This is an important series of art books. It is four volumes in order to pack in a large number of artists and a representation of their work. The format for each book is the same, so my review will be the same. The four volumes that make up this book set are packed with incredible information and beautiful photos of a wide range of art.
The subtitle (“A Survey of Women Artists Working in California, 1860-1960”) implies a fairly narrow focus, but it is awe-inspiring to see just how many women are included in the series. I am by no means an authority (or even an avid fan, for that matter) of the subject matter specifically, but I’m always interested in seeing art that I personally think of as ‘good’ or that ‘speaks’ to me in some way. I started book-marking pages with art that I felt was exceptional and writing down the artists’ names so that I could research them and their work, but it became apparent fairly early that I was book-marking nearly every page. It would have been easier to make note of the art that I did NOT find worthwhile.
The book gives a detailed mini-biography of the artist – family life, education, influences, associations, shows – and then a sampling of the artists work. Even with my digital copy of the book, these photographs of the art are stunning.
I really liked that author/editor Maurine St. Gaudens starts each mini-biography with a close-up of the artists signature from one of her works. It’s a brilliant way to introduce the artist as the signature is often more telling to a person’s character than a photo or portrait of the artist herself. I so came to look forward to the signature that when it wasn’t there (in the case of at least one sculptor) it stuck out.
Volume 2 is the selected artists with the last name beginning with “E” through “K.” Volume 2, at 352 pages is the longest of the books and does not include any extra materials.
The artists included in Volume 2 are:
Ruth Heil Emerson
Ellen Burpee Farr
Sylvia Fein
Eva Scott Fenyes
Helen Shafter Feyler-Switz
Mary Stevens Fish
Mrs. A.S.C. Forbes
Helen Forbes
Betty Davenpor Ford
E. Charlton Fortune
MarthaThompson Forward
Grace Fountain
Clara Mason Fox
Mary L. Fox
Mary L. Finley Fry
Adolphine Sutro Fullerton
Alice V. Fullerton
Leslie Furlong
Jane Greene Gale
Cecil Fern Gary
Ruby Gasberg
Frances H. Gearhart
May Gearhart
Louise Gilbert
Elizabeth de Gebele Ginno
Nellie Stearns Goodloe
Una Gray
Millie Greene
Agnes M. Grubb
Pearl Harder Guenther
Barbara Thomas Haddaway
Leah Rinne Hamilton
May and Vieve Hamilton
Edith Hamlin
Trude Hanscom
Lyla Marshall Harcoff
Annie Harmon
Sophie Harpe
Miki Hayakawa
Marian Hebert
Z. Vanessa Helder
Meta Cohn Hendel
Margaret Cox Herrick
Mary Paxton Herrick
Jason Herron
Levina Baker Hill
Anna A. Hills
Nellia Lott Hoffman
Beryl Sams Holland
Dora Foster Holmes
Ella “Nellie” C. Hopps
Alice Gibson Hornby
Leta Houston
Josephine W. Howard
Lillian Harris Howen
Olinka Hrdy
Daisy M. Hughes
Isabel Hunter
Mabel Hutchinson
Helen Hyde
Ella B. Ingle
Gordena Parker Jackson
Graziella Jacoby
Ynez Johnston
Elberta Jones
Helen A. Jordan
Almira A. Judson
Katharine Morrison Kahle (McClinton)
Estelle Kaiser
Amy Kasai
Helen Kaster
Zena Kavin
Frances Keffer
Evelyn Hamilton Keith
Susan K. Kelley
Ruth Miller Kampster
Margaret Kidder
Orpha Klinker
Helen Klokke
Gene Kloss
Eleanore Kentner Kohler
Dorothy Browdy Kushner
Looking for a good book? Emerging from the Shadows, Vol. II: A Survey of Women Artists Working in California, 1860-1960 is a tremendous resource for anyone interested in art, women’s studies, art history, artist biographies or anyone just interested in a high quality art book.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
* * * * * *
Emerging from the Shadows, Vol. II: A Survey of Women Artists Working in California, 1860-1960
author/editor: Maurine St. Gaudens
publisher: Schiffer Publishing
ISBN: 0764348620
hardcover, 352 pages
