Ida E. Jones (painter) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ida Ella Ruth Jones
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| Born | February 4, 1874 Chatham, Pennsylvania
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| Died | January 31, 1959 (aged 84) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Painter |
Ida Ella Ruth Jones (born February 4, 1874 – died January 31, 1959) was an amazing African American folk painter. She created over 300 paintings in less than 14 years. What's even more amazing is that she only started painting when she was 72 years old!
Ida was born in 1874 in a small town called Chatham, Pennsylvania. For most of her life, she was busy helping her family on their farm. She also raised her own big family. Painting and writing became a big part of her life later on.
Early Life and Family
Ida Jones was born on February 4, 1874. She grew up in the countryside of Chester County. She was the third of ten children in her family. Her parents, Samuel and Louisa Ruth, had been slaves before. They worked hard to own a small piece of land. There, they started their own family farm.
Ida was always busy. She helped care for her younger brothers and sisters. She also gathered crops around the farm. Education was not the main focus for the Ruth family. They cared more about having a stable home. Still, everything in her early life helped shape Ida into the artist she became.
Her Big Family
In 1893, when Ida was 19, she married William Oscar Jones. Soon after they got married, they started their own family. They ended up having 12 children!
When they weren't busy with their large family, Ida and William spent time at the Church of Christ. William became the leader of the church. Ida was the "song leader" for the people who attended. After her husband passed away, Ida wrote many letters. She often discussed her art and painting methods with Roberta Townsend. Ida Jones died on January 31, 1959. Her daughter, Ida J. Williams, kept these letters. She also wrote a lot about her mother's life and art.
Her Art and Inspiration
Ida Jones didn't get much formal schooling. But her love for art was very strong. She only had a few art lessons. Most of her skills came from drawing in her sketchbook whenever she could. She really started painting a lot after her husband died in 1947.
Her early life on the farm greatly inspired her art. Many of her paintings show scenes from her life. She painted farmhouses and landscapes. She also painted flowers, fields, fruits, and animals. When she wasn't painting her surroundings, she created her own pictures of Bible stories.
All these subjects connected to her childhood stories and experiences. For example, she painted about her family's difficult past with slavery. She also painted about new technologies arriving in her quiet town. She usually painted on canvas using oil or watercolor paints.
Getting Noticed
Ida Jones's art finally started to get attention. Horace Bond, a historian and president of Lincoln University, contacted her. He wanted to talk about her family's important role in the Underground Railroad.
Bond set up her first art show. There, she met historians Roberta and Walter Townsend. They were very important. They continued to collect and show Ida's artwork after her first exhibit. This helped make sure her amazing paintings were seen and remembered.
Ida Jones's work was also part of a special art show in 2015. This show was called We Speak: Black Artists in Philadelphia, 1920s-1970s. It was held at the Woodmere Art Museum.
