Lauren Kraut posted: " The world of Art and Artists has notoriously belonged to men, and sporting art is no different. Despite this, there are women artists who have made a name for themselves across the genre and movement spectrum. At the NSLM, there are over 1,300 objects in"
The world of Art and Artists has notoriously belonged to men, and sporting art is no different. Despite this, there are women artists who have made a name for themselves across the genre and movement spectrum. At the NSLM, there are over 1,300 objects in the collection; that includes paintings, works on paper, sculptures, trophies, weathervanes, and dog collars. Out of all that, and of the known creators, only 26 artists are women, and many are modern artists, from the latter half of the 20th century to today. Currently on view in the Intro Gallery of the Museum is a special pop-up installation that highlights some of those women within the permanent collection.
One of the earliest paintings is a visitor favorite: Susan Catherine Moore Waters' Chicken and Raspberries (c. 1880). It was included in the 2019 exhibition NSLMology: The Science of Sporting Art representative of ecology via husbandry. Our George L. Ohrstrom Jr. Curator Claudia Pfeiffer wrote about the artist in 2018 – click here to read more about Waters.
Susan Catherine Moore Waters (American, 1823-1900), Chickens and Raspberries, c.1880 oil on canvas, 24 x 16 1/2 inches, NSLM Collection, Gift of The Phelan Collection, 2012
Vying for the distinction of being the earliest painting is Rose Bonheur's Lion Studies. Since we can not determine a specific year of completion, based on Bonehur's life dates, it is listed simply as "circa 19th century." Being a fan of Bonheur, I wrote a blog about her earlier this year, which you can read here.
Marie-Rosalie "Rosa" Bonheur (1822-1899), Lion Studies, 19th century. oil on canvas, 13 1/4 x 16 1/2 inches, Gift of the Estate of Milton Ritzenberg, 2018.
Phoebe Phipps' The Quail Hunter (1986) was also featured in NSLMology representing color theory and ecology. The almost-photorealistic painting shows a dog gun handler holding onto a horse's reins with a pointer next to him, all three figures are focused on action outside of the canvas. Juxtaposed together with Daphne vom Baur's The Start, the colors of both paintings are especially striking.The Start is the only 21st century painting in the gallery. It shows a wild energy in a Fauvist style – extreme color choices with unrestrained brushstrokes. Depending on my mood, the horse on the far right has elements of either the supernatural or prehistoric. The landscape is undefinable, identified only by the subject matter that provides context.
The final graduate of NSLMology is Edith Somerville's Irish Trout Stream (1929). Former Development Associate Lauren O'Neill discovered her work and wrote about her last year. The NSLM owns several Somerville prints, but this is the only oil on canvas in the collection. This particular painting is very calming to me: the warm colors are soothing and evocative.
Edith Anna Oenone Somerville (Irish, 1848-1949), An Irish Trout Stream, 1929, oil on canvas, 17 1/4 x 13 inches, Gift of John H. Daniels, 2002
Jean Bowman is a recognizable name at NSLM. Not only are there several of her works in the collection, she was also a Middleburg local and is buried at the nearby Emmanuel Episcopal Church Cemetery. As one of the ten founders of the American Academy of Equine Art, she is currently featured in Gallery 1 as part of 2020 Hindsight: 40 Years of the American Academy of Equine Art. The painting hanging in the Intro Gallery is Eglinton and Caledon Hunt with Major Charles Kindersley as M.F.H. and Richard Kindersley as Whipper-in (1963). It was donated in 2019 by Lynne Kindersley Dole, the National Sporting Library's first Librarian. Bowman depicted, in vibrant colors, Mrs. Dole's father and brother in their respective roles within the hunt. This is actually the only painting within the collection that features a Canadian hunt.
Jean Eleanor Bowman (American, 1917–1994), Eglinton and Caledon Hunt with Major Charles Kindersley as M.F.H.and Richard Kindersley as Whipper in, 1963 oil on canvas, 27 1/4 x 43 1/2 inches, Gift of Lynne Kindersley Dole, 2019
The other works of art hanging in this gallery may be familiar, though I promise there is one, being a recent acquisition, you have not yet seen, and that is Mildred Sands Kratz's End of the Line (1970). Kratz was primarily a self-taught artist who worked mostly in watercolors. A native of Pennsylvania, she often depicted scenes without figures leaving viewers to construct their own narrative. This is seen in End of the Line — a quiet wintery day with an abandoned carriage. This watercolor was donated almost a year ago, in late 2020, and this is the first time it has been able to be on display, which with our chilly weather, is very appropriate. The donor's parents were carriage owners and purchased the painting in 1970, perhaps to celebrate their own love of the sport.
Mildred Sands Kratz (American, 1923–2013), End of the Line, 1970 watercolor, 30 1/2 x 37 inches, Gift of Patricia Cox Panzarella and Thomas Panzarella, 2020
Though we centralized these women into the Intro Gallery, others can be found throughout the Museum, like Joan Danziger's Black Prince in Gallery 4 South and Clarice Smith's Gallop in Gallery 5. The Museum halls are warm and inviting — perfect for a winter field trip to check out the permanent gallery rehangs, 2020 Hindsight: Forty Years of the American Academy of Equine Art, and the last months of Field Notes | Walter Matia.
Lauren Kraut is the Sr. Collections Manager & Registrar at the National Sporting Library & Museum. Her primary focus is to maintain and preserve the works of art in the collection and on loan. Email her at lkraut@NationalSporting.org
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