Maria Martin Bachman (3 July 1796 – 27 December 1863) of

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, was an American

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

and

scientific illustrator Technical Illustration is illustration meant to visually communicate information of a technical nature. Technical illustrations can be components of technical drawings or diagrams. Technical illustrations in general aim "to generate expressive ...

. She contributed many of the background paintings for

John James Audubon John James Audubon (born Jean-Jacques Rabin; April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851) was an American self-trained artist, naturalist, and ornithologist. His combined interests in art and ornithology turned into a plan to make a complete pictoria ...

's ''

The Birds of America ''The Birds of America'' is a book by naturalist and painter John James Audubon, containing illustrations of a wide variety of birds of the United States. It was first published as a series in sections between 1827 and 1838, in Edinburgh and ...

'' (1831–39) and ''Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America'' (1845–48). Bachman was the only woman of the three principal assistants that Audubon employed at the time.

Early life

Maria Martin Bachman was born July 6, 1796 in Charleston, South Carolina just two and half weeks after the “Great Fire of 1796” that destroyed many of the buildings and houses in the center of the city. Martin was the youngest of the four surviving children (Eliza, Harriet, and Jane) born to Jacob and Rebecca Martin, well-to-do

mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

makers that owned two houses with household slaves. Raised in a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

household, Maria Martin and her sisters were raised to be “God fearing, responsible adults” and trained “in the liberal arts and honourable manners”. Martin’s mother Rebecca Martin had learned from her second marriage that her husband could easily take legal ownership of her property and finances. To avoid losing her property to a future husband, Rebecca had a “Marriage Settlement” drawn before marrying Jacob Martin, her third husband. When Martin was 17 years old her father Jacob left the family to relocate to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his mistress. Her mother’s foresight allowed Rebecca to retain ownership of her houses and four slaves when her husband left.

Career

Martin accompanied her brother-in-law,

John Bachman John Bachman (February 4, 1790 – February 24, 1874) was an American Lutheran minister, social activist and naturalist who collaborated with John James Audubon to produce ''Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America'' and whose writings, particul ...

, on several field excursions, including one trip to Niagara Falls, and learned how to make scientific descriptions and drawings of plants and animals. In the 1830s Audubon was a guest at the Bachman household during a trip to study bird species in the South. During his stay, Audubon encouraged Martin in her drawing and tutored her in natural illustration. After realizing Martin's artistic talent, Audubon supplied her with paint brushes and other art materials, and advice on how to use them to develop her talents. He spoke highly of her work in letters to John Bachman, stating in one letter "Miss Martin, with her superior talents, assists us greatly in the way of drawing; the insects she has drawn are, perhaps, the best I've seen." Audubon went on to ask Martin to assist with paintings for his definitive book ''The Birds of America''. Over the course of five years, Martin assisted on volumes 2 and 4 the book. She was not paid for this work. Audubon credited Martin with nine illustrations, but it is thought that she contributed to at least 30. Martin also provided illustrations to

John Edwards Holbrook John Edwards Holbrook (December 31, 1796 – September 8, 1871) was an American zoologist, herpetologist, physician, and naturalist, born in Beaufort, South Carolina, the son of Silas Holbrook, a teacher, and Mary Edwards. Although Holbrook's memo ...

for publication in his work ''North American Herpetology''. Martin also assisted John Bachman in editing ''The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America'', a collaboration between Bachman and Audubon, and later Audubon's son John Woodhouse Audubon. The importance of her contribution to ''Quadrupeds'' is discussed in a letter from John Bachman to John J. Audubon, saying Martin "knocks to the right and left with your articles and mine--lops off, corrects, criticizes, abuses and praises by turn" and "she does wonders". John J. Audubon named a variety of the

hairy woodpecker The hairy woodpecker (''Leuconotopicus villosus'') is a medium-sized woodpecker that is found over a large area of North America. It is approximately in length with a wingspan. With an estimated population in 2020 of almost nine million individ ...

(''Picus martinae'') Maria's Woodpecker, in Martin's honor.

Personal life

In 1845, Martin moved into Reverend John and Harriet Bachman’s house to help her sister Harriet raise her nine surviving children. Harriet was weakened emotionally and physically from consumption and the 14 pregnancies she brought to term between 1816 and 1832. Martin was placed in charge of overseeing the religious and moral education of her nieces and nephews. Martin dedicated her life to the Bachman family ensuring the household maintained order while her sister remained bedridden and dying from consumption. Two years after Martin joined the Bachman family, Harriet died and left Martin the de facto matriarch of the household. Within two years of living as aunt to the children and sister-in-law to Reverend Bachman, Martin drafted her own marriage settlement and married her brother-in-law Reverend John Bachman whom she remained dedicated wife and business partner throughout her life. She left Charleston for Columbia, South Carolina in 1861 due to the Civil War, and remained there until her death in 1863.

Exhibitions

New-York Historical Society Museum & Library

''Audubon’s Aviary: The Complete Flock'' is an exhibition at the

New-York Historical Society The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library in New York City, along Central Park West between 76th and 77th Streets, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum. ...

featuring all 435 of Audubon's ''Birds of America'' prints. The website released an article titled "Meet Audubon’s Assistant Painter: Maria Martin Bachman", acknowledging Maria Martin's contributions to the work. The article states that Audubon acknowledged Martin's contributions to nine of the ''Birds of America'' prints, but it is thought she collaborated on over 30 of the prints.

The Charleston Museum

Martin is highlighted in the

Charleston Museum The Charleston Museum is a museum located in the Wraggborough neighborhood in Charleston, South Carolina. It is one of the oldest museums in the United States. Its highly regarded collection includes historic artifacts, natural history, decora ...

's exhibition ''Preserving Nature's Beauty: The Art of Herbaria.'' This exhibition displays some Audubon double-elephant-folio prints, as well as her personal work that was not included in ''Birds of America''. The website acknowledges Martin as being known for her paintings of the detailed natural habitats in Audubon's works, as well as her "combination of scientific accuracy and artistic judgement." The exhibition ran from September 14, 2018 to June 23, 2019 in the Charleston Museum lobby.

Gallery

References

*"Martin, Maria". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Accessed 7 March 2007 *"Martin, Maria." Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Charles Reagan Wilson and William Ferris, eds. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1989.