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N. McDermott

Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf

Maker

N. McDermott (American, active 1890s)

Title

Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf

Year

ca. 1895

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Dimensions

6 x 4.8 cm (2 3/8 x 1 7/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signed lower right: N. McDermott

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Stanley Weiss in honor of his wife, Beth

Object Number

2012.107

Type

Exhibition History

Making It In America
Oct 11, 2013 – Feb 09, 2014

Label copy

In 1876, Mrs. Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf returned from the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia with a civic and economic message that good design education was good for business. With support from community leaders, she helped found Rhode Island School of Design to train artists and artisans and to advance public art education.

In private life, Mrs. Metcalf was the mother of five and wife of textile manufacturer Jesse Metcalf. This portrait miniature, inscribed on the back with her life dates and name and enclosed with a lock of her hair, was probably commissioned as a keepsake for a family member.

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

N. McDermott (American, active 1890s)
Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, ca. 1895
Watercolor on ivory, lock of hair, in 14kt gold case
6 x 4.8 cm (2 3/8 x 1 7/8 inches)
Gift of Stanley Weiss in honor of his wife, Beth 2012.107

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