Mary DeNeale Morgan (May 24, 1868 – October 10, 1948) also known as M. DeNeale Morgan, was an American

plein air ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or ''plein air'' painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting ...

painter, especially in watercolor, and printmaker. She was the director the Carmel Summer School of Art sponsored by the

Carmel Arts and Crafts Club The Carmel Arts and Crafts Club was an art gallery, clubhouse founded in 1905, by Elsie Allen, a former art instructor for Wellesley College. The club was located at Monte Verde Street in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, where the Golden Bough P ...

and a founding member of the Carmel Art Association (CAA) in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

Early life

A native of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, Morgan was the second of seven children; her mother's parents, Thomas Wolfe Morgan (1839-1903) and Cristina Agnes Ross (1847-1922), had emigrated to California from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

in the 1850s. She grew up in Oakland, where her father was city engineer for some years. Her brother, architect Thomas W. Morgan, came to Carmel in 1920 to join his sister. Thomas Morgan was a resident of Carmel-by-the-Sea for 20 years working on architectural designs for homes and buildings. At age eighteen, she entered the San Francisco Art Institute's California School of Design (CSD), where she studied with

Virgil Macey Williams Virgil Macey Williams (October 29, 1830 - December 18, 1886) was an American painter, and the director of the San Francisco School of Design (now known as San Francisco Art Institute). In 1872, he co-founded the San Francisco Art Association wi ...

, painter and director at CSD. She took some instruction with William Keith, a family friend, of whom she has been called a favorite pupil.

Career

Morgan opened a studio in Oakland in 1896, and for a short while also taught art at Oakland High School. In 1907, she had her first solo exhibition, at the Hahn Gallery in Oakland. In 1903, Morgan came to

Carmel-by-the-Sea Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its natural scenery and r ...

before purchasing a home and studio in 1909 from watercolorist Sydney Yard, located on Lincoln near Seventh Street. She was the first artist to sell a painting when the

Hotel Del Monte The Hotel Del Monte was a large resort hotel in Monterey, California, from its opening in 1880 until 1942. It was one of the finest luxury hotels in North America. During World War II, it closed and the building was leased to the United States ...

gallery opened in 1907. Her favorite subject was the Monterey cypresses. In 1914 she took classes with

William Merritt Chase William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons School of Design. ...

when he came to the town for the summer, at her instigation. In 1915, she won a silver medal at the

Panama–Pacific International Exposition The Panama–Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California, United States, from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Its stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely s ...

in San Francisco. From 1917 to 1925 she directed the Carmel Summer School of Art sponsored by the

. An online facsimile of the entire text of Vol. 1 is posted on the Traditional Fine Arts Organization website. She was among the founders of the Carmel Art Association. In 1928 she was recognized by ''

Scribner's Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan Rawli ...

'' for her work. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

she traveled weekly to

Fort Ord Fort Ord is a former United States Army post on Monterey Bay of the Pacific Ocean coast in California, which closed in 1994 due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action. Most of the fort's land now makes up the Fort Ord National Monument, ...

to sketch some of the men stationed there.

Death

Morgan died of a heart attack on October 10, 1948, at age 80, in Carmel-by-the-Sea. She was at

Point Lobos Point Lobos and the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is a state park in California. Adjoining Point Lobos is "one of the richest marine habitats in California." The ocean habitat is protected by two marine protected areas, the Point Lobos St ...

painting a cypress four days before her death. She never married.

Legacy

Among the museums and institutions holding examples of her work are the

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 19 ...

; the

San Francisco Art Association The San Francisco Art Association (SFAA) was an organization that promoted California artists, held art exhibitions, published a periodical, and established the first art school west of Chicago. The SFAA – which, by 1961, completed a long sequence ...

; the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

; the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

; and the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

References

External links

Monterey Museum of Art Online Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Mary DeNeale 1868 births 1948 deaths American women painters American watercolorists Women watercolorists 19th-century American painters 19th-century American women artists 20th-century American painters 20th-century American women artists Artists from San Francisco Artists from Oakland, California People from Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Painters from California San Francisco Art Institute alumni Students of William Merritt Chase American people of Scottish descent

Early life

Career

Death

Legacy

See also

References

External links