Juliet Thompson
Encyclopedia
Juliet Thompson was an American Bahá'í, painter, and disciple of `Abdu'l-Bahá
. She is perhaps best remembered for her book The Diary of Juliet Thompson though she also painted a life-sized portrait of `Abdu'l-Bahá.
(before it was renamed as a college). Her father died when she was 12 and left little money for the family, but Thompson was already able to sell paintings. Thompson was an active member of the community of artists in Washington D.C. and painted a centerpiece of the 1897 Cosmos Club
annual show.
, (see Bahá'í Faith in the United Kingdom
), who gave her Arthur de Gobineau
's description in French of the Execution of the Báb
which confirmed her faith. Paris is where Charles Mason Remey first met Thompson when she was taking classes on the religion from Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl
.
Among many talks `Abdu'l-Bahá gave in the United States he gave one at her residence on 15 November 1912 at 48 West Tenth Street, New York. At this meeting he described distinctive qualities of the religion.
During WWI she offered talks on a Baha'i topic of the Most Great Peace.
In the 1940s Thompson made several extended trips to Mexico to promulgate the religion.
, a neighbor and acquaintance of hers, and reports several anecdotes relating to Gibran: She recalls Gibran met `Abdu'l-Bahá a couple times circa 1911-1912.
In 1918 Mark Tobey
came in contact with Thompson and posed for her. During the session Tobey read some Bahá'í literature
and accepted an invitation to Green Acre
where he converted.
O.Z. Whitehead
attended an informational meeting of the religion in Thompson's home in 1950.
, France. During the second trip he reached New York - over several days he sat for a life-sized portrait starting June 1st. Of the portrait, `Abdu'l-Bahá said "I want you to paint my servitude to God." On another day of sitting for the portrait, June 19, Thompson witnessed Lua Getsinger
given a mission of conveying `Abdu'l-Bahá's status in the religion as the Center of the Covenant (see Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá
) and that New York was the City of the Covenant (see perhaps 1992: Second Bahá'í World Congress.) The original of this life sized portrait has been lost, but there are original photographs of the portrait. A reproduction was on display at the Second World Congress, and one is housed in the Seat of the Universal House of Justice just outside its meeting room for the members.
s. Her first was in July, 1909 when she began her diary which was eventually published. Her work is a main source on `Abdu'l-Bahá's journeys to the West
when he was in Europe in 1911 as well as some of his travels in the United States in 1912.
Thompson's second pilgrimage was in 1926.
and Paul E. Haney, Charles Mason Remey, Horace Holley, and Amelia Engelder Collins, and later Universal House of Justice
member Charles Wolcott
, as well as many notable Bahá'ís.
Circa 1898 to 1900 she undertook studies while in France and showed her work while there. On return to the States, Thompson moved to New York circa 1902. She was on the Board of Control of The Pastellists
founded in 1910, which included Jerome Myers
, and Everett Shinn
-the president was Leon Dabo
.
She also donated of her art for support of various causes - an early free clinic
, Women's Suffrage
, a project for minding children off street life, and relief for women and children in WWI.
Among the portraits she painted are: Julia Dent Cantacuzène Spiransky-Grant
, Hallie Davis, (wife of Stephen Benton Elkins
), Rev. Percy Stickney Grant
, Baroness Von Freytag-Loringhoven
, Grace Coolidge
, `Abdu'l-Bahá
and Bahíyyih Khánum
`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
. She is perhaps best remembered for her book The Diary of Juliet Thompson though she also painted a life-sized portrait of `Abdu'l-Bahá.
Early life and education
Thompson was born in Washington, D.C., in 1873. Her parents, James W. Thompson and Celeste, sent her to the Corcoran School of ArtCorcoran College of Art and Design
The Corcoran College of Art and Design, , founded in 1890, is the only professional college of art and design in Washington, DC, located in the Downtown area. The school is a private institution in association with the Corcoran Gallery of Art.The Corcoran Gallery of Art is Washington's first and...
