Ora Moss Reams

Note: Ora Moss Reams was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana and attended Newcomb College in the early 1910s. Many beautiful examples of her pottery exist, however, as is evidenced from this work done in her graduation year of 1913, she was an excellent draughtswoman as well. Reams registered as a graduate art student at Newcomb immediately following graduation, however she married John Stanley Scott in 1914, had two children and never returned to the school. Reams was widowed just four years after her marriage and subsequently lived with her mother in Lake Charles to raise her children. In the 1930 census, she is listed as an artist working from home.

10. Ethel Edwards (American/Louisiana, 1914-1999, active Newcomb College, 1933-1936), “Variations on a Dead Bird #5 (First Series #14)”, watercolor on paper, signed lower right, titled en verso, signed and titled on backing board, 11 in. x 8 1/4 in., framed, overall 14 1/8 in. x 11 1/4 in. x 1 1/4 in. [$200/300]

Ethel Edwards

Note: Ethel Edwards was born in Opelousas, Louisiana in 1914. During childhood, her family relocated to New Orleans where she attended Newcomb College. There, she met her husband, Xavier Gonzales, who was her drawing instructor and an accomplished artist himself. After their marriage in 1936, they divided their time between New Orleans and Texas, where Gonzales ran an artist colony; they also traveled extensively in Europe together during this period. In 1939, Edwards won the 48 States Competition for the state of Texas and became known for her public murals under the New Deal. Edwards and her husband moved to New York City in 1942, where they each had their own studio. Edwards found work doing fashion illustrations and playbill designs, even as she continued showing her paintings in prestigious New York galleries and museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the National Academy of Design. She resided in New York City until her death in 1999.

Ref.: Carter, Kate. “Ethel Edwards.” 64 Parishes. Sept. 12, 2012. www.64parishes.org. Accessed Mar. 3, 2023.

Note: Alberta Kinsey was born on a small farm in Ohio and attended a rural one-room schoolhouse before training at the Cincinnati Art Academy and the Chicago Art School. In 1918, she moved to New Orleans and quickly developed a deep fondness for the French Quarter, despite the fact that it was considered a less than desirable neighborhood for a woman living alone in the early twentieth century. Renting an apartment and studio in the Old Governor Claiborne Home at 628 Toulouse Street, Kinsey hosted the first meeting of the Arts and Crafts Club of New Orleans and found

Provenance: Collection of Allison Kendrick, The Carroll-Crawford House, New Orleans; Neal Auction, Sept. 17, 2021, lot 16. Ill.: Read, Mimi. “Healing Power: Richard Keith Langham Brightens Up Allison Kendrick’s herself at the center of the burgeoning artistic community in the city. Her love of the historic buildings, cobblestone streets, and plant-filled courtyards inspired her to depict many scenes of French Quarter daily life. She has said of her early years in the city: “I didn’t have a great talent or the genius for it, but I did have the desire. It was love at first sight, even before I had seen a patio or mounted a creaky stair in the old houses I love so much.”

Ref.: Saward, Susan. “Alberta Kinsey.” 64 Parishes. www.64parishes.org. Accessed Mar. 3, 2023.