ode to Gertrude

"For Gertrude Lighton:

Gertrude Lighton was a real part of the world we live in here. Her interests were such that she created an oasis for us, a place to regain ourselves, away from the main stream of a rushin world.

She loved art and beauty in a great variety of ways, and she loved people who loved things. She had the heart of a girl always really to accept some new wonder.

Her years at 1718 Holly Street will live a long time in the memory of our town. She created a unique warm atmosphere where artists lived and worked and memorable luncheons were served to the public.

Gertrude Lighton was interested in doing and being herself, and if you wanted to get in and go along with her, her face would light up and she would take you to her heart. She had a natural unselfconscious generosity and when she heard of people in need, it never occurred to her not to jump in and do something about them.

Then she moved uptown on Main street, in her typically individual way, she took a regular store space and with her own magic, turned it into a shop of great personal warmth. In short, the Lighton Studio was more a public institution first and a store second.

And so Gertrude Lighton will remain a gentle lovely light in our lives that points to man's innate goodness. We will all miss her but her spirit will continue to warm us and that fire is not likely to go out."

(unsigned eulogy courtesy of Terri Mooney, descendant of Gertrude Woolf Lighton, Kansas City, MO, via email March 30, 2013)


I just thought that kinda summed up her...and wanted to share. T M

woman artist advocate

       "The Lighton Studios helped women artists and helped women show their work." (J.D. Mooney interview, Kansas City, August 24, 2010)

        "Granny bought the Bloody Bucket at 17th and Holly. It had been a whorehouse. She moved out the girls. She started the first art gallery in Kansas City. She started it for women at the Art Institute. I've heard she gave Benton the first show. Billy Kemper had an art studio there. The tea room was there and a restaurant for a sophisticated bunch. It was a very hip place to go. She cooked there, which was beneath her standing. She should have had a servant do it. Gertrude was fabulously wealthy." (Linda Lighton interview, Kansas City, October 2, 2010)

(1933 City Directory for 17th and Holly Street courtesy of Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, 14 West 10th St, Kansas City, MO,accessed October 12th, 2010)
 

     Among the five artists residing at the Lighton Studios was Emma Siboni (1877 - 1940)

 

Emma Benedikta Siboni, daughter of Josephine Crull and Erik Siboni, was a portrait painter in America. Born in Soro, Denmark. She schooled at the Art Institute of Chicago, St. Louis School of Fine Arts, Skarbina in Berlin, and Menard in Paris (lineage courtesy of  http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/c/o/o/Carlisle-C-Cook-jr/GENE2-0016.html (SCROLL DOWN TO # 81 FOR EMMA LISTING, accessed November 12, 2010) (courtesy Ask Art, http://www.askart.com/AskART/artists/search/ArtistKeywords.aspx?artist=88176, accessed Feb 18, 2013)

 

1895-96 “A Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Washington University, St. Louis, MO

“The Awards in the School of Fine Arts for the year 1896-97 were as follows:--June 10, 1897, Prof. Halsey C. Ives, Director St. Louis School of Fine Arts…..Dear Sir:--The Jury of Awards appointed to judge the work  submitted in competition for honors for the year 1986-97 takes pleasure in congratulating you and your fellow workers and the students upon the very high order of excellence which marks the exhibition. The judges found themselves seriously embarrassed in selecting the best because of this general superiority and wished many times that the number of honors had been greater. The following are recommented…..LIFE CLASS IN BLACK AND WHITE #99 Miss Emma B. Siboni 1^st, Bronze Medal  #16 Mr.J. Oliver Spurr 2^nd, Honorable mention"

(courtesy of Google Books, http://books.google.com/books?id=j7U4AAAAMAAJ&pg=RA2-PA91&dq=emma+siboni&hl=en&sa=X&ei=osAgUeXkBY_xqQH5r4CwCw&ved=0CEgQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=emma%20siboni&f=false, accessed Feb 17, 2013) 

 Nov 23, 1902  New York Times  Queen Alexandra Orders Miniatures  “Special Cable to the New York Times. Berlin, Nov. 22— Emma Siboni, the well-known American miniature painter, has received an order from Queen Alexandra of England to paint the portraits of the Queen’s grandchildren, the children of the Duke of Fife.”  (courtesy of New York Times, http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=FB0911F835591B728DDDAA0A94D9415B828CF1D3 accessed Nov 13, 2010)

Portrait of a Young Woman by Emma Siboni (courtesy of Ask Art, http://www.askart.com/AskART/artists/search/Search_Repeat.aspx?searchtype=IMAGES&artist=88176, accessed Feb 19, 2013)

 

1904  New York at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis 1904, E. Siboni, five miniature paintings  http://www.fullbooks.com/New-York-at-the-Louisiana-Purchase-Exposition4.html SCROLL DOWN TO SEE HER LISTING, accessed Dec 15, 2010.

