ELIZABETH NOURSE

Elizabeth Nourse began her artistic training in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1887 she moved to Paris and enrolled in the Académie Julian. At her Salon debut in 1888, her painting was hung “on the line,” in the best position, at eye level. As an artist, Nourse was committed to realism, conveying what she saw rather than idealizing her subjects. Nourse’s work includes landscapes, scenes of motherhood, and scenes of women at work; she frequently painted women of different classes and races. The first woman elected to the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, she was also dedicated to improving opportunities for women artists in the United States, serving as president of the American Women’s Art Association from 1899–1900.

A fully illustrated catalogue, Women Artists in Paris, 1850–1900, has been published by the American Federation of Arts and Yale University Press. Along with an art-historical overview by curator Laurence Madeline, the catalogue includes essays by Jane R. Becker, collections management associate, Metropolitan Museum of Art; Richard Kendall, former curator at large, Clark Art Institute; Bridget Alsdorf, associate professor, History of Art, Princeton University; and Vibeke Hansen, curator, Nasjonalmuseet, Oslo.