Alice Barber Stephens
Encyclopedia
Alice Barber Stephens was an American painter and engraver, best remembered for her illustrations.
She was born on a farm in Salem, New Jersey
, and attended local schools. Her Quaker
family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, and at age 15 she became a student at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women (now Moore College of Art). She entered the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
in 1876, where she studied under Thomas Eakins
. She later studied at the Drexel Institute
under Howard Pyle
, and in Paris at the Académie Julian
and the Académie Colarossi
. She exhibited at the Paris Salon
in 1887.
In 1890, she married Charles H. Stephens (1855?-1931), an instructor at PAFA. They had one son, D. Owen Stephens (1894–1937), who also became an artist. The Stephenses had architect Will Price
convert a stone barn in the utopian community of Rose Valley, Pennsylvania
into "Thunderbird Lodge
" (1904), a sprawling house that contained studios for both of them.
Her work regularly appeared in magazines such as Scribner's Monthly
, Harper's Weekly
, and The Ladies Home Journal. She illustrated books by Nathaniel Hawthorne
, George Eliot
, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
and, notably, the 1903 edition of Louisa May Alcott
's Little Women
. With artist and educator Emily Sartain, she was one of the founders of the Plastic Club of Philadelphia (1897), the oldest art club for women in continuous existence.
Stephens's artistic career spanned 50 years, during which she also lectured, taught, and judged painting and photography. She died at "Thunderbird Lodge" in 1932.
Her papers are in the Archives of American Art
at the Smithsonian Institution
.
She was born on a farm in Salem, New Jersey
Salem, New Jersey
Salem is a city in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the city population was 5,146. It is the county seat of Salem County, the most rural county in the state of New Jersey. The name Salem is related to the Hebrew word shalom, meaning "peace".The town and...
, and attended local schools. Her Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, and at age 15 she became a student at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women (now Moore College of Art). She entered the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
in 1876, where she studied under Thomas Eakins
Thomas Eakins
Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator...
. She later studied at the Drexel Institute
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
under Howard Pyle
Howard Pyle
Howard Pyle was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. A native of Wilmington, Delaware, he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy.__FORCETOC__...
, and in Paris at the Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
and the Académie Colarossi
Académie Colarossi
The Académie Colarossi is an art school founded by the Italian sculptor Filippo Colarossi. First located on the Île de la Cité, it moved in the 1870s to 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumière in the VIe arrondissement of Paris, France....
. She exhibited at the Paris Salon
Paris Salon
The Salon , or rarely Paris Salon , beginning in 1725 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Between 1748–1890 it was the greatest annual or biannual art event in the Western world...
in 1887.
In 1890, she married Charles H. Stephens (1855?-1931), an instructor at PAFA. They had one son, D. Owen Stephens (1894–1937), who also became an artist. The Stephenses had architect Will Price
Will Price
William Lightfoot Price was an influential American architect, a pioneer in the use of reinforced concrete, and a founder of the utopian communities of Arden, Delaware and Rose Valley, Pennsylvania.-Career:...
convert a stone barn in the utopian community of Rose Valley, Pennsylvania
Rose Valley, Pennsylvania
Rose Valley is a small but historic borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its area is and the population was 944 at the 2000 census. It was settled by Quaker farmers in 1682, and later water mills along Ridley Creek drove manufacturing in the nineteenth century...
into "Thunderbird Lodge
Thunderbird Lodge (Rose Valley, Pennsylvania)
Thunderbird Lodge is a building of historical and architectural significance in the utopian community of Rose Valley, Pennsylvania.-Architect:...
" (1904), a sprawling house that contained studios for both of them.
Her work regularly appeared in magazines such as Scribner's Monthly
Scribner's Magazine
Scribner's Magazine was an American periodical published by the publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons from January 1887 to May 1939. Scribner's Magazine was the second magazine out of the "Scribner's" firm, after the publication of Scribner's Monthly...
, Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor...
, and The Ladies Home Journal. She illustrated books by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...
, George Eliot
George Eliot
Mary Anne Evans , better known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, journalist and translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era...
, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
and, notably, the 1903 edition of Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist. She is best known for the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys. Little Women was set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, and published in 1868...
's Little Women
Little Women
Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott . The book was written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869...
. With artist and educator Emily Sartain, she was one of the founders of the Plastic Club of Philadelphia (1897), the oldest art club for women in continuous existence.
Stephens's artistic career spanned 50 years, during which she also lectured, taught, and judged painting and photography. She died at "Thunderbird Lodge" in 1932.
Her papers are in the Archives of American Art
Archives of American Art
The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 16 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washington, D.C...
at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
.
Selected works
- Women's Life Class (circa 1879), Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine ArtsPennsylvania Academy of the Fine ArtsThe Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. - Engraving of The Chess Players by Thomas Eakins (circa 1880).
- Engraving of First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes (circa 1880).
- Illustrations for Sarah Orne JewettSarah Orne JewettSarah Orne Jewett was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for her local color works set in or near South Berwick, Maine, on the border of New Hampshire, which in her day was a declining New England seaport.-Biography:Jewett's family had been residents of New England for many...
's An Every-Day Girl (1890). - Spring Morning in the Park (circa 1890). Exhibited at the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian ExpositionWorld's Columbian ExpositionThe World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
. - The Germania Orchestra at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1891), Biggs Museum of American Art, Dover, Delaware.
- Christmas on Fifth Avenue (1896). Currently for sale at Chappell & McCullar Gallery, San Francisco, California.
- The Nursery (1898), Ivory Soap advertisement.
- The Piano Lesson (circa 1900).