Martha Cahoon
Encyclopedia
Martha Cahoon was the wife and artistic and business partner of Ralph Eugene Cahoon, Jr.
's Roslindale
neighborhood to Swedish immigrant parents, Axel and Elma Farham. She lived there until her family re-located to the seaside town of Harwich, Massachusetts
in Cape Cod
in 1915.
and soon moved a few towns away to Osterville
. As they started their lives together, Martha taught Ralph her family's business and soon they had their own thriving business refinishing, decorating, and selling antique furniture. They would soon outgrow their Osterville home and re-locate to a house in Cotuit
that provided them ample space to grow their business.
convinced them to frame some of their designs. Furthermore, Payson offered to show their works in her Long Island
Gallery. Their foray from furniture decoration into "wall art" proved successful and both Cahoons went onto to produce numerous works over the ensuing decades.
While much of their earlier furniture decoration shared the same Pennsylvania Dutch
inspired motifs, their easel paintings marked the first significant diversion in Ralph and Martha's palettes and styles. While Martha continued to work in muted tones and 19th century naive styles, Ralph experimented with brighter and more contrasting colors, and developed his signature style of frolicking mermaid
s and sailors set against fantasized New England
settings. Although Martha did adopt portions of her husband's style her work remained softer and less playful, focusing more on idyllic and soothing subjects.
folk art
and are housed in many museums and countless private collections including Cahoon Museum of American Art
.
Ralph Cahoon
Ralph Eugene Cahoon, Jr. was an artist and furniture decorator.-Early life:Cahoon was born in Chatham, Massachusetts in 1910 to a family directly descended from the first Dutch Settlers of Cape Cod. Growing up close to the Atlantic Ocean, young Ralph spent many of his days sailing, fishing,...
Early life
Martha Farham was born in BostonBoston
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...
's Roslindale
Roslindale, Boston, Massachusetts
Roslindale is a primarily residential neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, bordered by Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, West Roxbury and Mattapan.It is served by an MBTA Commuter Rail line, several MBTA bus lines and the MBTA Orange Line in nearby Jamaica Plain...
neighborhood to Swedish immigrant parents, Axel and Elma Farham. She lived there until her family re-located to the seaside town of Harwich, Massachusetts
Harwich, Massachusetts
Harwich is a New England town on Cape Cod, in Barnstable County in the state of Massachusetts in the United States. Barnstable County is coextensive with Cape Cod. The town is a popular vacation spot, located near the Cape Cod National Seashore. Harwich's beaches are on "the Sound side" of Cape...
in Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
in 1915.
Education
Although by all accounts Martha was an excellent student she declined to attend college after her high school graduation, instead choosing to become a full time apprentice to her father, who was a respected furniture decorator. Working under her father she quickly mastered the restoration and decoration of antique furniture and started to gain her own reputation as an adept craftswoman.Marriage
In 1930 Martha Farham met Ralph Cahoon and, although she was five years his senior, they started a lifelong romance. In 1932 they were married by a justice of the peaceJustice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and soon moved a few towns away to Osterville
Osterville, Massachusetts
Osterville is one of the seven villages within the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts. The village of Osterville is located on the south side of Barnstable on Nantucket Sound...
. As they started their lives together, Martha taught Ralph her family's business and soon they had their own thriving business refinishing, decorating, and selling antique furniture. They would soon outgrow their Osterville home and re-locate to a house in Cotuit
Cotuit, Massachusetts
Cotuit is a village on Cape Cod in the City of Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. Located on a peninsula on the south side of Barnstable about midway between Falmouth, Massachusetts and Hyannis, Massachusetts...
that provided them ample space to grow their business.
Art career
In 1953 their careers took a new path when one of their customers, the wealthy New York socialite, art dealer, and future co-owner of the New York Mets, Joan Whitney PaysonJoan Whitney Payson
Joan Whitney Payson was an American heiress, businesswoman, philanthropist, patron of the arts and art collector, and a member of the prominent Whitney family...
convinced them to frame some of their designs. Furthermore, Payson offered to show their works in her Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
Gallery. Their foray from furniture decoration into "wall art" proved successful and both Cahoons went onto to produce numerous works over the ensuing decades.
While much of their earlier furniture decoration shared the same Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
inspired motifs, their easel paintings marked the first significant diversion in Ralph and Martha's palettes and styles. While Martha continued to work in muted tones and 19th century naive styles, Ralph experimented with brighter and more contrasting colors, and developed his signature style of frolicking mermaid
Mermaid
A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...
s and sailors set against fantasized New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
settings. Although Martha did adopt portions of her husband's style her work remained softer and less playful, focusing more on idyllic and soothing subjects.
Death
Martha Cahoon continued painting long after her husband's death in 1982 and continued to draw in crayon up until her death in 1999. Her works are considered to be masterpieces of 20th century AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk art
Folk art
Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople. In contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic....
and are housed in many museums and countless private collections including Cahoon Museum of American Art
Cahoon Museum of American Art
The Cahoon Museum of American Art in Cotuit, Massachusetts has eight galleries in a 1775 Georgian Colonial home.-Museum:Highlights of the permanent collection include the works of Cape Cod artists Ralph Cahoon and Martha Cahoon and other prominent 19th Century American artwork by Ralph Blakelock,...
.
Sources
- Peter Falk, Who Was Who in American Art (ISBN#?)
- Michael David Zellman, 300 Years of American Art (ISBN#?)