for ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', '' The Forum'' and ''

Survey Graphic ''Survey Graphic'' (SG) was a United States magazine launched in 1921. From 1921 to 1932, it was published as a supplement to ''The Survey'' and became a separate publication in 1933. ''SG'' focused on sociological and political research and ana ...

''. Her exhibition awards include Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1920 and the

National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors The National Association of Women Artists, Inc. (NAWA) is a United States organization, founded in 1889 to gain recognition for professional women fine artists in an era when that field was strongly male-oriented. It sponsors exhibitions, awards ...

in 1934. At the first New York World's Fair, Pugh showed the painting ''My Mother''. Her work was represented in exhibitions at the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...

in 1932, National Academy of Women Artists in 1934/35, and the Pennsylvania Print Club from 1929 to 1931. She was both the author and illustrator of ''Little Carolina Bluebonnet'', a 1933

Thomas Y. Crowell Co. Thomas Y. Crowell Co. was a publishing company founded by Thomas Y. Crowell. The company began as a bookbindery founded by Benjamin Bradley in 1834. Crowell operated the business after Bradley's death in 1862 and eventually purchased the compan ...

publication. Her best known work is her floral map of North Carolina. Three portraits, of Clifford Hope,

Harold D. Cooley Harold Dunbar Cooley (July 26, 1897 – January 15, 1974) was an American politician of the Democratic Party. He represented the Fourth Congressional district of North Carolina from 1934 to 1966. Background He was born on July 26, 1897 in Nash ...

, and Herbert Bonner, are in the collection of 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 ...

. In 1936, Pugh returned to her alma mater, teaching at Peace College in Raleigh until her retirement in 1960. Her home at Morrisville, the Pugh House, which she sold in 1958, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2014.

Gallery of works

File:Near the Rialto, Venice SAAM-2020.4.11 1.jpg, ''Near the Rialto, Venice'', ca. 1923-1926 File:Young Tourist SAAM-2020.4.13 1.jpg, ''Young Tourist'', ca. 1923-1926

References

External links

Guide to the Mabel Pugh Song Lyrics circa 1907-1915
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pugh, Mabel 1891 births 1986 deaths American women painters Painters from North Carolina People from Morrisville, North Carolina 20th-century American painters American women illustrators American illustrators American women printmakers Art Students League of New York alumni Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni 20th-century American women artists 20th-century American printmakers