Eloise Long Wells (1875-1953) A Life on the Mississippi
McCaughen & Burr Fine Arts and Tyler Fine Art are pleased to present an exhibition of works by
Eloise Long Wells (1875-1953) A Life on the Mississippi Tis not a pistol ired in the ear, But a feather to tickle the intellect [Charles Lamb
Exhibition Director: Scott Kerr Curator: Sara Kerr Essay: Thom Pegg Catalog Design: RenĂŠe Yeager
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loise Long Wells was born in Alton, Illinois, a river town about 15 miles north of St. Louis, in 1875. Alton was the site of the last Lincoln-Douglas debate in 1858, and also the town where abolitionist Elijah P. Lovejoy was murdered by a pro-slavery mob in 1837. It was the site of the irst federal penitentiary, and held some 12,000 Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. In 1863-1864, due to a small pox epidemic, around 2000 prisoners died there. When Eloise was four years old, in 1879, her family moved to St Louis, Missouri. Her maternal grandfather was Richard J. Compton, a metal engraver and founder of Compton Lithographics. Her father, Willis Long, was the nephew of Major Stephen H. Long, the Army engineer who explored Colorado around 1820, and who eventually became the namesake for the mountain, Long’s Peak. Major Long returned to the Midwest, and died in Alton, Illinois. Willis’ father, Eloise’s paternal grandfather, was George Washington Long. Eloise attended Mary Institute in St. Louis. William Greenleaf Eliot, the founder of Washington University in St. Louis, founded two earlier schools in St. Louis: Smith Academy for boys (1854), the school attended by his grandson, poet T.S. Eliot; and Mary Institute, the sister school for girls (1859). She then studied at the St. Louis School of Fine Art, which was the ine art department at Washington University, with Edward Campbell, Charles Allan Winter, and Richard E. Miller (1901-1902). She also attended the Chouinard Art Institute (Chouinard was founded in Los Angeles in 1921). Eloise married an engineer, George Eugene Wells (1864-1942), who established a consulting irm specializing in refrigeration engineering. The couple traveled regularly, offering Eloise the opportunity to paint in various locations, such as New York, Chicago, Kansas City and New Orleans. The couple had ive children, three sons and two daughters: Eloise, George, David, Eugenia,
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and Willis. The children became the subjects of the majority of Long’s art. Jules de Saint Hillaires, a famous French critic, writing about Wells’ art in the publication, Revue du Vrai et du Beau, supported this enthusiastically: Right or wrong, I have discovered in the technique of this artist, a motherly emotion, hardly concealed. I have derived a conclusion by it that she is above all touched by the deep joys and tender and touching family scenes of the home. It offers her new scenes by the simple fact that its interior vision acquires new vigor at each moment… Eloise Long Wells paints with all her heart and soul. She expresses and puts on canvas the pulsations of her affection in order to impart them to others, or rather to depict and engrave them in their mind forever. To this exquisite and profound sensitiveness the artist adds an agreeable technique and penetrating coloring which explains the great charm which is felt by her numberless admirers. The Wells family lived at 4308 Washington Avenue in St. Louis, and Eloise kept a studio on the third loor. Two winding staircases led up to her studio, which she called “The Pilot House”, and the door was always open to her children to play and create their own art there.
Eastern Point Light House, 1901; pen and ink sketch, 7-1/4 x 9-3/4 in, titled and dated.
