Catharine (sometimes Catherine) Carter Critcher (September 13, 1868 – June 11, 1964) was an American painter. A native of

Westmoreland County, Virginia Westmoreland County is a county located in the Northern Neck of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 18,477. Its county seat is Montross. History As originally established by the Virginia colony's ...

, she worked in Paris and Washington, D.C. before becoming, in 1924, a member of the

Taos Society of Artists The Taos Society of Artists was an organization of visual arts founded in Taos, New Mexico. Established in 1915, it was disbanded in 1927. The Society was essentially a commercial cooperative, as opposed to a stylistic collective, and its foundation ...

, the only woman ever elected to that body. She was a long time member of the

Arts Club of Washington The Arts Club of Washington is a private club to promote the Arts in Washington, D.C. Founded by Bertha Noyes in May 1916, its first president was Henry Kirke Bush-Brown; Mathilde Mueden Leisenring was among its original members, as were Susa ...

Biography

Critcher was the daughter of Judge

John Critcher John Critcher (March 11, 1820 – September 27, 1901) was a U.S. Representative from Virginia. Early and family life Born at Oak Grove, Westmoreland County, Virginia on March 11, 1820 to John Critcher (1799–1854) and his wife, the former Sa ...

and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Thomasia Kennon (Whiting) Critcher; she was their fourth daughter and the youngest of their five children. She grew up on the family plantation, Audley, in Oak Grove, Virginia, and showed an early interest in equestrianism and painting. Critcher's first studies came at the Arlington Institute in Virginia. She then studied at

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...

in New York City for a year, with

Eliphalet Frazer Andrews Eliphalet Frazer Andrews (June 11, 1835 – March 15, 1915), an American painter known primarily as a portraitist, established an art instruction curriculum at the behest of William Wilson Corcoran at his Corcoran School of Art, and served as it ...

at the

Corcoran School of Art The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design (known as the Corcoran School or CSAD) is the professional art school of the George Washington University, in Washington, DC.Peggy McGloneUniversity names first director of Corcoran School of the Arts and ...

in Washington, D.C., and also with Richard Emil Miller and

Charles Hoffbauer Charles Constantin Joseph Hoffbauer (June 28, 1875 - July 26, 1957) was a French-born artist who became a United States citizen. He painted a wide variety of subjects, including many that depicted scenes of historical interest. Early life and ed ...

. She soon began receiving commissions, producing a number of portraits of members of prominent Virginia families. In 1897 she was occupying studio space in the former Minor house in Alexandria, located on North Alfred Street. She traveled to Paris in 1904, remaining in that city for several years. Initially she enrolled at the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

, where she studied under

and

Jean-Paul Laurens Jean-Paul Laurens (; 28 March 1838 – 23 March 1921) was a French painter and sculptor, and one of the last major exponents of the French Academic style. Biography Laurens was born in Fourquevaux and was a pupil of Léon Cogniet and Alexand ...

; her time there was made difficult due to troubles with the French language. She founded the Cours Critcher in 1905 in an attempt to aid American artists in gaining admission to French schools, an enterprise in which she had the assistance of Miller and Hoffbauer. Mindful of her previous linguistic troubles, she designed a school where instruction was offered in English. To make extra money she acted as a tour guide for Americans visiting Europe during the summer months. Critcher exhibited at the

Paris Salon The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...

during her time in the city, and served as president of the American Women Painters in Paris. Indian Women Making Pottery SAAM-1991

In 1909 Critcher returned to the United States and began teaching at her alma mater, the Corcoran, where she remained on the faculty until 1919; her pupils there included Lillian Elvira Moore Abbot. In 1919 she founded another school, this time in Washington, called variously The School of Painting and Applied Arts or the Critcher School. There instructors offered one- and two-year courses in fine and

commercial art Commercial art is the art of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. Commercial art uses a variety of platforms (magazines, websites, apps, television, etc.) for viewers with the intent of promo ...

, teaching a variety of styles and disciplines. She ran the school until 1940, when she decided to devote herself to painting full-time. In 1922 Critcher began teaching with sculptor

Clara Hill Clara Hill is a musician born in Berlin. She writes, produces and performs with a varied array of artists. Her discography includes 6 full-length albums (Sonar Kollektiv Berlin, Tapete Records, King Britt Archives), and many 12“s featuring names ...

. During the 1930s she ran the Red Rock Cove Art Camp on property which she rented near

Saltville, Virginia Saltville is a town in Smyth and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 2,077 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a compone ...

. During the 1910s and 1920s she lived at The Woodley in Washington. Her studio was located on St. Matthew's Court; this is also given as the first address of her school, which later moved to a location along

Connecticut Avenue Connecticut Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., and suburban Montgomery County, Maryland. It is one of the diagonal avenues radiating from the White House, and the segment south of Florida Avenue was one ...

. Among the institution's pupils was

Sarah Blakeslee Sarah Christine Blakeslee (born May 16, 1985, in Vancouver, Washington) is an American sport shooter. She won a silver medal in small-bore rifle three positions at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and was select ...

