For Women’s History Month and my 800th post, I am featuring Violet Oakley (two of you readers voted for her yesterday). Oakley was a leading American artist of the early 20th-century: her 43 murals at the State Capitol Building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania are among her most famous works — they were the first public murals in American history to commission a woman artist. Her style was very much influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite tradition. It is well worth a visit to the State Capitol to have a look at these murals (and the building is open to visitors at this time of writing in March 2021).
Common themes depicted in Oakley’s work include peace, freedom, and justice for all. These values Violet Oakley picked up from the Quaker religion, and can be seen in many of her works. One of the most poignant of her murals is the 44-foot long “International Unity and Understanding” — the centerpiece mural of the Pennsylvania Senate chamber (see slides 2 and 3). In the middle panel, a woman in blue robes representing the waters of life gestures with arms outstretched, and on the left (slide three) people are beating swords into ploughshares. These murals were dedicated in 1917 when the world was at war. At the dedication ceremony, a problem with the cables prevented the “Unity” panel from opening — Oakley then quipped that the world wasn’t ready for peace. Two months after, the U.S. entered World War I.
Violet Oakley’s talent certainly explains her success, but other factors also account for her career, so unusual for women at the time. First, her artist parents encouraged her by sending her to art school and to study in Europe. Second, the artist Howard Pyle and the architect Joseph Huston gave her referrals, which differed from the typical exclusion of women. Third, Oakley’s friendships with other like-minded women cultivated a sense of community that allowed Oakley to continue producing art throughout her long (86 years) life. She lived with three other women in Philadelphia in a home called Cogslea, a name made up of the dwellers’ initials, and Edith Emerson became her romantic partner, supporting her artistic endeavors.
Source(s): @whyy.org, “A guide to understanding Violet Oakley’s Pennsylvania Capitol murals,” Aug 6, 2012. @illustrationhistory.org, “Violet Oakley.” @cpc.state.pa.us, Pensylvania Capitol Preservation Committee, “Violet Oakley.”