This room is always open to my children…and seldom do they abuse my quiet. In fact they have been my best models and severest critics. They and their playmates who throng in and out of the house. Nothing is more charming than a child in its unconscious moments, sleeping and waking, and that is what I have endeavored to put in my pictures. Especially do I love the playtime of children when they give free rein to imagination and fancy. [ St
Louis Star and Times, Nov. 22,
1920, p. 17 Her granddaughter, Frances Wells, who currently works as a landscape painter in the Hudson River Valley remembers this room with much fondness and respect: I have been painting landscapes since childhood. My irst teacher was my grandmother, Eloise Long Wells, who was a Missouri and Mississippi River painter. Together we explored and painted these rivers, their [sic] levees, the surrounding hills, bluffs, and bottom lands. She taught me to be attentive to the light and haze in that humid country side which we both loved, especially at transitional times of day. As a young woman she had ive children, but she always had a studio to work in. Even if it was in the basement, it was called “The Pilot House,” the highest place on the steamboat where the captain navigated the ever changing and often treacherous river. Eloise Long Wells’ daughter, Eloise, married Oscar Johnson and the couple bought a farm in St. Albans, Missouri. The elder Eloise would frequently visit, sketchbook in hand (per her granddaughter, Frances Wells). St. Albans is a small town founded in 1837 on the border of St. Louis County, along the Missouri River. In 1903, St. Louis architect, Theodore Link bought land there and became enamored with the area. He purchased 132 acres there in 1908, and in 1923, began planning for a “St. Albans Colony”. Link died that year, so his vision never materialized. Shortly after his death, Charles Stockstrom, founder of the Magic Chef Stove Company purchased Link’s home
in St. Albans as a summer home. The Wells children were involved in a youth theater organization called The Junior Players, which performed plays at the St. Louis Artist Guild (c. 1910s-1920s). An article that appeared in the St. Louis PostDispatch (February 16, 1919) described the group and its objectives: The Board of Directors of the Junior Players feel that there will be hearty support of this unique organization when the public appreciates that it means serious training of clever children in dramatic art, who will be the means of affording much pleasure to other children through their performances. Eloise frequently captured scenes of children in various costumes or scenes from these productions. She also executed a portrait of Mrs. Laurence Ewald, who was in charge of the stage settings for the group. Wells’ early work is traditional in subject matter, and frequently igurative. She was a talented draftsman , working in several mediums: oil, watercolor, pastel, and lithographic crayon. The latter is a somewhat unusual choice, but the resulting effect achieved by Wells was dramatic and successful. A lithographic crayon is a type of “grease” pencil, typically used to draw on metal or stone as part of the printmaking process. The lines would hold an oily ink and the image could be printed on to a sheet of paper. Lithographic crayons contain tallow, stearic acid, wax, resin and lampblack. They also contain an alkali, such lye or potassium carbonate, to saponify the fatty acids. A set would have varying values from dark to light, indicating how much ink will be absorbed into an area. Wells used the crayons to draw directly on to the paper, so it would look similar to a charcoal drawing, but would have a waxy sheen rather than a powdery one. Many modern artists of the 20th century used colored grease or paint sticks to draw images on paper and canvas (one example would be Jean-Michel Basquiat).
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Her early body of work consists primarily of igures in interiors (mostly children) and still lifes. It is reasonable, given that she was raising ive children, that she would use the people and objects around her as subject matter. By the late 1930s and early 1940s, when her children were older, she began painting the riverfront and even other cities, presumably, because she had more freedom. Stylistically, her work from 1910 through the 1940s shares a similar path to many familiar artists working in St. Louis at the time. The igure paintings of the 1910s are formal, subdued impressionism, with a mostly somber palette, reminiscent of the work of Gustav Wolff, Paul Cornoyer and Arthur Mitchell. The paintings and drawings of the 1920s reveal a slightly brighter palette, and a post-Impressionist approach, not unlike the work of Kathryn Cherry or Alice Beach Winter. Her work dating from the 1930s and 1940s of riverboats and city scenes becomes increasingly modern, comparable to the work of Joe Jones, Joseph Vorst, Mirriam Mckinnie and Aimee Schweig. A unique series of works, primarily colorful pastels and paintings reveal the inluence of German modernist, Hans Hoffmann. It had been suggested by the family of the artist that Wells studied with Hoffmann (perhaps at his school in New York City which he maintained throughout the 1940s; so while it is chronologically possible, it seems rather unlikely); it seems more reasonable that Wells was introduced to Hoffmann’s work when she attended his solo exhibit at the Arts Club of Chicago in 1944-1945, where she was a member). Eloise Long Wells lived—and painted— through two world wars. During World War I, Eloise participated in the Red Cross training program, earning her certiication to be a nurse’s aide: I did my 37 hours in the Red Cross room… rolling bandages and one of my proudest possessions is the certiicate I earned.
