Paintings

"Self- Portrait" 

Artist/Creator: Kathleen McEnery Cunningham
Holding Institution: Memorial Art Galley, Rochester 

Kathleen McEnery Cunningham was a native of New York State (born in Brooklyn in 1885) and spent the majority of her adult life in Rochester before her death in 1971. Before her marriage to Rochesterian Francis Cunningham in 1914, she devoted her career to painting and exhibiting in New York City and abroad and studied under the tutelage of the artist Robert Henri. Her paintings Dream and Going to the Bath (Smithsonian American Art Museum) were included in the controversial 1913 Armory Show in New York City. After moving to Rochester with her husband and starting her family, she continued to paint portraits of family and friends in her home studio, now on the campus of The Rochester Museum & Science Center. She was involved in the vibrant Rochester society of artists, writers, and musicians, and was deeply influential at MAG from 1927 until 1971, where she served on the Board of Managers and the art committee, and taught art classes at the museum art school.

The Memorial Art Gallery currently owns twelve artworks by Cunningham. The work in question is the only self-portrait of the artist known to exist, and was featured on the cover of American Woman Modernists: The Legacy of Robert Henri, 1910-1945 (Rutgers University Press, 2005). By conserving and exhibiting Cunningham’s powerful self-portrait, MAG will raise the profile of a local woman artist and illuminate her practice and experiences during a pivotal moment in the history of American modernism.

"Voyage of Life: Old Age (After Thomas Cole)

Artist/Creator: Sarah Cole
Holding Institution: Thomas Cole National Historic Site, Catskill

This historically significant painting by Sarah Cole (1805-1857) from the collection of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site is entitled, “Voyage of Life: Old Age (After Thomas Cole).” It was completed in 1848, the same year that Thomas Cole died suddenly. Sarah was a professional painter and etcher who lived and worked in New York during a period when few women artists were recorded in history. Sarah exhibited at the National Academy of Design, the Maryland Historical Society, and the American Art-Union. She sold work to patrons in New York and beyond, and was recognized in an 1859 publication of female artists. Sarah was the only artist to be posthumously featured in the 1888 exhibition catalog, “Women Etchers of America,” demonstrating her key role in the field.

Sarah lived in New York City and often visited her brother in Catskill. She began painting in 1837 and hiked mountains with Thomas on sketching trips. In "Old Age", an elderly man ascends to a sky of angels. We can surmise that Sarah painted the work as an homage to her brother. Imitating work by other artists was considered essential to 19th-century art education, and Thomas himself imitated works and sold them. Other homages to Thomas include iconic works of American art: Asher B. Durand’s "Kindred Spirits," and Frederic Church’s, "Above the Clouds at Sunrise." Conserving Sarah’s surviving artwork is critical to preserving and interpreting NYS heritage. The painting significantly expands our understanding of the Hudson River School, illuminating women that have been erased from the canon.

The project advances the Thomas Cole National Historic Site's mission to tell the full history of Thomas Cole’s life and work because Sarah Cole’s artwork is a critical part of that story and NY heritage. Her history breaks down the trope of the male genius working alone and disrupts the historic and continuing erasure of women. Sarah advised Thomas during his darkest moments of artistic doubt: “The lights and shadows of this life are like the lights and shadows in your own pictures. The one makes the other more beautiful,” and she employed her advice in her own artwork. In the same year that her beloved brother died, Sarah recreated his “Voyage of Life: Old Age,” using lights and shadows to dramatic effect. A dark night scene is punctuated by shining angels and beams of light that cut through darkness. Thomas also revisited this work of intense lights and shadows, painting it twice during his lifetime.

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site is a historic place that is largely associated with a cisgender white male, as described in the site’s General Management Plan, written by the National Park Service in 2003. Since that time, our board and staff have diversified and complicated that narrative, seizing the unique opportunity to utilize this historic site and the artwork of Thomas, Sarah, and Emily Cole as a lens through which to explore issues that shaped the trajectory of the nation, then and now. The stories of these individuals intersect with national events, including women’s right to own property, vote, and attend art schools. Of the major exhibitions and publications on the Hudson River School, few have included work by women artists despite their impactful contributions. Sarah Cole’s history illuminates themes that are historic and timely, providing an opportunity to connect to audiences with insights that are highly relevant to their own lives.

"Belva Lockwood"

Artist/Creator: M.W. Clark
Holding Institution: Niagara County Historical Society, Lockport

Belva Ann Bennett McNall Lockwood (1830-1917) was born in the town of Royalton, Niagara County, NY. She attended Gasport Academy and Genesee Academy (which later became Syracuse University). She worked as a schoolteacher and principal. After the Civil War, she moved to Washington DC, where she subsequently attended law school, one of the first women in the US to receive a law degree. She was the first woman to argue before the US Supreme Court, and ran for President of the United States in 1884, before women were accorded the right to vote. The painting is estimated to have been painted in the late 19th century, during her lifetime.

The object is a portrait of one of the most historically prominent and significant women born in Niagara County. An early advocate of women's suffrage, and women's rights in general, Lockwood was also a nationally and internationally known figure for the peace movement. This portrait is part of Niagara History Center's interpretation of 19th and early 20th century women's history in Niagara County, and of notable national historical figures from Niagara County. The painting was the centerpiece of a recent exhibit, "The Lockwood Legacy: Belva Lockwood and the Fight for Equal Rights in America."

"Lucille Armstrong"

Artist/Creator: Samuel Albert Countee
Holding Institution: Louis Armstrong House Museum, Corona

Born in the Bronx, Lucille Wilson Armstrong was one of the first dark-skinned dancers to be featured in recognized New York City venues, such as the Alhambra and the Cotton Club. When Lucille married Louis, it was her priority to find a home for them. With her own savings, she purchased their Corona Home in 1943. After Armstrong’s death, Lucille devoted herself to preserving and promoting his legacy; in addition to leading civic endeavors that benefited her beloved Corona community.

This portrait of Lucille, done by Samuel Albert Countee is one of the first objects guests encounter as they enter the Armstrong home. It is a major focal point of the living room, the first room on the tour. Alongside audio recordings, the painting helps illustrate the story of Lucille, a Black artist who bought a home with her own money in the 1940’s and shared it with her husband – America’s first Black popular music megastar. Her efforts throughout the borough of Queens to promote Louis Armstrong’s legacy set the stage for an enduring story of Black artistic excellence that the Louis Armstrong House Museum is charged with sharing today

Samuel Albert Countee emerged as one of the nation’s most inspiring young artists of the 1930s. He is considered as one of the main contributors to the national New Negro Movement, asking the world to reconsider existing generalizations about African Americans. Largely influenced by the Harlem Renaissance, Countee’s visual art displayed a heartfelt passion for African-American self-reliance, sensuality, and spirituality. After serving in the US Army, Samuel settled in Long Island, New York, where he spent the rest of his life.