(before it was renamed as a college). Her father died when she was 12 and left little money for the family, but Thompson was already able to sell paintings. Thompson was an active member of the community of artists in Washington D.C. and painted a centerpiece of the 1897 Cosmos Club
Cosmos Club
The Cosmos Club is a private social club in Washington, D.C., founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878. In addition to Powell, original members included Clarence Edward Dutton, Henry Smith Pritchett, William Harkness, and John Shaw Billings. Among its stated goals is "The advancement of its members in...
annual show.
Bahá'í Faith
After learning of the Bahá'í Faith in Washington DC near 1898 she traveled to Paris at the invitation of Laura Dreyfus-Barney's mother. Later in 1901 in Paris she met Thomas BreakwellThomas Breakwell
Thomas Breakwell was the first Englishmen to become a Bahá’í and the first to make the pilgrimage to ‘Akká. He was taught the Bahá’í Faith by May Bolles in the summer of 1901, and traveled to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in ‘Akká that same summer...
, (see Bahá'í Faith in the United Kingdom
Bahá'í Faith in the United Kingdom
The Bahá'í Faith in the United Kingdom started in 1898 when Mrs. Mary Thornburgh-Cropper , an American by birth, become the first Bahá'í in England. Through the 1930s, the number of Bahá'ís in the United Kingdom grew, leading to a pioneer movement beginning after the Second World War with sixty...
), who gave her Arthur de Gobineau
Arthur de Gobineau
Joseph Arthur Comte de Gobineau was a French aristocrat, novelist and man of letters who became famous for developing the theory of the Aryan master race in his book An Essay on the Inequality of the Human Races...
's description in French of the Execution of the Báb
Execution of the Báb
On the morning of July 9, 1850 in Tabriz, a young Persian merchant known as the Báb was charged with apostasy and shot by order of the Prime Minister of the Persian Empire...
which confirmed her faith. Paris is where Charles Mason Remey first met Thompson when she was taking classes on the religion from Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl
Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl
' , or ' was the foremost Bahá'í scholar who helped spread the Bahá'í Faith in Egypt, Turkmenistan, and the United States. He is one of the few Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh who never actually met Bahá'u'lláh...
.
Among many talks `Abdu'l-Bahá gave in the United States he gave one at her residence on 15 November 1912 at 48 West Tenth Street, New York. At this meeting he described distinctive qualities of the religion.
During WWI she offered talks on a Baha'i topic of the Most Great Peace.
In the 1940s Thompson made several extended trips to Mexico to promulgate the religion.
Contact with artists and the religion
Thompson recalled Khalil GibranKhalil Gibran
Khalil Gibran Jubrān Khalīl Jubrān,Jibrān Khalīl Jibrān, or Jibrān Xalīl Jibrān; Arabic , January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931) also known as Kahlil Gibran, was a Lebanese American artist, poet, and writer...
, a neighbor and acquaintance of hers, and reports several anecdotes relating to Gibran: She recalls Gibran met `Abdu'l-Bahá a couple times circa 1911-1912.
In 1918 Mark Tobey
Mark Tobey
Mark George Tobey was an American abstract expressionist painter, born in Centerville, Wisconsin. Widely recognized throughout the United States and Europe, Tobey is the most noted among the "mystical painters of the Northwest." Senior in age and experience, Tobey had a strong influence on the...
came in contact with Thompson and posed for her. During the session Tobey read some Bahá'í literature
Bahá'í literature
Bahá'í literature, like much religious text, covers a variety of topics and forms, including scripture and inspiration, interpretation, history and biography, introduction and study materials, and apologia...
and accepted an invitation to Green Acre
Green Acre
Green Acre is a conference facility in Eliot, Maine, in the United States. It was founded by Sarah Farmer in 1894. The name Green Acre came from poet John Greenleaf Whittier, a personal friend of the Farmer family....
where he converted.
