This biography from the Archives of AskART:
| Long recognized as the woman who spurred the development of art in
Erie, Lovisa O. Card Catlin was an artist, educator and eventually
cultural ambassador of the city in her time.
She was born in Gainesville, New York, August 5, 1846, a daughter of
William Merritt and Eliza Wheeler Card. William Card owned a
grocery and notions store in the Wyoming County village, east of
Buffalo. Lovisa left home at age 16, but details of her early
education are unknown. References cite her coming to Erie fresh
from the art world of the East.
In the aftermath of the Civil War, around 1868, the young woman took up
residence with an uncle and aunt, Jehiel and Hannah Towner of 726
French Street. At the Towner home Lovisa Card apparently
set up a small studio and offered private lessons in art.
Her student Jennie R. Cleveland (1859-1937) recalled: “I began to take
drawing lessons from her and for years, in pencil, crayon, pen and ink,
pastel, oil and water color, she proved not only a painstaking teacher,
but I also felt she was my friend.” With the advent of the
1870’s Lovisa opened Erie Art School, first of its type in the city,
operating from Room 13 on the second floor of the Erie Dime Savings and
Loan building.
But Miss Card’s own education was far from complete. In
1876, in its second year of operation, she studied at the Art Students
League in New York City under its only instructor at that time, Lemuel
E. Wilmarth. On January 6, 1880, she qualified with five
years membership to become a life member of the League and was known to
pattern her curriculum after its principles. In vacation periods
she attended summer schools in the East conducted by noted American
artists William M. Chase, Walter Shirlaw, Carroll Beckwith, Irving
Wiles, Douglas Volk Mrs. C.B. Commings and others.
At age 47 in 1893, she married Henry Catlin, 13 years her
senior. In a newspaper account of the marriage, the couple
was regarded as talented, cultured and to be excellent social
companions.
At an organizational meeting at her studio on March 21 1898, with 19
persons assembled, the Art Club of Erie was formed. Mrs. Catlin
was elected unanimously as the Club's first president, an office she
would hold for the next 27 years.
In 1910 she embarked on a two-year visit to Europe. There she
studied with the great collections in major museums and joined in
classes to broaden her perspective. In Paris she availed herself
of instruction at the Colarossi School, The Grand Chaumeire, from
Richard Miller in the Latin Quarter and in the private school of Henri
Martin, a modern painter she found inspirational.
Various sources define her as being quiet and reserved, and always of
remarkably cheerful temperament. Her judgments and opinions were
respected, and she was regarded as a critic who could criticize and add
encouragement. She lived in a world of beauty and saw beauty in
everything. Often described as a diligent and inspirational
teacher who brought latent ability to the fore, Miss Card stated: “When
I teach art, I am teaching a love of beauty, the power of expression.”
On Monday, December 7, 1925, Lovisa Card Catlin died at her home. She was 79 years old. Writing in the Erie Daily Times
the next day, Charles Dutton observed of the fallen leader; "Mrs.
Catlin loved beauty and loving beauty, she thought it was her sacred
duty to pass on that love to others. That was her whole life."
Excerpted from: “Lovisa Card Catlin 1846 – 1925, Cornerstone of Erie
Art History,” by Dr. Kirk Steehler and Karen Dolan. Published in The Journal of Erie Studies, by the Erie County Historical Society and Mercyhurst College, Fall, 1989, Volume 18, no. 2, pp. 31-46.
|
| ** If you discover credit omissions or have additional information to add, please let us know at registrar@AskART.com. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|