Eliza Pratt Greatorex facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eliza Pratt Greatorex
Portrait of Eliza Pratt Greatorex (1869) by Ferdinand Thomas Lee Boyle. Credit National Academy of Design, New York
Born	Eliza Pratt (1819-12-25)December 25, 1819 Manorhamilton, Ireland
Died	February 9, 1897(1897-02-09) (aged 77) Paris, France
Nationality	American
Known for	Painting
Movement	Hudson River School
Spouse(s)	Henry Wellington Greatorex ​ (m. 1849⁠–⁠1858)​

Eliza Pratt Greatorex (born December 25, 1819 – died February 9, 1897) was an American artist born in Ireland. She was part of the Hudson River School, a group of landscape painters. Eliza was famous for her landscape paintings. She also created many pen-and-ink drawings and etchings. These were often published in books. She was the second woman to become an associate of the National Academy of Design. This was a big honor for artists.

Early Life and Art Training

Eliza Pratt was born in Manorhamilton, Ireland. Her father, James Calcott Pratt, was a Methodist minister. In 1840, her family moved to New York. In 1849, she married Henry Wellington Greatorex, who was a musician.

They had three children together. Their two daughters, Elizabeth Eleanor and Kathleen Honora, both became artists. Their son, Thomas, later moved to Colorado.

Becoming a Full-Time Artist

Between 1854 and 1856, Eliza studied art in New York. Her teachers included William Wallace Wotherspoon and the brothers James Hart and William. By 1855, she was already showing her sketches.

In 1858, Eliza became a widow when her husband passed away. After this, she was able to focus on art full-time. She supported herself and her children by selling her artwork. Her siblings also helped her. For 15 years, she taught at a girls' school.

Studying Art Abroad

In 1861–62, Eliza studied with painter Émile Lambinet near Paris, France. In 1870, she traveled to Germany with her daughters. They studied art at the Pinakothek in Munich.

In 1872, Eliza published a book called The Homes of Oberammergau. It was about her three-month visit to a village in Germany. The book included twenty prints of her pen-and-ink drawings. She later studied engraving in Paris to improve her printing methods.

Eliza and her daughters bought a home in Moret sur Loing, France. They became friends with the Impressionist painter Alfred Sisley. They helped him by buying his artworks. Sisley was later buried in the Greatorex family plot.

Artistic Achievements

Eliza Greatorex first became known for her landscape paintings. She was part of the Hudson River School. This group of artists painted beautiful scenes of nature. Eliza often painted en plein air, which means painting outdoors. This helped her capture nature very carefully.

Notable Paintings and Drawings

Some of her most famous paintings include View on the Houstonic (1863) and The Forge (1864). She also painted Somerindyke House (1869). Eliza created a series of paintings on wooden panels taken from old churches. These included Bloomingdale Church and The North Dutch Church.

After a few years, Eliza started focusing more on pen-and-ink sketches. She then turned these sketches into etchings. She experimented with new printing methods. Many of her images were published in books. Her sketches often showed buildings, surrounded by plants. She also drew landscapes from her trips to Europe.

Travels and Published Works

Between 1870 and 1872, she visited Nuremberg and Ober-Ammergau in Germany. She also went to Munich, Austria, and parts of Italy. Her trips led to two books: Etchings in Nuremberg (1873) and The Homes of Ober-Ammergau (1873). Her large drawing of Albrecht Dürer's house in Nuremberg is now in the Vatican in Rome.

In 1873, she traveled to the Rocky Mountains with her daughters. She published a series of etchings from her time in Colorado.

In 1875, Eliza published Old New York from the Battery to Bloomingdale. This book featured drawings of historic buildings in Manhattan. These buildings were being torn down after the American Civil War. Her sister, Matilda Despard, wrote comments for the book.

Recognition and Legacy

In 1868, Eliza Greatorex was elected an associate of the National Academy of Design. She was the second woman to receive this honor. She was also a member of the Artists' Fund Society of New York.

Eliza was connected to a group of important women. These included Susan B. Anthony and Mary Louise Booth. Eliza also helped start the Cragsmoor art colony in New York.

During the 1870s and 1880s, she often showed her art. She exhibited at the Paris Salon and the National Academy of Design in New York. Her work was also shown in Washington and Boston.

Eliza Greatorex passed away in Paris on February 8, 1897. She and her daughters are buried in the cemetery at Moret-sur-Loing.

In 2010, her work was part of an exhibition called Remember the Ladies: Women of the Hudson River School. A book about her life, Restless Enterprise: The Life and Art of Eliza Pratt Greatorex, was published in 2020.

Images for kids

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  Homes of Oberammergau

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  Bay of Naples, Italy, etching by Eliza Pratt Greatorex

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  A house on the Hudson, Washington Heights

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  View of Florence, 1886, from Maiano, (Italy)