Harriet Hallowell
Encyclopedia
Harriet Hallowell was an expatriate American artist who lived in France for almost fifty years. She was born in Boston
to a distinguished and artistic Quaker family. During the First World War, The Great War, in the British vernacular of the time, she remained in France and was an industrious worker at a small volunteer hospital. The hospital was near the home she shared with her aunt Sarah Tyson Hallowell
(1846–1924), the famous American art curator, located in the village of Moret-sur-Loing
, which borders the Forest of Fontainebleau
. Because of her war relief efforts on behalf of the French and Allied soldiers, the French government awarded her the Légion d'honneur in 1930. She remained in France during World War II, was again involved in relief work and died in the hospital after a cycling accident and subsequent case of pneumonia
.
. She had one brother George Hawley Hallowell, who was a year older. The children lost their mother in 1879 and raised by their grandmother, Mary Morris Tyson Hallowell. The Hallowell family was large and distinguished with branches in Massachusetts and Maine. Mary Morris Tyson Hallowell (1820–1913) was a strong woman who had been very active in the United States Sanitary Commission
during the Civil War
and she also traveled extensively to assist war refugees. The older Hallowell women who influenced Harriet were also active in the cause of Woman's suffrage and the Temperance Movement
.
, Auguste Rodin
and Anders Zorn
. In 1894, Harriet Hallowell, then twenty-one and her grandmother joined her aunt Sarah in Paris. Through her aunt, she was able to meet the leading French and American painters and experience the salon lifestyle of the Parisian elite. As her grandmother grew infirm, she took care of her, first in their apartment in Paris and then in the small house in Moret-sur-Loing, a small, picturesque village that had been a favorite of the French Impressionists. The Hallowells probably took the Moret-sur-Loing house about 1900, because the painting she sent to the Art Institute in 1901 bears that address. Her grandmother's illness prevented her from visiting home and soon after her death in 1913, the Germans invaded and World War I began.
(1860–1920) and two works of sculpture by Auguste Rodin
(1840–1917), a gift from the famous sculptor, who was a close friend's of her aunt's. She continued to paint and remained active with the Paris chapter of the American Artists Professional League. She exhibited her work with the American Women's Club of Paris and at the annual Salon. Halloway finally returned home for at least two visits, in 1926 and again in 1927 The French government honored her with the Croix d'Honneur" for her war work in 1930. Despite her family's objections she remained in France after the start of World War II, when the Germans overran and then occupied France, even after the Americans entered the war in 1941. Seemingly in good health, she had a bicycle accident in 1943 and died in the hospital of pneumonia at the age of seventy. According to family letters, her home was sealed up and left undisturbed until after the end of the war, in 1946, when her family was able to visit. Her heirs could not afford to bring her extensive art collection back to the United States which required matching their value and they became property of the French state.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to a distinguished and artistic Quaker family. During the First World War, The Great War, in the British vernacular of the time, she remained in France and was an industrious worker at a small volunteer hospital. The hospital was near the home she shared with her aunt Sarah Tyson Hallowell
Sarah Tyson Hallowell
Sarah Tyson Hallowell was an important American art curator in the years between the Civil War and World War I. She curated a number of major exhibitions in Chicago, arranged the loan exhibition of French Art at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, worked with Bertha Palmer to...
(1846–1924), the famous American art curator, located in the village of Moret-sur-Loing
Moret-sur-Loing
Moret-sur-Loing is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.The town was a source of inspiration for Monet, Renoir and Sisley.-Twin towns:...
, which borders the Forest of Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
. Because of her war relief efforts on behalf of the French and Allied soldiers, the French government awarded her the Légion d'honneur in 1930. She remained in France during World War II, was again involved in relief work and died in the hospital after a cycling accident and subsequent case of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
.
Early life
Harriett Hallowell was born in Boston on June 15, 1873. Her father was the Civil War veteran Lewis Morris Hallowell (1844–1909) and her mother was Harriet Hawley Hallowell. Her family were Quakers from Philadelphia, with deep roots in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. She had one brother George Hawley Hallowell, who was a year older. The children lost their mother in 1879 and raised by their grandmother, Mary Morris Tyson Hallowell. The Hallowell family was large and distinguished with branches in Massachusetts and Maine. Mary Morris Tyson Hallowell (1820–1913) was a strong woman who had been very active in the United States Sanitary Commission
United States Sanitary Commission
The United States Sanitary Commission was a private relief agency created by federal legislation on June 18, 1861, to support sick and wounded soldiers of the U.S. Army during the American Civil War. It operated across the North, raised its own funds, and enlisted thousands of volunteers...
during the Civil War
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
and she also traveled extensively to assist war refugees. The older Hallowell women who influenced Harriet were also active in the cause of Woman's suffrage and the Temperance Movement
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
.
