Dorothy Eaton facts for kids

Dorothy Eaton (1893-1968) was an American artist. She was known for painting scenes of country life. Her style mixed old-fashioned folk art with a more realistic look from the mid-1900s.

About Dorothy Eaton

Dorothy Eaton was born on May 5, 1893, in East Orange, New Jersey. She went to college at Smith College and Columbia University. She also studied art at the Art Students League of New York. For most of her life, she lived in Petersham, Massachusetts. However, she was also very active in the art world of New York City during the 1930s and 1940s. She passed away in December 1968 in Chatham, New Jersey, at the age of 75.

Her Art Career

Learning to Paint

Eaton studied art at the Art Students League of New York. This school was special because it didn't have strict rules for getting in or a set plan for what to learn. It was known for new ideas and different ways of teaching. Around 1900, the Art Students League became very important for training women artists.

Dorothy Eaton's teachers included Boardman Robinson and Kenneth Hayes Miller. She studied mural painting with Kenneth Hayes Miller for several years. She became very skilled at oil paintings.

What She Painted

Dorothy Eaton painted scenes of everyday country life. She also created portraits of people and beautiful still life paintings of flowers. Many of her ideas for country scenes came from Petersham and the areas around it.

Showing Her Work

Eaton first showed her art in 1929. This was at an exhibit put on by the Salons of America. She mostly showed her paintings in New York City. Her work was seen at places like the Montross Gallery and the Argent Gallery.

Her painting called Summer Flowers was shown at a big exhibit. This was the 44th Annual Exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1931. In 1936, Eaton had her very first solo show at the Montross Gallery. This meant only her paintings were on display.

Supporting Women Artists

Dorothy Eaton often showed her art at the yearly exhibition of the New York Society of Women Artists. This group was started in 1925. Its goal was to help women artists in a field that was mostly led by men.

Art critics from the New York Times often wrote about shows by women artists. They would share their honest opinions. Eaton usually received good comments about her work. For example, in 1932, a critic said her paintings had a "welcome mood of gayety." He also praised her "delightful sense of color" and "crispness and originality."

Another critic, Charles Z. Offin, wrote about her show in 1936. He noted that her paintings had "mood and life." He especially liked her larger painting called Mill Town.

Art During the Great Depression

One of Dorothy Eaton's paintings, Poppy, was supported by the Federal Art Project (FAP). The FAP was a government program during the Great Depression. This was a time when many people had lost their jobs. The program was started in 1935 to give artists work. It also helped bring art programs to communities across the country.

Artists who worked for the FAP received a weekly wage. They were asked to create one artwork within a certain time. As a painter, Eaton would have worked on her art from her own home.

Winning Awards

In 1941 and 1944, Dorothy Eaton's artworks won prizes. These were at the National Association of Women Artists exhibition. Her painting called Country Auction won first prize for oil paintings in 1944. The prize money was $200, which was a lot of money back then. It would be worth almost $3,000 today!

Later Years

Towards the end of her life, Dorothy Eaton's art was shown by the Robert Schoelkopf Gallery in New York City. A year after she passed away, in 1969, the gallery held one last solo show of her works.