354 results for: Visual Arts
Oil portrait of John Leary, ca. 1900
John Leary (1837-1905) was involved with virtually every major civic and commercial undertaking in Seattle in the 1870s and 1880s, including a law practice, real estate, railroads, banking, and publishing. In 1884, he was elected Mayor of the City of Seattle. Herbert Gobble "Harry" Shriner (1871-1941) studied art in Paris in 1891 and later worked in California. He was known…
ID Number:1957.1284.3
Date:Circa 1900
Framed photograph of Elisha P. Ferry, ca.1875
Elisha P. Ferry was the territorial governor of Washington from 1872-1880.
ID Number:1957.1284.4
Date:Circa 1875
Portrait of Mary Ann (Phelen) Smith, 1887
Mary Ann Phelen (1845-1880) was born in Ireland and came to the US, arriving in Seattle possibly via Wisconsin before she was twenty years of age. She married Dr. Henry A. Smith in 1862 and they had seven daughters and one son. Dr. Smith was a physician, politician, and served as chair of the school board. Smith Cove, the site…
ID Number:1957.1285.2
Date:1887
Charcoal portrait of Frandie Webster by Harriet Foster Beecher, ca. 1880s
Born in Indiana, Harriet Foster Beecher (1853-1918) traveled to the West Coast to attend the San Francisco School of Design. She moved to Seattle in 1880 and married Captain Herbert Foote Beecher. In 1881, Beecher opened what is thought to be Seattle’s first art studio. She painted Indigenous life in oils and watercolors, portraits of Seattle pioneers, and landscapes. Beecher…
ID Number:1957.1285.10
Date:Circa 1880
Plaster plaque of the head of Kikisoblu (Princess Angeline) by James Wehn, ca. 1910-1920
Kikisoblu (Princess Angeline), also known in Lushootseed as Kikisoblu, Kick-is-om-lo, or Wewick, was the eldest daughter of Chief Si'ahl (Chief Seattle) and a well-known figure during the early European American settler days of the city. She was born around 1820 and lived until she was in her mid-seventies. James A. Wehn (1882-1973), was born in Indiana and came to Seattle…
ID Number:1957.1373
Date:Circa 1910-1920
Fish club, 1900-1920
This fish club was carved and painted by an unknown local tribe, possibly for trade or other commercial use.
ID Number:1958.1581.2
Date:1900-1920
Drawing on animal hide by George Twok Aden Ahgupuk, ca. 1930-1950
George Twok Aden Ahgupuk (1911-2001) was an Inupiat native artist from Shishmaref, Alaska, whose work depicted village life, hunting of seals, walrus, whale, and polar bears, and Alaska wildlife and scenery, similar to what is featured in this piece. Twok developed his own technique for bleaching caribou, reindeer, and moose hides, and he shared this technique with no one. This…
ID Number:1959.1655.634
Date:Circa 1930-1950
Wooden rattle in the shape of a bird, Lummi, ca. 1900
In the early 1900s a Lummi man carved this bird shape from wood, then filled it with stones to make a rattle. He painted it red and black: ceremonial colors. Then he—or his wife—would shake it during a spiritual dance ceremony.
ID Number:1959.1694.1
Date:Circa 1900
Painting of the Great Seattle Fire and Mount Rainier by B. J. Harnett, 1889
Seattle’s Great Fire occurred on June 6, 1889, in a carpenter shop at 1st Avenue and Madison Street. The story goes that a workman, John Back, was melting glue in a pot that boiled over onto the floor, igniting wood shavings and sawdust. The fire quickly grew, and flames swept out through the shop’s open doors and windows, spreading to…
ID Number:1959.1721
Date:1889
Oil painting, "Port Townsend," by Harriet Foster Beecher, 1870-1915
Born in Indiana, Harriet Foster Beecher (1853-1918) traveled to the West Coast to attend the San Francisco School of Design. She moved to Seattle in 1880 and married Captain Herbert Foote Beecher. In 1881, Beecher opened what is thought to be Seattle’s first art studio. She painted Indigenous life in oils and watercolors, portraits of Seattle pioneers, and landscapes. Beecher…
ID Number:1959.1762.2
Date:1870-1915