Sarah James Eddy (May 3, 1851 – March 29, 1945)
was an American artist and photographer who specialized in the
platinotype
Platinum prints, also called ''platinotypes'', are photographic prints made by a monochrome printing process involving platinum.
Platinum tones range from warm black, to reddish brown, to expanded mid-tone grays that are unobtainable in silver ...
process, also known as platinum prints.
She was active in
abolition
Abolition refers to the act of putting an end to something by law, and may refer to:
* Abolitionism, abolition of slavery
* Abolition of the death penalty, also called capital punishment
* Abolition of monarchy
*Abolition of nuclear weapons
*Abol ...
, reform, and
suffragist movements,
and was a philanthropist as well as instrumental in the founding of the Rhode Island Humane Society.
She was inducted into the
Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame
The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame was established in the State of Rhode Island in 1965. Its mission statement states that the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame "exists to honor and recognize, and to extol and publicize the achievements of th ...
in 2017.
Early life
Eddy was born in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
, to James Eddy, who worked as a painter and engraver,
and Elisa Eddy (née Jackson).
Her maternal grandfather was the abolitionist,
Francis Jackson, and her maternal great uncle was Massachusetts politician,
William Jackson, who was also against slavery.
On her paternal side, Eddy comes from a large New England family that originally came from
Cranbrook, Kent.
Eddy studied painting and sculpture at the
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and New York's
Art Students League. One of her teachers was
Christian Schussele
Christian Schussele (born 16 April 1824 in Guebwiller, Alsace – 20 August 1879 in Merchantville, New Jersey) was an American artist and teacher, and is credited with designing the American Medal of Honor. He studied under Adolphe Yvon and Paul ...
. Eddy began exhibiting photographs in 1890, at nearly 40 years of age. Her most important exhibitions were at the New School of American Photography and the selection of American Women photographers at the
Paris Universal Exposition of 1900.
Career
Photography
Eddy's photography appeared in American and foreign exhibitions until about 1910. She preferred photographing women, children, and artists,
and her photographs were included in camera club exhibitions in Providence and Hartford, and were frequently shown at the
Boston Camera Club.
Juries for photography salons accepted her work in Philadelphia (1898), Pittsburgh (1899, 1900), and Washington, D.C. (1896). In 1903, her pictures were included in salons in Chicago, Cleveland, Minneapolis, and Toronto.
In 1894, Eddy wrote and illustrated a short article "A Good Use for the Camera" for ''The American Annual of Photography.'' In the article, Eddy concludes that the personal interactions she had with her photographic subjects were as rewarding as the finished images. She writes, "We enter into sympathetic relations with the people who furnish us with pictures. We are grateful to them and they are very grateful to us. We meet on common ground." The ''American Annual of Photography'' subsequently ran illustrations by her in 1895 and 1902.
Painting
In 1883, Eddy painted a portrait of African-American social reformer,
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...
. In the portrait, Douglass holds a baton that symbolizes his authority during his tenure as marshal of the
District of Columbia
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
. Douglass sat for the portrait twice during the summer of 1883.
Eddy also painted a portrait of
Susan B. Anthony,
a copy of which was donated to
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 ...
in 1920.
Activism and philanthropy
Abolitionism and suffragist rights
Eddy's mother and other family members were active in the anti-slavery and suffrage movements.
Eddy herself was a member of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.
Animal welfare
An
animal welfare
Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevity ...
activist and
vegetarian
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter.
Vegetarianism m ...
,
Eddy founded the Rhode Island Humane Education Association. Between 1899 and 1938, Eddy wrote or compiled five children's books on animals and their care, which featured photographs of her own felines.
At her death, she was the director of the
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell Animal Medical Center (MSPCA-Angell) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with its main headquarters on South Huntington Avenue in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Bos ...
.
Eddy financed the 1894 American edition of
Henry Stephens Salt
Henry Shakespear Stephens Salt (; 20 September 1851 – 19 April 1939) was an English writer and campaigner for social reform in the fields of prisons, schools, economic institutions, and the treatment of animals. He was a noted ethical vegeta ...
's book ''
Animals' Rights''.
Personal life
Eddy, who never married, died in her Bristol Ferry, Portsmouth, Rhode Island, home,
on March 29, 1945, at age ninety-three.
She was buried in the North Burial Ground in Providence, Rhode Island.
Biographical Sketch of Sarah J. Eddy
/ref>
Gallery
Library of Congress
Eddy SunnyKitchen MIA 2000129.jpg, Sunny Kitchen
(19th Century)
Sitting in the sun Sarah Eddy.tif, Sitting in the sun
(1893)
The fishermans home.tif, The fishermans home
(1 Aug 1893)
A welcome interruption.tif, A welcome interruption
(1896)
Contentment.tif, Contentment
(1896)
Peace sheep.tif, Peace
(1897)
Mother and child Sarah Eddy.tif, Mother and child
(1900)
The old mill.tif, The old mill
(1900)
Woman sitting in chair holding an infant.tif, Woman sitting in chair holding an infant
(1900)
Susan B Anthony 80th Birthday.tif, Susan B Anthony
Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to s ...
80th Birthday
(1903)
Votes for women buttons - Alice Park.tif, Votes for women buttons
by Mrs. Alice Park
(1922)
Selections from ''Alexander and some other cats'' (1929)
Alexander and some other cats (1929) (17327069164).jpg, Chess – The Problem
Alexander and some other cats (1929) (17327083564).jpg, Kuni, Kito and Their Mother
Alexander and some other cats (1929) (17329080553).jpg, Ready for a Ride
Alexander and some other cats (1929) (17329103503).jpg, A Happy Home
Alexander and some other cats (1929) (17761746768).jpg, The Uninvited Guests
Alexander and some other cats (1929) (17761798018).jpg, Chess – The Move
Alexander and some other cats (1929) (17762096830).jpg, Meditation
Alexander and some other cats (1929) (17763333459).jpg, Confidence
Alexander and some other cats (1929) (17763374159).jpg, "Who Are You?" / The Challenge
Alexander and some other cats (1929) (17923290216).jpg, Illustration used with "Why We Need Cats" published by The Animal Rescue League
Alexander and some other cats (1929) (17946528592).jpg, Morning Toilet
Alexander and some other cats (1929) (17946533712).jpg, A Quartette
Alexander and some other cats (1929) (17949635565).jpg, Surprise
Alexander and some other cats (1929) (17950261911).jpg, A Well-Filled Basket
Works and publications
*
*
* . Translated in spanish in ''Amigos y auxiliares del hombre'', Boston : Ginn & Company, 1901
Reading on Hathi Trust
*
*
References
Further reading
*
External links
Sarah Eddy
at Portsmouth Historical Society
Guide to the Sarah J. Eddy and Albert Leffingwell Correspondence 1895-1905
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eddy, Sarah J.
1851 births
1945 deaths
American women photographers
Artists from Boston
American animal welfare workers
Abolitionists from Boston
Suffragists from Maine
American vegetarianism activists
Art Students League of New York alumni
Burials at North Burying Ground (Providence)
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni
People associated with the MSPCA-Angell
Photographers from Massachusetts
American women civil rights activists