Laura Coombs Hills Unfading Flowers
“Somehow she manages to bring dancing sunlight and vibrant atmosphere within the four walls and to soak her flowers in it. One artist has said that New England and the United States has never produced her equal.”
The Boston Herald, November 23, 1939
Laura Coombs Hills 1859 – 1952
Indeed, Laura Coombs Hills was one of this country’s most sought-after flower artists. Primarily self-taught, Hills has been likened to American Impressionist Mary Cassatt in her mastery of the pastel medium. As critic A. J. Philpot stated “Laura C. Hills has always been in a class by herself.”
Though well known for her flower portraiture, Hills was very highly regarded for miniature painting, which was the basis of her early renown. By 1920 though, when Laura Hills eyesight began to deteriorate and the demand for miniatures waned, she devoted all of her time to rendering the flowers she adored.
Exhibitions:
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 1916 (prize)
American Society of Miniature Painters, 1928 (prize)
St. Louis Exposition, 1904 (gold)
Paris Exposition, 1900 (prize)
Society of Washington Artists, 1901 (prize)
Pan-American Exposition, 1901 (medal)
Charleston Exposition, 1902
Memberships:
Society of American Artists
National St. Louis Academy-Associate
Boston Watercolor Club
Copley Society
Boston Guild of Artists
Pennsylvania Society of Miniature Painters
In her depiction of flowers Hills is able to convey the subtle nuances of gesture as the flowers would naturally appear in a vase. Capturing these qualities on paper required a sureness of touch and mastery of technique that was her hallmark. Time was of the essence in creating these compositions before the flowers faded, but there seems to be no artificial rearranging of the shapes and inclination of the flowers. She was also unrivaled in her use of color and imaginative compositions.
Born in 1859, Hills had a long career in Massachusetts where she had a studio in Boston and summered in Newburyport, her birthplace. She never married and lived with a sister who kept house for her. As she aged, hours were spent in her garden, making flower arrangements for her exquisite compositions. Hills died in 1952 with her work in numerous museum and private collections.
Zinnias and Stock
c. 1935
Pastel on Paper laid down on board
28 3/4 x 23 5/8 inches
Framed: 36 x 31 inches
Signed lower right
Provenance: Doll & Richards, Inc., Boston; Child’s Gallery, Boston; Byron Radacker, Portsmouth, NH; Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc., New York, February, 1992; Private Collection, acquired from the above April 1994
Pink and White Petunias
Pastel on Paper 18 x 14 inches
Framed: 27 x 22 ½ inches
Signed upper left
White Camellia
1952
Pastel
14 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches
Framed: 22 ¾ x 19 ¾ inches
Signed upper left
Provenance: Private Maryland and Massachusetts Estate Collection
Tulips in a Glass Vase
Pastel on Paperboard
21 x 18 inches
Framed: 28 x 25 inches
Signed upper left
Provenance: David Findlay Jr. Inc.,
New York, New York
Poppies in a Clear Vase
1928
Pastel on Paper
21 1/4 x 17 1/4 inches
Framed: 29 1/4 x 26 5/8 inches
Signed upper left
Provenance: Vose Gallery and Lepore Fine Arts (label verso); Exhibited Copley Gallery, 1928
Azaleas
Pastel on Paper on board
21 1/4 x 17 1/2 inches
Framed: 27 ½ x 24 ¾ inches
Signed upper left