, whom Critcher encouraged to enroll in the

Chester Springs Chester Springs is an unincorporated community in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is centered on West Pikeland Township, and extends into Charlestown Township, Upper Uwchlan Township, Wallace Township, East Nantmeal Township, ...

branch of the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Critcher was assisted in running the school by her sister Louisa Kennon Critcher, known as "Lulie", who was also an artist. Critcher paid her first visit to

Taos, New Mexico Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Initially founded in 1615, it was intermittently occupied until its formal establishment in 1795 by Nuevo México Governor Fernando Cha ...

in 1920, and would return for many summers. She was quite taken with the town, saying, "no place could be more conducive of work. There are models galore and no phones." In 1924 the all-male Taos Society of Artists unanimously voted her in as a member, accepting the candidacy of

E. Martin Hennings Ernest Martin Hennings (1886–1956) was an American artist and member of the Taos Society of Artists. Biography E. Martin Hennings was born in Penns Grove, New Jersey on February 5, 1886 to German immigrant parents. Two years after he was born, ...

at the same meeting. The honor brought her great pleasure; she wrote to her friend, C. Powell Minnigerode, "You will be pleased, I know, to hear that a letter just rec’d from Mr. Couse informs me that I have been unanimously elected to active membership in the Taos Society of Artists. It is nice to be the first and only woman in it. I am feeling very good about it." Unlike many members of the Taos Society, Critcher never lived in New Mexico permanently, choosing to summer there instead for several years; it was said of her that she would return to Washington "with a wrinkled, deeply suntanned skin in the 1920s when that was not fashionable". She traveled widely elsewhere as well in search of subjects, visiting the

Laurentian Mountains The Laurentian Mountains ( French: ''Laurentides'') are a mountain range in southern Quebec, Canada, north of the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River, rising to a highest point of at Mont Raoul Blanchard, northeast of Quebec City in the Laurentid ...

of Canada and spending time in Mexico and in

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

; she also passed several summers in

Provincetown, Massachusetts Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States Census, Provincet ...

, where she was a member of the local art association. In 1928 she spent two months on the

Hopi Reservation The Hopi Reservation ( Hopi: Hopituskwa) is a Native American reservation for the Hopi and Arizona Tewa people, surrounded entirely by the Navajo Nation, in Navajo and Coconino counties in north-eastern Arizona, United States. The site has ...

in Arizona. In the 1940s and 1950s she lived in

Charles Town, West Virginia Charles Town is a city in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, and is also the county seat. The population was 5,259 at the 2010 census. It is named for its founder Charles Washington, youngest brother of President George Washington. ...

, completing at least forty-two portraits during her residence there. Grave of Catharine Carter Critcher

Critcher never married, although she was courted by a number of men including John Mosby. Late in her career, her health began to fail, and she moved to

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, to live with a niece. She died in a nursing home in

Blackstone, Virginia Blackstone, formerly named Blacks and Whites, and then Bellefonte, is a town in Nottoway County, Virginia, Nottoway County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 3,621 at the 2010 census. History The settlement was founded as the vill ...

; the place of her death is given in some references as Washington, D.C. Critcher's body was returned to Alexandria for burial; she was interred beside her parents and sister Louisa in the family plot at Ivy Hill Cemetery, where her name is misspelled as "Catherine" on her grave marker.

Work

Critcher's early academic style has been described as "dark but pleasing", but it later developed into something powerfully expressive, with a vivid sense of color; in this regard it was greatly similar to the work of other Taos Society painters. She has been called "a respected artist in the European

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

", with an interest in

symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: Arts * Symbolism (arts), a 19th-century movement rejecting Realism ** Symbolist movement in Romania, symbolist literature and visual arts in Romania during the late 19th and early 20th centuries ** Russian sy ...

and abstraction; in this regard, some of her work prefigures that of

Georgia O'Keeffe Georgia Totto O'Keeffe (November 15, 1887 – March 6, 1986) was an American modernist artist. She was known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes. O'Keeffe has been called the "Mother of Amer ...

. Exhibits of her art were held in 1928, at the Women's University Club of Washington, D.C.; in 1938, at the Studio Guild of New York; in 1940 at the

Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Design ...

; and in 1949 at the

Washington County Museum of Fine Arts Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (WCMFA) is an art museum located in Hagerstown, Maryland, United States. The building is located off Park Circle and serves as a centerpiece in Hagerstown City Park. The museum was donated in 1929, by Mr. and ...

Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstown metropolitan area (exten ...

. Her work appeared in various group exhibitions as well, including at such locations as the Albright Art Gallery, the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.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 ...

, and the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

; she also exhibited in the Greater Washington Independent Exhibition of 1935. Critcher was a member of numerous arts organizations, including the Southern States Art League, 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 ...

, and the

Washington Water Color Club Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. She was a founding member of the

, and from 1911 until 1931 served on the executive committee of the

Society of Washington Artists The Society of Washington Artists was established in 1890 in Washington, D.C. The Society was organized by the ''Art Students League of Washington''. The Society's first exhibit was in 1891, held at the Woodward & Lothrop building. Within a few ...

, to which organization she had initially been elected in 1896, among the earliest women to achieve membership. Critcher received a handful of awards for her work, including a bronze medal from the Cooper Union and a gold medal from the Corcoran School, and an honorable mention at the

. In 1914 she received a bronze medal from the

Witte Museum The Witte Museum was established in 1926 and is located in Brackenridge Park in San Antonio, Texas. It is dedicated to telling the stories of Texas, from prehistory to the present. The permanent collection features historic artifacts and photograp ...

; the same organization awarded her a silver medal in 1922, and an honorable mention in 1935. She also received three prizes from the Southern States Art League, including a first prize of $500 for her painting ''Taos Farmers'' in 1929; this painting was later included in the inaugural exhibition of the

National Museum of Women in the Arts The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), located in Washington, D.C., is "the first museum in the world solely dedicated" to championing women through the arts. NMWA was incorporated in 1981 by Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay. Since openin ...

, ''American Women Artists 1830–1930'', in 1987. Crichter painted a large number of portraits during her career, working in a traditional and realistic style. Two of these, those of

James Leal Greenleaf James Leal Greenleaf (July 30, 1857 – April 15, 1933) was an American landscape architect and civil engineer. Early in his career, he was a well-known landscape architect who designed the gardens and grounds of many large estates in Connect ...

and

Oscar E. Berninghaus Oscar Edmund Berninghaus (October 2, 1874 – April 27, 1952) was an American artist and a founding member of the Taos Society of Artists. He is best known for his paintings of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans, New Mexico ...

, are in the collection of the National Academy of Design.

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

owns her portrait of

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

. Other notables who sat for her over the years include Senator

Harry F. Byrd Harry Flood Byrd Sr. (June 10, 1887 – October 20, 1966) was an American newspaper publisher, politician, and leader of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in Virginia for four decades as head of a political faction that becam ...

and twenty generals, among them

George Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the US Army under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry ...

and

Mark W. Clark Mark Wayne Clark (May 1, 1896 – April 17, 1984) was a United States Army officer who saw service during World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. He was the youngest four-star general in the US Army during World War II. During World War I ...

. In April, 1896 she presented for exhibition a portrait of her father at the Essex County Courthouse in

Tappahannock Tappahannock is the oldest town in Essex County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,375 at the 2010 census, up from 2,068 at the 2000 census. Located on the Rappahannock River, Tappahannock is the county seat of Essex County. Its name ...

; this was hanging in the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Montross in 1934. One of Critcher's Taos paintings, ''Indian Women Making Pottery'' (c. 1924), is in the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...

. Her pieces may also be found in the collections of the San Antonio Art League, the

New Mexico Museum of Art The New Mexico Museum of Art is an art museum in Santa Fe governed by the state of New Mexico. It is one of four state-run museums in Santa Fe that are part of the Museum of New Mexico. It is located at 107 West Palace Avenue, one block off the ...

, the Museum of the Southwest, and the

Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art is an art museum in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The Eiteljorg houses an extensive collection of visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas as well as Western Ame ...

. Her painting ''The Young Hunter'' is owned by the Taos Art Museum, while ''Portrait of Star Road'' is part of the Haub Family Collection of Western American Art at the

Tacoma Art Museum The Tacoma Art Museum (TAM) is an art museum in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It focuses primarily on the art and artists from the Pacific Northwest and broader western region of the U.S. Founded in 1935, the museum has strong roots in the c ...

. The artist herself donated an oil painting of ''Zinnias'' to

Randolph-Macon Woman's College Randolph College is a private liberal arts and sciences college in Lynchburg, Virginia. Founded in 1891 as Randolph-Macon Woman's College, it was renamed on July 1, 2007, when it became coeducational. The college offers 32 majors; 42 minors; � ...

in 1926. A portrait of John Mosby dating to before 1901 is owned by the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

, while a portrait of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, dating to 1939 and based on a work by

George Peter Alexander Healy George Peter Alexander Healy (July 15, 1813 – June 24, 1894) was an American portrait painter. He was one of the most prolific and popular painters of his day, and his sitters included many of the eminent personages of his time. Born in Boston ...

, is held by the

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum documents the life of the 16th U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln, and the course of the American Civil War. Combining traditional scholarship with 21st-century showmanship techniques, the museum ...

. Other paintings remain in private hands. In 1927 Critcher produced a copy of a portrait of

George Wythe George Wythe (; December 3, 1726 – June 8, 1806) was an American academic, scholar and judge who was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. The first of the seven signatories of the United States Declaration of Independence from ...

which she presented for display in the George Wythe House in

Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has 7300 employees at this location and ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Critcher, Catherine Carter 1868 births 1964 deaths 20th-century American painters 20th-century American women artists Académie Julian alumni American portrait painters American women painters Burials at Ivy Hill Cemetery (Alexandria, Virginia) Cooper Union alumni Corcoran School of the Arts and Design alumni Corcoran School of the Arts and Design faculty Taos Society of Artists Painters from New Mexico Painters from Virginia People from Westmoreland County, Virginia Painters from Washington, D.C. People from Norfolk, Virginia People from Charles Town, West Virginia