International studio (43.1911)

American Society of Miniature Painters

The twelfth annual exhibi-
tion OF THE AMERICAN SOCI-
ETY OF MINIATURE PAINTERS
BY ALICE T. SEARLE
“When is a miniature not a miniature ?” seemed
still to vex the minds of the majority of the contrib-
utors to this year’s exhibition of the American
Society of Miniature Painters at the Knoedler Gal-
leries. The very people who should be able to an-
swer the conundrum appeared profoundly ignorant
or indifferent as to just how or why a miniature
should differ from a portrait that is simply a paint-
ing done on a small scal^. The result was a collec-
tion of pictures of very uneven merit, the average
slightly stronger than last year, but giving the im-
pression, on the whole, of rather a medley of diver-
sified methods and manners, with no positive unity
of aims or ideals.


One hundred and forty-three miniatures were dis-
played, only thirty-three of these being the work of
members of the society. Outside exhibitors were
very generously allowed the larger space. Among
these were several interesting workers, disclosing
clever craftsmanship and individuality of treatment.
May Austin Claus, in an ambitious study of a child
with a doll seated before a mirror, showed good com-
position and simplicity in handling the difficult
problems involved. Ruth Brooks manifested ex-
ceptional technical ability in her study of the nude
and the Portrait oj Mr. N., one of the few good men
portraits noted. Sarah E. Cowan’s Italian Girl
had distinction and style, two rare qualities in a
modern miniature, and Eda Nemoede, a Chicago
painter, an all too infrequent exhibitor, sent a capti-
vating young girl’s head, full of sentiment and grace.
Alice Marsh, Martha Baxter, Gray Price, Meta
Steiniger, Viola Steele, Mary Tannahill, Harriet
Draper, Lydia Longacre, Helen Durkee and others
upheld the standard for sound execution and sin-
cerity of purpose most encouragingly.
In the non-members’ group undoubtedly much of
the best work shown was the outcome of the influ-
ence of the new classes in miniature painting in the
leading art schools of the country. The establish-
ment of these classes has secured new respect for the
art and given it a fundamental strength and sta-
bility which of late years it has sadly needed.
Much has been said as to the lack of character in
the modern miniature. In that respect no fault
could be found with the strong, broadly painted ex-
amples by Martha S. Baker. Her large composi-
tion, entitled Springtime, a nude child playing with
chrysanthemums on the floor, showed the artist’s
ability to cope successfully with a difficult subject
and also retain the fine properties of her material.
Two small heads—Master Gifford Ewing and Miss
Marion Tooker—painted against the pure ivory back-
ground, although less ambitious, were more repre-
sentative of Miss Baker’s gift for strong penetration
of character and showed her individual technique.
A former pupil of Miss Baker’s, Heloise Redfield,
gave proof that she had imbibed something of her
teacher’s power of characterization but without her
clever execution or good taste. Almost any one of
her strikingly modern types of women subjects
would have been more interesting if portrayed life
size. The Miss B. Herbert, however, was an ex-
ception. The glowing flesh color in the well-mod-
eled head, relieved against the browns of the furs
and dress, and the carefully studied figure made it
one of the most-convincing portrait miniatures in
the room.

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