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[ excerpt from an interview, St Louis
Star and Times, Nov. 22, 1920; p. 17 Her painting, Surgical Dressings for Humanity (1944) and a related drawing (p. 12) are scenes of a similar Red Cross training classroom, although it is most likely WWIIera) A Melody in Flight (1943), another oil painting depicting a war theme, was exhibited at the St. Louis Art Museum in an exhibition of members of the St. Louis Artist Guild. Wells was deeply concerned about war and especially how it affected the most innocent, the children of wartime. In the interview with the St Louis Star and Times, she comments on one of her works from the irst world war: In my exhibit at the library (the St Louis Public Central Library) I am especially proud of my picture, Those Most Touched by War, where I endeavor to show those children most affected by war. [ St Louis Star and Times, Nov. 22,
1920; p. 17) The obituary for Eloise Long Wells (Mrs. George E. Wells) appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on September 23, 1953. It read, An artist, she had been a member of the St Louis Artist Guild for about 50 years and attended the old St Louis Art School. Clearly an understatement, it is the sad reality of many women artists who worked in the early 20th century. Hopefully, this book and corresponding exhibit will provide a more accurate insight for the viewer of Eloise Long Wells’ impressive artistic achievements.o
Mississippi Life St. Louis Artists’ Guild Block Print Calendar 1942 Published and Copyrighted by The St. Louis Artist Guild Calendar Committee, St. Louis, MO, 1941
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PLATES
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Life on the Mississippi, c. 1939-1945* oil on canvas 24 x 22 in signed, titled, and dated
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Top:
Bottom L to R:
Show Boat, 1940; gouache on paper, 14 x 14 in, signed and
Life on the Mississippi, 1942; lithographic crayon and ink, 14 x1 3-1/2 in, signed and dated.**
dated.*
Life on the Mississippi, 1943; lithographic crayon and ink, 13-3/4 x 13 in, signed and dated.**
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Top:
Bottom L to R:
St. Louis Levee Life, 1943; gouache on paper, 24 x 19 in,
Baptism, 1944; lithographic crayon and ink, 18 x 16 in,
signed and dated.**
signed and dated.
Life on the Mississippi, 1943; lithographic crayon and ink, 13-3/4 x 13-1/2 in, signed and dated.**
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Top:
St. Louis Rooftop, c. 1928; lithographic crayon, 23-1/2 x 18-1/2 in, signed. Bottom L to R:
The Dressmakers, 1940; 21-1/2 x 16-1/2 in, lithographic crayon, signed.
Life in St. Louis No. 1, 1945; lithographic crayon, 20 x 16 in, signed, titled, and dated.
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Top:
Belle of the Mississippi, 1940; oil on canvas, 20 x 16 in, signed and titled. Bottom L to R:
The Laundress, 1932; 8 x 9-1/2 in, signed and dated.
Textile Worker, c. 1940; watercolor and ink , 21-1/2 x 17 in, signed.
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Surgical Dressings for Humanity, c. 1944; oil on masonite, 19 x 15-1/2 in, signed. * 12
The Red Cross, 1944; lithographic pencil and ink, 15 x 15-1/2 in, signed and dated.
Airplane Boarding, 1944; watercolor, 19 x 24-1/2 in,
Fighter Plane (A Melody In Flight), 1943; oil on
signed and dated.
canvas, 22 x 28 in, signed, titled, and dated.* 13
Still Life With Japanese Lanterns, c. 1915; oil on canvas laid on board, 14-1/2 x 20 in, signed. **
Still Life With Imari Pottery, c. 1915; oil on canvas laid down on board, 12 x 17, signed. ** Still Life With Ceramics, c. 1915; oil on canvas laid on board, 16 x 20-1/2 in, signed. **
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Girl Sewing c. 1915 oil on canvas laid on board 20 x 16 in signed.
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Top L to R:
Bottom L to R:
Portrait of a Nude, c. 1915; pastel and lithographic
Waiting, 1924; pencil drawing, 13-3/4 x 8-3/4 in,
crayon, 19 x 9 in, signed.
signed, titled, and dated.
Woman With a Tambourine, c. 1915; pencil drawing,
Portrait of a Woman in Evening Gown Reading,
13-1/4 x 8-1/2 in, signed.
c. 1920; pencil drawing, 13 x 8 in, signed.
Top L to R:
The Children’s Masquerade, c. 1920; lithographic crayon, 14-3/4 x 10 in, signed.** The Dolls Concert, c. 1925; lithographic crayon, 17 x 11-1/2 in, signed and titled. Bottom R:
May Day in a St. Louis Kindergarten, c. 1925; lithographic crayon, 22-1/2 x 17-1/2 in, signed.**
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Still Life With Pottery, c. 1915; oil and ink on canvas laid down on board, 12 x 16-1/2 in, signed and inscribed, Study made at 4308 Washington Blvd. St. Louis, MO.