Artistic career
There was an artistic tradition among the Hallowells and Harriet's aunt Sarah had began her career as a painter. Harriett and her older brother George both drew and painted as children and their aunt was a major influence on their artistic development. Harriet Hallowell's artistic career has almost escaped notice in the United States and few of the standard references have any biographical information on her or any examples of her work. Harriet's work may have been exhibited in Boston in 1893, before her departure for France. She was a member of the Paris branch of the American Artist's Professional League. Hallowell was usually described as a miniature painter. Her work was also included in the annual Paris Salon. Few works seem to have surfaced thus far, perhasps because she spent most of her career in France and upon her sudden death, her belongings became the property of the state. She is known to have painted landscapes near her French home.France
Harriet's aunt Sarah Hallowell was an important curator in Chicago. She had assembled the loan exhibit of French paintings from American collections for the World's Columbian Exposition, the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. She was also instrumental in the Women's Pavilion for the fair, recommending Mary Cassat and Mary Fairchild MacMonnies for the large murals. After the fair was over, Sarah Hallowell moved to France, where she served as an agent for the Art Institute of Chicago, curating their annual exhibition of American paintings from the expatriate American artists who lived in France. She also served as an advisor to American millionaires, introducing them to the leading French artists of the day. Their circle included Mary CassattMary Cassatt
Mary Stevenson Cassatt was an American painter and printmaker. She lived much of her adult life in France, where she first befriended Edgar Degas and later exhibited among the Impressionists...
, Auguste Rodin
Auguste Rodin
François-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
and Anders Zorn
Anders Zorn
Anders Leonard Zorn was one of Sweden’s foremost artists who obtained international success as a painter, sculptor and printmaker in etching.-Biography:...
. In 1894, Harriet Hallowell, then twenty-one and her grandmother joined her aunt Sarah in Paris. Through her aunt, she was able to meet the leading French and American painters and experience the salon lifestyle of the Parisian elite. As her grandmother grew infirm, she took care of her, first in their apartment in Paris and then in the small house in Moret-sur-Loing, a small, picturesque village that had been a favorite of the French Impressionists. The Hallowells probably took the Moret-sur-Loing house about 1900, because the painting she sent to the Art Institute in 1901 bears that address. Her grandmother's illness prevented her from visiting home and soon after her death in 1913, the Germans invaded and World War I began.
War Relief Work
Because the war was so close to their home, a small hospital was set up in Moret-sure-Loing, "Hôpital Aux No. 26" which in English would be Auxiliary Hospital Number 26. The hospital opened in August 1914 and was active throughout the war. Sarah Hallowell and Harriett Hallowell helped to treat wounded soldiers and like their grandmother, raised money for refugees. At home they knitted warm clothing for French citizens who had been displaced by the fighting or whose homes had been destroyed. Also in the war, they also were involved in efforts to send care packages to allied soldiers who had been captured by the Germans. In a 1918 letter, Sarah Hallowell emphasized that because of rationing in Germany, allied prisoners were in danger of starvation stating that "It is absolutely vital that such relief should be sent."Later life
Harriet Hallowell's aunt Sarah died in 1924, leaving her alone in their little house in Moret-sur-Loing. She inherited her aunt's estate, which while not rich in cash, was rich in art, with paintings by artists such as Anders ZornAnders Zorn
Anders Leonard Zorn was one of Sweden’s foremost artists who obtained international success as a painter, sculptor and printmaker in etching.-Biography:...
(1860–1920) and two works of sculpture by Auguste Rodin
Auguste Rodin
François-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
(1840–1917), a gift from the famous sculptor, who was a close friend's of her aunt's. She continued to paint and remained active with the Paris chapter of the American Artists Professional League. She exhibited her work with the American Women's Club of Paris and at the annual Salon. Halloway finally returned home for at least two visits, in 1926 and again in 1927 The French government honored her with the Croix d'Honneur" for her war work in 1930. Despite her family's objections she remained in France after the start of World War II, when the Germans overran and then occupied France, even after the Americans entered the war in 1941. Seemingly in good health, she had a bicycle accident in 1943 and died in the hospital of pneumonia at the age of seventy. According to family letters, her home was sealed up and left undisturbed until after the end of the war, in 1946, when her family was able to visit. Her heirs could not afford to bring her extensive art collection back to the United States which required matching their value and they became property of the French state.
Memberships and Affiliations
- American Artists Professional League, Paris Chapter
- Daughters of the American Revolution
See also
- Sarah Tyson HallowellSarah Tyson HallowellSarah Tyson Hallowell was an important American art curator in the years between the Civil War and World War I. She curated a number of major exhibitions in Chicago, arranged the loan exhibition of French Art at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, worked with Bertha Palmer to...
- 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...
- Salon (Paris)
- ImpressionismImpressionismImpressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
- First Battle of the MarneFirst Battle of the MarneThe Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
(1914) - Second Battle of the MarneSecond Battle of the MarneThe Second Battle of the Marne , or Battle of Reims was the last major German Spring Offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The German attack failed when an Allied counterattack led by France overwhelmed the Germans, inflicting severe casualties...
(1918)