More follows: She was cited as  a resident of Buffalo NY (1903); Fort Wayne IN (1905-10); Hubbard Woods IL (1915-1919), PasadenaCA (1920's and 1930's), and Washington DC1900. (From Edan Hughes, Artists in California, 1786-1940)” http://www.askart.com/askart/artist.aspx?artist=88176 accessed Nov 13, 2010                   
 
 

1912  Art Institute of Chicago, Feb.1-18, Catalogue of the 16th Annual Exhibition of Works by Chicago Artists http://www.artic.edu/aic/libraries/pubs/1912/AIC1912ArtofChi16thAn_comb.pdf SCROLL DOWN TO PAGE 50 FOR FOLLOWING LISTING accessed Nov 13, 2010   #255 Portrait of Miss Caroe Miniature (Lent by Miss Caroe, Copenhagen) #256 Portrait of Miss Emma Rusode Miniature (Lent by Miss Rusode)  #257 Portrait of children of Grand Duchess Xenia Miniature (Lent by Grand Duchess Xenia, Russia)  #258 Portrait of Baroness  Wedell-Jarlsberg Miniature (Lent by Baroness  Wedell-Jarlsberg, Paris) Siboni, Emma—840 Linden Ave,Hubbard Wood, Illinois 

1913  Eleventh Annual Philadelphia Water Color club and Twelvth Annual Exhibition of Miniatures, Nov.9 to Dec. 14, 1913---Emma Siboni #58. Mrs. Donald MacQueen (pg.14), # 127 Miss Beatrice Starr (pg.20), Partial List of Miniature Painters in this exhibit: Heloise Guillou Redfield, Emily Drayton Taylor, William J. Whittmore, Clare Shephard, A. Margaretta Archambault, Edna Huestis Simpson, Mabel R. Welch,  Harry L. Johnson, Carolyn D. Tyler, Mary Rogers, Ludwig E. Faber, Elsie Dodge Pattie, Bernice P. Andrews Fernow, Maud H. Purdy…. http://books.google.com/books?id=HewqAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Philadelphia+Water+Color+Club+(Print+Section),&source=bl&ots=BzyxPGvSty&sig=4osfmoq-CV--8_R3RTGLiiNrTOc&hl=en&ei=ci4WTd3LM4_XngfqxcXPDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false , SCROLL DOWN TO PAGE 14, accessed Dec 15, 2010. 

October 1914  Vol. 8 No.2 Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago, Volumes 1-12 By Art Institute of Chicago  (American Society of Miniature Painters, emma siboni)  http://books.google.com/books?id=bcEEAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA7-PA6&lpg=RA7-PA6&dq=American+Society+of+Miniature+Painters,+emma+siboni&source=bl&ots=UyxsIExfjH&sig=OAE_e6LQ2OT-_r6TqScKqrhXRXg&hl=en&ei=5UbfTL6BHs-NnQe0j6HdDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=American%20Society%20of%20Miniature%20Painters%2C%20emma%20siboni&f=false  accessed Nov 13, 2010.

December 1916 American Federation exhibit circulated 1916-1917 page 34, item # 14. Miniatures by members of the American Society of Miniature Painters, 54 works---Springfield, Illinois, Dec.5 to Dec. 22, 1916; Los Angeles, California, Jan 1 to Jan. 29, 1917; Louisville, Kentucky, Feb. 7 to Feb.28,  1917. http://books.google.com/books?id=1yYMAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA515&lpg=PA515&dq=ethel+greenough,+kansas+city,+flowers&source=bl&ots=UDFyTBceKB&sig=WERZUpybwZ_BmbDBPJmA7vUJS-g&hl=en&ei=SgMITdLIFcL78Abq6MynCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=ethel%20greenough%2C%20kansas%20city%2C%20flowers&f=false, SCROLL DOWN TO PAGE 607 FOR SIBONI LISTING, accessed Dec 15, 2010.

It is no surprise that GW Lighton commissioned Siboni to do a portrait of her daughter.  She had three children: Phoebe, Gertrude, and Alfred. It was either Phoebe or Gertrude.
 

