| Phoebe Taber | |
|---|---|
| Born | Phoebe Merritt 1834 (1834) Millbrook, New York |
| Died | (aged 82) Pasadena, California |
| Known for | Painting |
Phoebe Thorn Merritt Clements Taber (1834 – March 22, 1916) was a painter believed to have been the "first professional female artist in Detroit."
Background
In 1834, Phoebe Taber was in Millbrook, New York to Daniel and Mary Merritt. She was the third of six children. In 1857, at the age of twenty-three, she married Clark P. Clements of Ionia, Michigan. Following his death 1861, after just four years of marriage, Taber sought to become an artist to independently support herself and her son Clark.
She was admitted to the "Female School of Art" at Cooper Union in 1865, and continued her studies at the Académie Julian in Paris. At the Académie Julian she specifically studied with William-Adolfe Bouguereau. After her studies, she returned to Michigan, remarried at the age of 39, and changed her name from Phoebe T. Clements to Phoebe T. Clements Taber. She continued to work as an artist even after marriage.
Between 1880 and 1886, Taber lived in Ionia, where her husband had an agricultural store. In 1886, her family moved to Grand Rapids. Despite not living in the city, Taber continued to have an artistic presence in Detroit until 1898. All told she spent 40 years in Michigan. In the 1890s, Taber and her husband moved to Pasadena, California. Taber died in Pasadena on March 22, 1916, at the age of 82.
Artwork
Taber specialized in fruit and flower still-life paintings. She has also more recently been recognized additionally as "versatile in figures and portraits."
Her portrait of Peter Cooper, the founder of the Cooper Union, was accepted into the Art Loan Exhibition of 1883, Detroit's first international art show.
In 1893, seven of Taber's paintings were displayed at the Chicago World's Fair.
Selected exhibitions
- Paris Salon, 1891 and 1892 (group)
- Hanna & Noyes, Detroit, 1892 (solo)
- Russell House, Detroit, 1892 (solo)
- Detroit Art Loan, 1883 and 1889 (group)
- Chicago World's Fair, 1893 (group)
References
- ^ Bilek, Suzanne (2012). Great Female Artists of Detroit. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press. pp. 133–140. ISBN 9781609496715.
- ^ "Phoebe Taber - Artist Biography for Phoebe Taber". www.askart.com. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- "Noted Artist is Dead". Oregon Daily Journal. Pasadena, California. March 22, 1916. p. 2. Retrieved January 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
 | This article about an artist from the United States is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |