Anna Richards Brewster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anna Richards Brewster
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| Born |
Mary Ann Richards
1870 Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
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| Died | (aged 82) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Cowles Art School, Art Students League of New York, Académie Julian |
| Known for | Painting |
| Spouse(s) | William Tenney Brewster |
| Awards | Dodge Prize |
Anna Richards Brewster (1870 – August 13, 1952) was an important American painter. She was known for her beautiful paintings and illustrations.
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About Anna Richards Brewster
Anna Richards Brewster was born in Germantown, a neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her mother, Anna Matlack Richards, was a poet and playwright. Her father, William Trost Richards, was a famous landscape painter. Anna also had a very smart brother, Theodore William Richards. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1914!
Her Art Education and Early Success
Anna loved art from a young age. She studied at the Cowles Art School in Boston. There, she won a special scholarship in 1888. She also learned from famous artists like William Merritt Chase and John LaFarge. This was at the Art Students League of New York in 1890.
In 1890, Anna won the important Dodge Prize. This award was given by the National Academy of Design for the best painting by an American woman. Her winning painting was called An Interlude to Chopin. Sadly, this painting has been lost.
Between 1890 and 1895, Anna traveled a lot in Europe. She painted with her father in England, Ireland, and Scotland. She also studied art in Paris at the Académie Julian. In 1896, she moved to London for nine years. She had her own art studio in Chelsea. She also showed her paintings four times at the famous Royal Academy of Arts.
Illustrating Books
Anna also worked as an illustrator. She drew pictures for several books with her mother. These included A New Alice in the Old Wonderland in 1895. She also illustrated Letter and spirit, dramatic sonnets of inward life (1898). Another book was a German folktale called Sintram and His Companions (1900). Because these books were so popular, she was asked to illustrate Bill Nye's Comic History of England in 1906.
Later Life and Work
In 1905, Anna married William Tenney Brewster. He was a literature professor at Barnard College. He always encouraged her to keep painting. They traveled a lot together. They visited Europe, North Africa, Egypt, and other places in the United States.
Anna continued to paint, but she slowed down after her young son, Herbert, passed away in 1910. Still, she kept painting landscapes from her travels. She also showed her art and was part of art groups. She helped start the Scarsdale Art Association. She was also a member of the National Association of Women Artists.
In the 1910s, Anna took on special art projects. She created a World War I poster for the Red Cross. This poster was used all over the country. She also painted portraits of eight professors from Columbia University. During this time, she had several art shows in New York galleries. She continued to show her work at the National Academy of Design until 1935.
Anna Richards Brewster passed away at her home in Scarsdale, New York, on August 13, 1952.
Her Artistic Legacy
Anna Richards Brewster was one of the most successful women artists of her time. But after her death, her name was mostly forgotten. After she passed away in 1952, special art shows were held to honor her. These shows were at the Museum of the City of New York, the Butler Institute of American Art, and the Georgia Art Museum.
Her husband gave many of her artworks to museums and private collections. He also wrote four books about her life and art. Today, Anna is known for her sculptures, illustrations, and paintings. Her art can be found in museums and collections across the United States and Europe.
Like many artists of her time, Anna painted scenes from her travels. For example, the Huntsville Museum of Art has one of her paintings showing fishermen in Volendam. In the 1970s, her art was shown alongside her father's paintings. These exhibitions were at places like the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
In recent years, people have become more interested in her work again. There was a solo art show at the Newport Art Museum in 1985. A big art show in 2008 traveled to several museums. These included the Hudson River Museum and the Butler Institute of American Art. A book was also published for the 2008 exhibition. It shared important information about her life and art. This helped people understand her place among women artists of her time.
Books Illustrated by Anna Richards Brewster
- A New Alice in the Old Wonderland (1895) – She illustrated this with her mother.
- Letter and Spirit: Dramatic Sonnets of Inward Life (1898) – Also with her mother.
- Sintram and His Companions (1900) – She illustrated this German folktale.
- Bill Nye's Comic History of England (1906) – She contributed illustrations to this funny history book.
See Also
- List of Orientalist artists
- Orientalism