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Still Life With Pottery, c. 1915; oil and ink on canvas laid down on board, 12 x 16-3/4 in, signed.
Top L to R:
Girl Reading, c. 1915; oil and ink on canvas laid down on board, 15-1/2 x 11-1/2 in, signed.
Loneliness, c. 1915; oil on canvasboard, 13 x 9 in, signed and titled; exhibition label verso, Thumb Box Exhibition, St. Louis Art League. Bottom:
Young Boy Reading, c. 1915; oil on canvas laid down on board, 20 x 16 in, signed.
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Top L to R:
Portrait of a Woman Reading, c. 1915; pencil drawing, 22 x 17-1/4 in, signed.
Portrait Sketch of Miss B., c. 1920; pencil drawing, 21 x 15-1/4 in, signed and titled.*
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Bottom L to R: Mrs Ewald, 1923; pencil drawing, 22-1/4 x 17-1/4 in, signed and inscribed Artist’s Guild Sketch.
Portrait of a Woman, 1923; pencil drawing, 20-1/2 x 16-3/4 in, initialed and dated; inscribed, Study in pencil, made at St. Louis Artist’s Guild.
Children’s Ball, c. 1920; lithographic crayon, 22 x 17 in,
The Little Black Mammy, 1922; pencil drawing,19 x 14
signed.
in, signed, titled, and dated.*
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Top L to R:
Portrait of a Woman, c. 1915; oil on canvas laid down on board, 18-1/2 x 16 in, signed.
Girl in a Yellow Dress, c. 1915; oil on canvas laid down on board, 18 x 16 in, signed. Bottom:
Still Life With Book & Candlestick, c. 1910; oil on canvas laid down on board 16 x 18 in, signed.
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Halloween, c. 1920; oil on canvas laid down on board, 20 x 16 in, signed. **
Children Playing, c. 1915; oil on canvas laid down on board, 20-3/4 x 16 in, signed.
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Top L to R:
Bottom L to R:
Girl at Spinning Wheel, c. 1920; pencil drawing,
Portrait of a Girl With Fan, c. 1920; pencil
20-1/2 x 15-1/4 in, signed.
drawing, 19 x 12-1/4 in, signed.
Portrait of a Woman, c. 1920; pencil drawing, 16-
Portrait of a Woman in Fancy Dress, c. 1920; pencil drawing, 12-1/2 x 10-3/4 in, signed and annotated pencil drawing.
1/2 x 7-1/4 in, signed.
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Top L to R:
Bottom L to R:
Portrait Sketch of Miss J, 1923; pastel and pencil,
The Garden Fountain, c. 1930; pastel on brown
22 x 17-1/2 in, signed, titled, and dated*
paper, 11-3/4 x 17-1/2 in, signed.
Portrait of a Dancer, c. 1930; pastel on blue paper,
Portrait of a Lady, c. 1930; pastel and pencil, 18 x
9-1/2 x 6-1/2 in, signed.
13-1/2 in, signed. 25
Top L to R:
Asian Still Life with CloisonnĂŠ, c. 1920; oil on canvas, 20 x 16 in, signed.**
Asian Still Life, c. 1920; oil on canvas laid on board, 20 x 16 in, signed.**
Bottom:
Asian Still Life With Japanese Lantern, c. 1920; oil on canvas laid on board, 12 x 10 in, signed.**
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Eugene George Wells (Portrait of a Child), c. 1905; oil on canvas laid on board, 12-1/2 x 11 in, signed and inscribed, Eugene George Wells about 4 years old by Eloise Long Wells. Oil paint and ink.
Boy Reading, c. 1920; oil on canvas laid on board, 20 x 16 in, signed.
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Seated Woman, c. 1920; pencil drawing, 13 x 9 in, signed.
Junior Players, c. 1920; pencil drawing, 12 x 8 in, signed.**
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Top L to R:
Bottom L to R:
Girl Playing Banjo, c. 1920; drawing with litho-
Seated Woman, c. 1920; pencil drawing, 12-1/2 x 11
graphic crayon and colored pencils, 24 x 17-1/2 in, signed.
in, signed.
Portrait of a Woman, c. 1920; pencil drawing, 10-
Girl Reading, 1921; pencil drawing, 22 x 16 in, signed and dated May 1921.
