The Red Rose Girls were a group of female artists from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania, active in the early 1900s. The work of the three working artists in the group,

Violet Oakley Violet Oakley (June 10, 1874 – February 25, 1961) was an American artist. She was the first American woman to receive a public mural commission. During the first quarter of the twentieth century, she was renowned as a pathbreaker in mural deco ...

Jessie Willcox Smith Jessie Willcox Smith (September 6, 1863 – May 3, 1935) was an American illustrator during the Golden Age of American illustration. She was considered "one of the greatest pure illustrators". A contributor to books and magazines during the lat ...

, and

Elizabeth Shippen Green Elizabeth Shippen Green (September 1, 1871 – May 29, 1954) was an American illustrator. She illustrated children's books and worked for publications such as ''The Ladies' Home Journal'', ''The Saturday Evening Post'' and ''Harper's Magazine''. ...

, was supported by Henrietta Cozens, who took on the responsibility of managing their communal household. They rented the Red Rose Inn in

Villanova, Pennsylvania Villanova is a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It straddles Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County and Radnor Township in Delaware County. It is located at the center of the Philadelphia Main Line, a series of Philadelphia suburbs lo ...

, in Mainline Philadelphia from 1901 to 1906, before moving to Cogslea in

Mount Airy, Philadelphia Mount Airy is a neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. __TOC__ Geography Mount Airy is bounded on the northwest by the Cresheim Valley, which is part of Fairmount Park. Beyond this lies Chestnut Hill. On t ...

from 1906 to 1911. The Red Rose Girls were given their nickname by

Howard Pyle Howard Pyle (March 5, 1853 – November 9, 1911) was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. He was a native of Wilmington, Delaware, and he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy. In 1894, he began ...

, who taught the three artists in his first illustration class at

Drexel Institute Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Art, S ...

. Prolific and highly successful as artists, the Red Rose Girls were exemplars of the artistic style of

Romantic realism Romantic realism is art that combines elements of both romanticism and realism. The terms "romanticism" and "realism" have been used in varied ways, and are sometimes seen as opposed to one another. In literature and art The term has long standing ...

. They helped to establish Philadelphia as a national center for book and magazine illustration. Their unconventional life style as a group of young female artists living together received criticism at the time but also demonstrated that women could become successful professional artists, serving as a model for later women.

Young Female Artist Group

The three girls' choice to live together on an inn and studio in the suburb of Philadelphia was a bold act in the 1910s, consistent with the feminist ideal of the “

New Woman The New Woman was a feminist ideal that emerged in the late 19th century and had a profound influence well into the 20th century. In 1894, Irish writer Sarah Grand (1854–1943) used the term "new woman" in an influential article, to refer to ...

”. The Red Rose girls received several criticisms for their "untraditional" living arrangements. Their formation of a close familial group for mutual support was influenced in part by Howard Pyle's outspoken opinion that once a woman married "that was the end of her" professionally. Pyle was not the only person to emphasize the difficulty, for a woman, of managing both family and professional commitments.

Anna Lea Merritt Anna Massey Lea Merritt (September 13, 1844 – April 7, 1930) was an American artist from Philadelphia who lived and worked in Great Britain for most of her life. A printmaker and painter of portraits, landscapes, and religious scenes, Merri ...

, a member of

The Plastic Club The Plastic Club is an arts organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1897 for women only, the Plastic Club is one of the oldest art clubs in the United States. It is located on the 200 block of Camac Street, the "Little Street ...

, wrote in ''

Lippincott's Magazine ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine'' was a 19th-century literary magazine published in Philadelphia from 1868 to 1915, when it relocated to New York to become ''McBride's Magazine''. It merged with ''Scribner's Magazine'' in 1916. ''Lippincott's'' ...

'', that "The chief obstacle to a woman's success is that she can never have a wife... It is exceedingly difficult to be an artist without this time-saving help." Alice Carter, author of ''The Red Rose Girls: An Uncommon Story of Art and Love'' describes their work and relationships in detail. The activities of Henrietta Cozens, who took on the role of "wife" in the day-to-day management of the household, were both important and recognized by the other members of the group. Throughout their years together the four women formed intimate bonds of friendship and love and enriched each other's professional lives by sharing ideas and inspiration. The group disbanded in 1911 after Elizabeth Shippen Green married following a seven-year engagement.

Romantic Realism and Pre-War Era

According to Dr. Mark Sullivan, PhD in the Art History Department at

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh: ) is a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded as a Quaker institution in 1885, Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister colleges, a group of elite, historically women's colleges in the United St ...

and professor of Art History at

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

, the artistic style of the “Red Rose Girls” could be categorized as “romantic realism,” a combination of

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

and

Realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

, two popular art styles in the end of 19th century and at the beginning of 20th century. The Red Rose Girls could be said to represent one of the peaks of the artistic style of Romantic realism, although the popularity of the style declined in American High Art circles after the group was active, due to the dominance of

Abstract Expressionism Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of the ...

in the Post War era. Elizabeth Shippen Green - Sep 1922 Harpers.jpg, September 1922 Cover of

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

Penn meets the Quaker 1903 by Violet Oakley.jpg, ''Penn meets the Quaker'', public mural from the Capitol building in Harrisburg by

Jessie Willcox Smith Boys and Girls in Bookland.jpg, From the cover of

Nora Archibald Smith From the cover of Nora Archibald Smith's book ''Boys and Girls of Bookland'' (1923), illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith Nora Archibald Smith (1859–1934) was an American children's author of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and sis ...

's book ''Boys and Girls of Bookland'' (1923), illustrated by

Careers

Their works achieved great success. Oakley began as an illustrator and was acclaimed for her large mural projects and works in stained glass. Smith and Green were prolific illustrators, celebrated for their work in children's books and periodicals such as ''

Collier's ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Collie ...

'', ''

Scribner's Magazine ''Scribner's Magazine'' was an American periodical published by the publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons from January 1887 to May 1939. ''Scribner's Magazine'' was the second magazine out of the Scribner's firm, after the publication of ' ...

'', and ''

''.

Exhibition

A group show featuring the work of the Red Rose Girls occurred at the Norman Rockwell Museum from November 8, 2003, through May 31, 2004. Works from the Red Rose Girls were featured in the American Watercolor show at the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin Fr ...

in 2017.{{cite book, last1=Foster, first1=Kathleen A., title=American Watercolor in the Age of Homer and Sargent, date=2017, publisher=Yale University Press, isbn=9780300225891, page=55

References

External links

Henrietta Cozens papers
held by th
Bryn Mawr College Special Collections
Feminist organizations in the United States American artist groups and collectives