Irene E. Parmelee facts for kids

Henry Bronson (1804-1893), oil on canvas, 1881, Yale University Art Gallery

Young Girl with Kittens, 1895

Portrait of Mrs. John R. Hixon, Springfield, Massachusetts

Irene E. Parmelee (1847 – 1934) was an American artist. She was known for painting amazing portraits of people. Her last name is sometimes spelled Parmely.

Early Life of Irene Parmelee

Irene E. Parmelee was born in Guilford, Connecticut. Her parents were Mary and Horton L. Parmelee. Her father was a farmer. She had four older brothers and sisters: Emily, Charles, Mary, and Jane.

Education and Art Training

Irene started studying art in 1872 with Henry Bryant in Hartford. The next year, she studied with Nathaniel Jocelyn in New Haven, Connecticut. She also spent a year at the Yale Art School. This school had just started letting women study there. Her teacher was Robert Walter Weir. Even though she still called herself a student, Irene opened her own art studio in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1875. Later, from 1881 to 1884, Irene traveled to Paris, France. She studied at a famous art school called the Académie Julian. There, she learned from artists like Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury, Pierre Auguste Cot, and Jules Joseph Lefebvre.

Career as a Portrait Artist

Irene Parmelee was a professional portrait artist. She ran her art studio in Springfield, Massachusetts, for many years, from 1875 to 1929. In 1912, Parmelee painted a portrait of Marcus Perrin Knowlton. He was the Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. This means he was the main judge for the highest court in Massachusetts. Her painting was based on an older photograph. It was hung in the court house in Springfield. She was paid $1,125 for the framed painting. Parmelee also painted a portrait of Samuel Bowles, III. He was an editor for The Republican newspaper. He was also a member of the City Library Association for 37 years. His wife gave the portrait to the Springfield Library. It was placed next to a portrait of his father, Samuel Bowles, II.

Later Life and Death

Irene E. Parmelee passed away on August 29, 1934. She died in Los Angeles, California.

Known Artworks

Here is a list of some of Irene Parmelee's paintings:

• Amherst College, Mead Art Museum, Amherst, Massachusetts
  • Chester W. Chapin (born 1798), oil painting, a copy after Joseph Oriel Eaton
• George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, Springfield, Massachusetts
  • Horace Smith, oil, 1881
  • Horatio N. Case, oil, 1890
  • Charles M. Merriam, oil, 1890
  • Henry S. Lee, oil, 1891
  • James M. Thompson, oil, 1895
  • Ephraim Bond, oil, 1896
  • Samuel Bowles, oil, 1896
  • Dr. Josiah Gilbert Holland, oil, 1896
  • James Kirkham, oil, 1896
  • Everett Hosmer Barney, oil, 1903
  • John Olmsted, oil, 1903
  • Julius Appleton, oil, 1907
  • Chester Chapin, oil
  • Mrs. Timothy M. Walker, oil
• Maine State Museum, Augusta
  • Portrait of George Evans, oil, 1901
• Massachusetts Historical Society
  • Mrs. Edward Bates (Lucy Douglas Fowler) 1830-1916
• Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, Massachusetts
  • Portrait of James Philip Gray, oil
• Unitarian Church, Boston, Massachusetts
  • John Wille, oil, 1886
• Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
  • Henry Bronson (1804-1893), oil on canvas, 1881