1/2 x 12 in, signed.
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Daughter Eloise (Girl with Doll), 1916 oil on canvas laid on board 20-1/2 x 10-1/2 in signed, titled, and dated
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Girl Reading to Doll, c. 1915 oil and ink on canvas laid down on board 18 x 16 in signed
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Top L to R:
Bottom L to R:
Native American Still Life, c. 1920; oil on canvas
Still Life No. 1, 1932; gouache, 23 x 18-3/4 in, ini-
laid down on board, 20 x 16 in, signed.
tialed and dated; annotated No. 1.
Still Life With Plants, c. 1920; pastel, 17-3/4 x 20-
Garden, n.d. , pastel, 22-3/4 x 19 in, signed.
1/2 in, signed.
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Top L to R:
Bottom L to R:
Farm Workers, c. 1920; pastel, 17-3/4 x 21-3/4 in ,
Study of a Bedroom, c. 1940; pastel, 22-3/4 x 19 in,
signed.
signed.
Still Life, c. 1930; gouache, 24-1/2 x 19 in, signed.
In the Countryside, c. 1920; pastel, 19 x 20-1/2 in, signed.
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34
Top L to R:
Bottom L to R:
Portrait of a Queen, c. 1920; pencil drawing, 13 x 9
Portrait of a Woman, c. 1920; pencil drawing, 11-1/2
in, signed.
x 10-1/2 in, signed.
Portrait of a Girl With Playing Cards, c. 1920;
Portrait of a Woman in Repose, c. 1920; pencil
pencil drawing, 13 x 11 in, signed.
drawing, 11 x 10-1/2 in, signed.
Top L to R:
Portrait of Eugenia Wells, c. 1920; pencil drawing, 8-1/2 x 11-1/8 in, initialed ELW, titled.
Portrait of a Queen, 1923; pencil drawing, 11-5/8 x 9-3/4 in, signed and dated. Bottom L to R:
A Queen, c. 1920; pencil drawing,13-1/2 x 11 in, signed and titled.
Portrait of a Woman, c. 1920; lithographic pencil, 163/4 x 11-3/4 in, signed.
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The Flower Seller, c. 1930; oil on canvasboard, 8 x 10 in, signed.
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Park Scene with Figures, c. 1930; oil and gold and silverleaf on canvas laid down on board, 14 x 17-1/2 in, signed.
Girl Reading, c. 1920 oil on canvas laid down on board 12-1/2 x 8-1/2 in signed
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Top L to R:
St. Louis Rooftop, 1932; lithographic pencil, 13-1/2 x 10 in, signed and dated.
Keys Made, c.1935; pastel, 16 x 13 in, signed. Bottom L to R:
Portrait of a Woman With Accordion, c. 1930; pastel, 22-1/2 x 16-1/2 in, signed.
The Thrills, 1928; pen and brush ink, 12 x 16 in, signed, titled, and dated.
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Cityscape Near the River, c. 1920; pastel, 19 x 21-1/2 in, signed.
Playground (Chicago), 1930; pastel, 11 x 12-1/2 in, signed. Harbor Scene, c. 1920; pastel, 19 x 23, signed.
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Top L to R:
Bottom L to R:
Woman on a Trapeze, c. 1925; pastel, 11-1/2 x
Circus Performer, c. 1925; pastel, 14-1/2 x 8-1/4 in,
7-1/4 in, signed.
signed.
Circus Performer, c. 1925; pastel, 12-1/2 x 7-1/2 in,
Gypsy Woman, c. 1925; pencil drawing, 11 x 7 in,
signed.
signed.
Circus Performer, c. 1925; pastel, 13-1/2 x 10-1/2 in, signed.
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Top L to R:
Portrait of a Nude, c. 1930; lithographic pencil, 14-1/4 x 22-3/4, signed. Portrait of a Nude, c. 1930; pastel, 22 x 16-1/2 in, signed. Bottom L to R:
Portrait of the Artist, c. 1930; pastel, 17-1/2 x
Window Still Life, c. 1930; pastel, 21 x 15-1/2 in,
13-1/2 in, signed.
signed.
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Top L to R:
The Old St. Louis Cathedral, c. 1910; lithographic
crayon, 12-3/4 x 6 in, signed and titled; annotated, My home shall be called the house of prayer.