Portrait painting of Gertrude, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Lighton, by Emma Siboni. (BELOW, Artist signature, E.S; painting, closeup of portrait head, family photos of daughter Phoebe and Gertrude Lighton (photos courtesy of Linda Lighton, Terri Mooney, Kansas City, MO, Feb 19, 2013)

 

Portrait painting of Gertrude by Emma Siboni

 

closeup detail, above, below

 

Phoebe

 Gertrude

Gertrude



Gertrude

 

Two Cutters From Kansas City

In January of 1934 works by Jim Edd Spencer and Fred Geary toured the country with the American Block Prints exhibition out of Wichita, Kansas. Both were members of the Kansas City Society of Artists. Both were on the roster at the Lighton Studio at 1718 Holly Street. (Double click on images to see enlarged.)

 Granary 1 by Jim Edd Spencer, linoleum cut, 9 by 7 inches

Storehouse (Granary 2) by Jim Edd Spencer, linoleum cut, 9 by 7 inches.(courtesy of the Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, 14 West 10th Street, Kansas City, MO, accessed December 4, 2010)

The Steamboat Bixby by Fred Geary, woodcut, 6 1/8 by 9 1/2 inches.(courtesy of the Fred Geary Collection, The State Historical Society of Missouri, 1020 Lowry Street, Columbia, MO, accessed October 8, 2011)

Old Maple Tree by Fred Geary, woodcut, 4 by 5 3/4 inches. (Woodcut size information courtesy of The Collections of the Nelson-Adkins Museum of Art: Prints, 1460-1995 by George L. McKenna, 1996, pg.268-273, courtesy of Carrollton Public Library, 1 North Folger Street, Carrollton, Missouri, United States, accessed Jan 7, 2011, image courtesy of Carrollton Public Library, 1 North Folger Street, Carrollton, Missouri, United States, accessed Jan 7, 2011)

Both Steamboat Bixby by Geary and Storehouse by Spencer were among the 91 entries chosen for the 1934 Midwestern Artist's Exhibition held at the Kansas City Art Institute, February 4 - 28th. Accepted works came from nine states, including Oklahoma, Missouri, Ohio, Michigan, Colorado, Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas, and New Mexico. (Listing from "Midwestern Artists Exhibition, Kansas City: Kansas City Art Institute, 1920-1942," Mines, Cynthia, courtesy of Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, 14 West 10th St, Kansas City, MO, accessed June 24th, 2010) 

More on American Block Prints under the Wichita Art Association HERE. This national exhibition began in 1928 by invitation and under the guidance of Coy Avon Seward. (courtesy of  C.A. Seward Printmaker, http://www.casewardprintmaker.com/C.A._Seward_1884-1939/Arts_Advocate.html, accessed Nov 11, 2011)

richardson rome winters in kansas city

In 1929 Richardson Rome came to work for John H. Bender at the Alden Galleries in Kansas City, MO. He worked the winter months of 1929, 1930, 1931, and 1932 as a lecturer and manager. In the fall of 1933 Rome stepped down. That year Alden Galleries published High Country: An Artist's Colorado, a collection of fifteen block prints by Rome. He held an associate membership with the Kansas City Society of Artists. He was one among several that had a studio at 1718 Holly Street in Kansas City.

Here is what J. H. Bender said about Richardson Rome in his monthly publication Fine Prints, Vol. 3, No. 3, February, 1934, pp.66-74.  Double click on image or text to see it larger.

(Fine Prints, Vol. 3, No. 4, February 1934, p.66-75, courtesy of the

Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, 14 West 10th St, Kansas City, MO, accessed December 4, 2010. High Country: An Artist's Colorado, courtesy of  Nicholas Angelo Fine Art, http://nicholasangelo.com/dynapage/IP6153.htm, 4089 Ute Highway (Highway 66), Lyons, Colorado, (303) 823-0607. Minnesota Prints And Printmakers, 1900-1945 by Robert Crump, Minnesota Historical Society, p.157, accessed November 18, 2010.   Old Estes by Dave Tanton, http://www.oldestes.com/Rome%20-%20Come%20Up%20and%20See%20My%20Etchings.htm, accessed November 18, 2010)

1937 listing

This just in. Double click to see enlarged.

If you recognize a name, send me a comment. Thank you.

KM (courtesy of 1937-1938 American Art Directory, page 280, purchased, accessed December 22, 2010)

Kansas City Art Colony

Gertrude W. Lighton, property owner

(photos courtesy of Linda Lighton of Kansas City. News clippings courtesy of Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, 14 West 10th St, Kansas City, MO, accessed October 5, 2010) 
(sidebar information courtesy of Heather N. Paxton, Senior Research Editor for The Independent magazine, 4233 Roanoke Road # 100, Kansas City. Missouri, through an e-mail Thursday, November 4, 2010)