O.Z. Whitehead
O.Z. Whitehead
Oothout Zabriskie Whitehead was born in New York City and attended Harvard University. Called "O.Z." or "Zebby", he was a stage star and a prominent character actor who also authored several volumes of biographical sketches of early members of the Bahá'í Faith especially in the West after he...
attended an informational meeting of the religion in Thompson's home in 1950.
Portrait of `Abdu'l-Bahá
And during `Abdu'l-Bahá's first trip to the west in the fall of 1911 she met him at Thonon-les-BainsThonon-les-Bains
Thonon-les-Bains is a town in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-History:...
, France. During the second trip he reached New York - over several days he sat for a life-sized portrait starting June 1st. Of the portrait, `Abdu'l-Bahá said "I want you to paint my servitude to God." On another day of sitting for the portrait, June 19, Thompson witnessed Lua Getsinger
Lua Getsinger
Louise Aurora Getsinger known as Lua Getsinger was one of the first Western converts to the Bahá'í faith, converting in 1897. She was also a prominent disciple of `Abdu'l-Bahá....
given a mission of conveying `Abdu'l-Bahá's status in the religion as the Center of the Covenant (see Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá
Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá
A seminal document, written in three stages by `Abdu'l-Bahá. Several sections were written under imminent threat of harm. The first section was probably written in 1906....
) and that New York was the City of the Covenant (see perhaps 1992: Second Bahá'í World Congress.) The original of this life sized portrait has been lost, but there are original photographs of the portrait. A reproduction was on display at the Second World Congress, and one is housed in the Seat of the Universal House of Justice just outside its meeting room for the members.
Pilgrimages
Over her life she made two Bahá'í pilgrimageBahá'í pilgrimage
A Bahá'í pilgrimage currently consists of visiting the holy places in Haifa, Akká, and Bahjí at the Bahá'í World Centre in Northwest Israel. Bahá'ís do not have access to other places designated as sites for pilgrimage....
s. Her first was in July, 1909 when she began her diary which was eventually published. Her work is a main source on `Abdu'l-Bahá's journeys to the West
`Abdu'l-Bahá's journeys to the West
`Abdu'l-Bahá's journeys to the West were a series of trips `Abdu'l-Bahá undertook starting at the age of 67 from Palestine to the West from 1910 to 1913. `Abdu'l-Bahá was imprisoned at the age of 8 and suffered various degrees of privation most of his life...
when he was in Europe in 1911 as well as some of his travels in the United States in 1912.
Thompson's second pilgrimage was in 1926.
Death
Thompson died on December 9, 1956 at home. At the memorial service held for her at the Bahá'í Temple several notable people spoke or sent messages - several Hands of the CauseHands of the Cause
The Hands of the Cause of God, Hands of the Cause, or Hands were a select group of Bahá'ís, appointed for life, whose main function was to propagate and protect the Bahá'í Faith...
and Paul E. Haney, Charles Mason Remey, Horace Holley, and Amelia Engelder Collins, and later Universal House of Justice
Universal House of Justice
The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a legislative institution with the authority to supplement and apply the laws of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and exercises a judicial function as the highest appellate institution in the...
member Charles Wolcott
Charles Wolcott
Charles Wolcott served as a member of the Universal House of Justice, the supreme governing body of the Bahá'í Faith, between 1963 and 1987.Wolcott was born in Flint, Michigan, USA...
, as well as many notable Bahá'ís.