An Old Patio, New Orleans, 1928; pastel, 14-1/2 x 11 in, signed, titled, and dated Aug 9, 1928. Bottom L to R: Monroe, LA, 1927; pastel, 7 x 8-1/2 in, signed, titled, and dated Aug 1927.
Green Shutter Patio, New Orleans, 1928; pastel, 121/2 x 9-1/2 in, signed, titled, and dated, Aug. 1928. 42
Top L to R:
Bottom L to R:
Portrait of a Woman, c. 1920; pastel and
Portrait of an Indian Maiden, c. 1915; pastel and lithographic crayon, 17 x 13 in, signed and inscribed, Artist’s Guild of St. Louis.
lithographic crayon, 15 x 11 in, signed.
New Orleans Cemetery, c. 1928; oil on canvas laid down on board, 9-1/2 x 8-1/4 in, signed.
Thundercloud, c. 1915; oil and ink on canvas laid down on board, 15 x 8-1/2 in, signed and titled. 43
Top L to R:
Impression of an Old Patio, New Orleans, 1928; pastel, 123/4 x 10 in, signed, titled, and dated Aug 1928. Old Spanish Patio, New Orleans, 1928; pastel, 16 x 12-3/4 in, signed, titled, and dated Aug 1928. Bottom L to R:
Old Cathedral, New Orleans, c. 1928; pastel, 15-1/4 x 12 in, signed, annotated, drawing for reference.
Old Courthouse, 1928; pen and ink, 6-1/2 x 8, signed and dated; pencil titled; Illustrated in The Saint Louisan, c. 1928; v. 3, no. 4. 44
Baptising at the Foot of Pine Street, 1927; lithographic crayon and pastel, 14 x 22-1/2 in, signed, titled, and dated. The Sandwich Crowd, Provincetown, c. 1920; pastel on paperboard, 18 x 23-1/2 in, signed. Street Scene, c. 1928; colored pencil and ink sketch, 8-1/2 x 11 in, signed. 45
Top L to R:
Junior Players, c. 1920; pencil drawing, 11 x 9-1/2 in, signed. Portrait of a Boy and Girl, c. 1920; pencil drawing, 11 x 8-1/2 in, signed. Junior Players (The Make Up Lady), c. 1920; pencil drawing, 11-1/2 x 7-3/4 in, signed.** Jean and Eloise, c. 1915; lithographic crayon, 13-3/4 x 12 in, signed. 46
Top L to R:
Bottom L to R:
St. Patrick’s Day, 1925; watercolor and
Woman at the Piano, c. 1910; graphite and
lithographic crayon, 13 x 7 in, signed, titled, and dated.
pastel, 12-1/2 x 10 in, signed.
Woman With Parasol, c. 1910; pencil, waterGirl Reading in a Rocking Chair, 1926; pastel and lithographic crayon, 22-1/2 x 17 in, signed and dated April 24, 1926.
color, and lithographic crayon, 17-1/2 x 11 in, signed.
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Top L to R:
Bottom L to R:
Portuguese Children, c. 1920; gouache and litho-
Women in the Sitting Room, c. 1920; lithographic
graphic crayon, 18 x 10-1/2 in, signed and titled.
crayon, 11-1/2 x 14-1/2 in, signed.
Girl With Red Cape, c. 1920; pastel, 22 x 15 in,
Studio Movie No. 2, c. 1925; lithographic crayon,
signed.
8-3/4 x 12 in., signed.
Top L to R:
London Bridge, c. 1920; pastel, 21 x 15-1/2 in, signed. The First Step (Willis L. Wells, 9-1/2 months old), 1905; oil and ink on canvas laid down on board, 12 x 10 in, signed, titled, and dated. Bottom L:
Balloon Time, c. 1920; watercolor and lithographic crayon, 11-3/4 x 11-1/2 in, signed.**
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Top L to R:
Bottom L to R:
Wildlowers, c. 1915; oil on canvas laid down
Still Life With Sumida Pottery, c. 1910;
on board, 11-1/2 x 8 in, signed.
oil on canvas laid down on board, 9-3/4 x 8 in, signed. **
Wildlowers, c. 1915; oil on canvas laid down on board, 11 x 8-1/4 in, signed.
Wildlowers, c. 1915; oil on canvas laid down on board, 9 x 7 in, signed.
