Sarah Wyman Whitman

Sarah Wyman Whitman also Sarah de St. Prix Wyman Whitman (born December 5, 1842 in Lowell , Massachusetts , † June 25, 1904 in Boston ) was an American artist who through numerous pictures, the creation of church windows and above all through the design of book titles achieved fame.

life and work

Whitman began her artistic career in the early 1880s designing book titles. In response to the often ostentatious and elaborate design of book titles in the years before 1880, Whitman developed his own style, which has been described as a return to essentialism . Whitman's works were characterized by simple and clear forms and the lack of ostentatious or eye-catching colors. This harsh cut into the previously common form of title design quickly found numerous followers. As a result, Sarah Wyman Whitman developed close friendships with well-known authors, including Sarah Orne Jewett and Oliver Wendell Holmes . Since the simplicity of Whitman's works, in addition to their aesthetic component, also had the advantage of being relatively inexpensive to produce, the works quickly spread across the entire east coast of the United States .

In addition to the successful design of book titles, Sarah Wyman Whitman painted numerous pictures, the majority of which can still be seen today in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. In addition, Whitman tried successfully in stained glass. Windows designed by her can be found in the Trinity Church in Boston , the Grace Church in New York City and the Harvard Memorial Hall .

social commitment

Sarah Wyman Whitman made a name for herself not only with her own work, but also with promoting young talent. She was a co-founder of the Boston Society of Arts and Crafts and a sponsor of Radcliffe College , Howard University and the Tuskegee Institute .

Private life

Sarah Wyman Whitman married the wealthy Boston wool merchant Henry Whitman in 1866, who showed little interest in her artistic ambitions. Various sources report an unhappy marriage that remained childless. Wyman Whitman lived above all for her work and the friends she made through it, above all Sarah Orne Jewett , with whom she conducted extensive correspondence that can still be read today at the Smithsonian Institute for Art and Design.

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personal data
SURNAME	Whitman, Sarah Wyman
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American artist
DATE OF BIRTH	December 5, 1842
PLACE OF BIRTH	Lowell , Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH	June 25, 1904
Place of death	Boston