Encouraged by an independent, educationally oriented mother, Anna Elizabeth Klumpke (1856-1942) was a copyist in the Luxembourg Museum and studied at the Académie Julien in Paris.
She enjoyed an education guided by the concept that women artists could compete with their male counterparts.
In her memoirs of 1940, Klumpke cites a most influential moment in her childhood: receiving the gift of a Rosa Bonheur doll.
Her admiration of Bonheur, the French painter of animals, led her to paint the aging woman’s portrait - which is considered a companion piece to her portrait of leading suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
The time that Klumpke spent with Bonheur in By, France, subsequently led to her commitment to being the older artist’s lady companion and biographer.
After Bonheur’s death, Klumpke was entrusted with the dispensation of the artist’s estate.
The Bonheur chateau was a convalescent home for the wounded during World War I, an established neutral zone protected by an American flag fashioned out of the material of Bonheur’s blouse.
Anna Elizabeth Klumpke in her Studio in the late 1880 | Frick Collection, New York
Catinou Knitting (Catinou may be the name of the sitter) was executed during Klumpke’s residency in Paris, after her educational experiences at the Academie.
She dedicated this scene of a French peasant girl to her father.
Its ambitious size and delicacy of form reflect both the independent spirit of the artist and her training in the French academic tradition. | Source: © Brenau University
Anna Klumpke was primarily a genre painter, often painting pastoral scenes featuring static figures, usually female.
Her painting, Catinou Knitting, was exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1887.
This sentimental image proved highly popular in reproduction and is still sold in hand-painted copies.
She also painted portraits, many of which were of women.
Awards and honors
1885 - Honorable mention, Paris Salon;
1888 - First prize, Académie Julian, Paris, France;
1889 - Temple Gold Medal, for the painting In the Wash-House, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
She was the first woman ever to receive this award.
1919 - Silver medal (médaille d'argent de la Reconnaissance française), Medal of French Gratitude (La Reconnaissance Française), awarded by Anna and her mother by the government of France in relation to her sister Augusta and her brother in law Jules' contributions to France during WWI.
1924 - Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur, France;
1936 - Officier of the Légion d’honneur, awarded for her eight years of membership, France.
Incoraggiata da una madre indipendente e orientata all'istruzione, Anna Elizabeth Klumpke fu copista al Museo del Lussemburgo e studiò all'Académie Julien di Parigi.
Ricevette un'educazione guidata dall'idea che le artiste potessero competere con i loro colleghi maschi.
Nelle sue memorie del 1940, Klumpke cita un momento particolarmente significativo della sua infanzia: il dono di una bambola di Rosa Bonheur.
La sua ammirazione per la Bonheur, la pittrice francese di animali, la spinse a dipingere il ritratto della donna anziana, considerato un'opera complementare al suo ritratto della principale suffragetta Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Il periodo trascorso da Klumpke con Bonheur a By, in Francia, la portò successivamente ad impegnarsi come dama di compagnia e biografa dell'artista più anziana.
Dopo la morte della Bonheur, a Klumpke fu affidata la gestione del patrimonio dell'artista.
Il castello della Bonheur fu una casa di convalescenza per i feriti durante la Prima Guerra Mondiale, una zona neutrale protetta da una bandiera americana realizzata con il tessuto della camicetta di Bonheur.
Catinou Knitting (Catinou potrebbe essere il nome della modella) fu realizzato durante il soggiorno parigino di Klumpke, dopo le sue esperienze formative all'Académie.
Dedicò questa scena di una contadina francese a suo padre.
Le sue dimensioni ambiziose e la delicatezza delle forme riflettono sia lo spirito indipendente dell'artista sia la sua formazione nella tradizione accademica francese.| Fonte: © Brenau University
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