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Top L to R:
Children Reading, c. 1920; pastel and lithographic crayon, 16 x 20 in, signed. Fairgrounds Pool, 1926; lithographic crayon, 22 x 17 in, signed, titled, and dated.* Bottom L to R:
Ring Around the Rosie, c. 1920; watercolor and graphite, 17 x 15 in, signed. Ring Around the Rosie, c. 1920; watercolor and graphite, 21-1/2 x 18-1/2 in, signed.
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Top L to R:
Feeding Chickens, c. 1930; pastel, 19 x 23 in, signed. Greenhouse, c. 1930; pastel, 22-1/2 x 18-1/2 in, signed. Bottom L to R:
Still Life With Flowers, Shells, and Musical Instruments, c. 1920; gouache on paper, 22-1/2 x 17-1/2 in, signed.
Still Life With Potted Plant and Snail, c. 1930; pastel, 14 x 18-1/2 in, signed.
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Top L to R:
Portrait of a Woman, c. 1930; pencil drawing, 17-1/2 x 10 in, signed; annotated Study in pencil made at St. Louis Artists’ Guild.
Portrait of a Woman, c. 1930; pencil drawing, 20-1/2 x 13 in, signed; annotated pencil study St. Louis Artists’ Guild. Bottom:
Alexandria, LA, 1920; pencil drawing, 11-1/2 x 8-1/2 in, initialed, titled, and dated.
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ExhiBiTionS 1913
An Exhibition of the Ancients in St. Louis, City Art Museum of St. Louis, Still Life**
1922
Tenth Annual open Competitive Exhibition, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, Tommy
1915
Thumb-Box Exhibition, St. Louis Art League, Loneliness
1923
Kansas City Art Institute, Bronze medal for still life painting and gold medal for graphics.
1917
Twelfth Annual Exhibition of Paintings by American Artists, City Art Museum of St. Louis, Still Life: Japanese Motive**
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts,
Fourth Annual open Competitive Exhibition, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, Japanese Still Life**
Exhibition of Small Paintings and Sculpture by Members of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, A Stage Child, Balloon Time**, The Children’s Masquerade**, and Toys
1918
Fifth Annual open Competitive Exhibition, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, Japanese Motive - Still Life** and Japanese Motive**
St. Louis Public Library; Portrait Sketch of Miss J.*, Portrait Sketch of Miss B.*, The Little Black Mammy*; Halloween Fantasy**
19181919
St. Louis Artists’ Guild; The Little Leader
19241925
Twelfth Annual Exhibition, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, A Fireside Movie, Lawton Avenue Movie, A Book Lover, The Lonely Supper, and Market Street Movie
Sixth Annual open Competitive Exhibition, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, Study in Color and Study in Color
1925
St. Louis Artists’ Guild, A Stage Child’s Pleasure
19191920
Seventh Annual open Competitive Exhibition, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, The Best Party
1926
Exhibition of Small Paintings and Sculpture, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, A View From an Attic, May Day in a St. Louis Kindergarten**, Late Afternoon, and St. Louis School of Fine Arts
1920
St. Louis Public Library
19211922
ninth Annual open Competitive Exhibition, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, Junior Players**
* work has been shown in an exhibition
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St. Louis Post-Dispatch Black and White Competition, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, Impressions #1, #2, #3, #4 and, #5 1927
St. Louis in Color Exhibition, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, Fairgrounds Pool*
** work may have been included in an exhibition
1931
Twenty-sixth Annual Exhibition of Paintings by American Artists, City Art Museum of St. Louis, The Four Arts
1937
Marie Regnier & Eloise Long Wells, St. Louis Artists’ Cooperative (1120 Locust St.)