Painting
Thompson's first show as a portrait painter was at the Knoedler's galleries. Thompson worked as a portrait painter for years in Washington D.C. and later in New York though she also had interests in other arts.Circa 1898 to 1900 she undertook studies while in France and showed her work while there. On return to the States, Thompson moved to New York circa 1902. She was on the Board of Control of The Pastellists
The Pastellists
The Pastellists was an organization of artists that formed in New York at the end of 1910 for the purpose of exhibiting artwork produced in the medium of pastel. The group was short lived, but filled a void in the art scene of the time.-History:...
founded in 1910, which included Jerome Myers
Jerome Myers
Jerome Myers was a U.S. artist and writer. Born in Petersburg, Virginia and raised in Philadelphia, Trenton and Baltimore, he spent his adult life in New York City. Jerome worked briefly as an actor and scene painter, then studied art at Cooper Union and the Art Students League where his main...
, and Everett Shinn
Everett Shinn
Everett Shinn was an American realist painter and member of the Ashcan School, also known as 'the Eight.' He was the youngest member of the group of modernist painters who explored the depiction of real life...
-the president was Leon Dabo
Leon Dabo
Leon Dabo was an American tonalist landscape artist best known for his paintings of New York, particularly the Hudson Valley. His paintings were known for their feeling of spaciousness, with large areas of the canvas that had little but land, sea, or clouds...
.
She also donated of her art for support of various causes - an early free clinic
Free clinic
A free clinic is a medical facility offering community healthcare on a free or very low-cost basis in countries with marginal or no universal health care. Care is generally provided in these clinics to persons who have lower or limited income and no health insurance, including persons who are not...
, Women's Suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
, a project for minding children off street life, and relief for women and children in WWI.
Among the portraits she painted are: Julia Dent Cantacuzène Spiransky-Grant
Julia Dent Cantacuzène Spiransky-Grant
Julia Dent Grant Cantacuzène Spiransky, Princess Cantacuzène, Countess Spiransky, was an American author and the first born grandchild of Ulysses S. Grant and Julia Grant, born in the White House during her grandfather's presidency. She was the daughter of Frederick Dent Grant, and Frederick's...
, Hallie Davis, (wife of Stephen Benton Elkins
Stephen Benton Elkins
Stephen Benton Elkins was an American industrialist and political figure. He served as the Secretary of War between 1891 and 1893...
), Rev. Percy Stickney Grant
Percy Stickney Grant
Percy Stickney Grant was an American Protestant Episcopalian clergyman. He was born in Boston and was educated at Harvard University and at the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge . He was assistant minister of the church of the Ascension and minister of St...
, Baroness Von Freytag-Loringhoven
Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven
Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven was a German-born avant-garde, Dadaist artist and poet who worked for several years in Greenwich Village, New York City, United States.-Early life:Freytag-Loringhoven was born Elsa Hildegard Plötz in Swinemünde , German Empire,...
, Grace Coolidge
Grace Coolidge
Grace Anna Goodhue Coolidge was the wife of Calvin Coolidge and First Lady of the United States from 1923 to 1929.-Biography:...
, `Abdu'l-Bahá
`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
and Bahíyyih Khánum
Bahiyyih Khánum
Bahíyyih Khánum the only daughter of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and Ásíyih Khánum. She was born in 1846 with the given name Fatimih Sultan, and was entitled "Varaqiy-i-'Ulyá" or "Greatest Holy Leaf"...
External links
- Miss Juliet Thompson, 7/1/1921 (picture of her doing a painting)
- Miss Juliette Thompson, full-length portrait, standing, facing front, with her portrait of Mrs. Coolidge.
- Miss Juliet Thompson portrait photo by Arnold GentheArnold GentheArnold Genthe was a photographer, best known for his photos of San Francisco's Chinatown, the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and his portraits of noted persons, from politicians and socialites to literary figures and entertainment celebrities.-Biography:Genthe was born in Berlin, Prussia, to Louise...
. - Miss Juliet Thompson with dog portrait photo by Arnold GentheArnold GentheArnold Genthe was a photographer, best known for his photos of San Francisco's Chinatown, the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and his portraits of noted persons, from politicians and socialites to literary figures and entertainment celebrities.-Biography:Genthe was born in Berlin, Prussia, to Louise...
. - Knoedler Gallery
- AskArt Profile