New Discoveries

Hawthorne Fine Art showcases the work of mother-daughter artists Julie Hart Beers and Marion Robertson Beers Brush

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Many readers of this magazine are likely familiar with accomplished landscape painters James and William MacDougal, and perhaps their younger sister Julie Hart Beers (1835-1913), one of the few female Hudson River School artists. Fewer people likely know of Beers’ talented daughter, painter Marion “Minnie” Robertson Beers Brush (1853-1945).

Women artists in the Victorian era faced many hindrances to developing their talents and professional careers. “For example, America’s most prestigious art academies did not admit female students, and Victorian etiquette prevented women from engaging in life drawing—a fundamental component of artistic education,” notes Hawthorne Fine Art on its website. “Female artists were also excluded from the prominent art clubs, which allowed their male counterparts to secure patrons. And of course, women’s domestic duties interfered with their artistic aspirations, a conflict which did not set back male artists. Finally, in the realm of landscape painting, women were restricted by their customary mode of dress: corsets, bustles, long skirts, trains, and heels made it difficult to move freely through natural settings in pursuit of the perfect vantage point.”

Beers was fortunate to have the support, guidance and encouragement of her artist brothers, without which the many obstacles facing women artists at the time may have proved too difficult to overcome.