1932
Nineteenth Annual Exhibition, St. Louis Artists’ Guild
1938
Annual Exhibition of Paintings by Artists of St. Louis and Vicinity, City Art Museum, Life on the Mississippi**
Black and White Exhibition
Scenes of Mississippi by Eloise Long Wells, St. Louis Art Center
1933
Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, City Art Museum, A Tribute to Noah, Stage Props, and An Artist’s Fancy
1934
Paintings by Artists of St. Louis and Vicinity, City Art Museum, Domesticity
1935
Paintings by Artists of St. Louis and Vicinity, City Art Museum, The Threshold, Springtime
1940
Work by Members of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, City Art Museum, Life on the Mississippi**
1936
Twenty-third Annual Exhibition of Oil Painting and Sculpture, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, Winter
1941
Work by Members of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, City Art Museum, Life on the Mississippi**
1939
Paintings and Sculpture by Members of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, City Art Museum, Life on the Mississippi** Twenty-Sixth Annual Exhibition of Oil Painting and Sculpture, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, The Four Arts
Paintings by Artists of St. Louis and Vicinity, City Art Museum, Heading for the Channel
First Annual Missouri Exhibition, City Art Museum, Life on the Mississippi**
19361937
Retrospective and Contemporary Exhibition By Members of the Guild, 1886-1936, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, St. Louis Levee Life No.1, No.2, and No.3**
Black and White Show, Rhythms No.1 and No.2
1937
Paintings by Artists of St. Louis and Vicinity, City Art Museum, Life on the Mississippi **and Life on Man River
Twenty-Eighth Annual Exhibition of Oil Painting and Sculpture, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, Show Boat** and Life on the Mississippi ** (honorable mention)
55
ExhiBiTionS 1941
St. Louis Artist Guild, Cooperation No. 1 and Life on the Mississippi No. 11
1942
Work by Members of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, City Art Museum, Portrait Interpretations
1943
1949
Paintings and Drawings by Eloise Long Wells, Blue Star Studio (392A, North Euclid Ave.) Salon des Independents, NYC Salons of America
Exhibition of Drawings and Prints, St. Louis Artist Guild, Cooperation No.1 and Life on the Mississippi
MEMBERShiPS Work by Members of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, City Art Museum, A Melody In Flight* and Portrait Interpretation Third Annual Missouri Exhibition, City Art Museum, A Portrait Interpretation and Spring 1944
Artists’ Guild Exhibition, City Art Museum, Life on Old Man River and The Weavers oil and Sculpture Exhibition, Life on the Mississippi No.1 and No.2** Thirty-Second Annual Exhibition of oil Paintings and Sculpture, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, Surgical Dressings for Humanity* and War Cruciixion
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1947
Paintings and Sculpture by the Artists’ Guild, City Art Museum, Show Boat**
1948
Alexandra Korsakoff & Eloise Long Wells, St. Louis Artists’ Guild
St. Louis Artists’ Guild St. Louis Art League The Arts Club of Chicago St. Louis Artists’ Cooperative The Gamut Club, NYC
This exhibition will be held November 2019 at McCaughen & Burr Fine Arts 117 West Lockwood Avenue St. Louis, Missouri 63119 mccaughen@aol.com 314.961.7786 Monday – Friday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Saturday 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM www.mccaughenandburr.com
x Tyler Fine Art 407 Jackson Ave. University City, Missouri 63130 thom@tylerineart.com 314.727.6249 www.tfa-exhibits.com Thank you to Samuel Spivy and Frances Wells, great-grandson and granddaughter of Eloise Long Wells respectively, for sharing their personal recollections of the artist.
©2019
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We are very interested in works by these St Louis artists or entire collections of St Louis art. We accept consignments and buy outright. McCaughen & Burr and Tyler Fine Art have more combined experience in dealing with historical St Louis art than anyone in the world. Please contact us for a free appraisal or a proposal for creating a book of your collection.
George Aid Walter Barker Tom P. Barnett Max Beckmann Paul Berdanier Oscar E. Berninghaus Robert Biggs Albert Bloch Fred Greene Carpenter Harry Chase Kathryn Cherry Fred Conway Paul Cornoyer Dawson Dawson-Watson Werner Drewes Augusta Finkelnburg Maurice Freedman Charles Galt Gustav Goestch Frederick Gray Paul E. Harney Joe Jones Nellie Knopf Viola Miller Longmire William L. Marple
Joseph Rusling Meeker Richard E. Miller Arthur Mitchell Frank Nuderscher Arthur Osver Ralph Chesney Ott Bernard E. Peters Charles Quest Walter Quirt Siegfried Reinhardt Jessie Rickly Aimee Schweig Wallace Herndon Smith Frederick Oakes Sylvester E. Oscar Thalinger John Martin Tracy Ernest Trova Florence B. Ver Steeg Valentine Vogel Joseph Vorst Rodney Winield Charles Allan Winter Gustav Wolff F. Humphrey Woolrych Edmund Wuerpel