Helen Lincoln Appleton Read (August 25, 1887 – December 3, 1974) was an American art critic and art historian. Helen Lincoln Appleton was born on August 25, 1887, in

Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south ...

to R. Ross Appleton and his wife. Her father was a banker, who, by 1914, was President of the Security Bank of New York; She had a sister, Mary E. Appleton. Both sisters ultimately worked in the art world and became known as "the Appleton Girls". Helen attended Brooklyn Heights Seminary, then

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

from 1904 to 1908, majoring in art history. From 1908-14, she studied painting at the

Art Students League The Art Students League of New York is an art school in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study f ...

under the supervision of

William Merritt Chase William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later became the Parsons School of Design. ...

and

Frank Vincent DuMond Frank Vincent DuMond (August 20, 1865 – February 6, 1951) was one of the most influential teacher-painters in 20th-century America. He was an illustrator and American Impressionism, American Impressionist painter of portraits and landscape ...

and at the

New York School of Art The Parsons School of Design is a private art and design college under The New School located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhattan art ...

with painter

Robert Henri Robert Henri (; June 24, 1865 – July 12, 1929) was an American painter and teacher. As a young man, he studied in Paris, where he identified strongly with the Impressionists, and determined to lead an even more dramatic revolt against A ...

. While studying art, she also sat for paintings, including two works by

Eugene Speicher Eugene (Edward) Speicher National Academician, NA (April 5, 1883 – May 11, 1962) was an American portrait, landscape, and figurative painter. He was one of the foremost realists of his generation who closely upheld the mantle of his mentor, Robe ...

, "Red, White and Blue" (1914) and "Miss Helen Appleton" which won the 1911 Proctor Prize from the National Academy. In 1914, she married Charles Albert Read III, son of Charles Albert Read Jr. and Ellen Arvilla (Hatfield) Read from Boston and Manchester-by-the-Sea. The couple had daughter, Helen Read, the following year, by then residing at 38 Livingston Street in Brooklyn. Charles and Helen Appleton Read eventually divorced, and as of 1967, Helen Appleton Read lived with Mary in their childhood home in Brooklyn Heights. Like Helen, Mary had a career in the arts, working at the

Whitney Museum The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a Modern art, modern and Contemporary art, contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighbor ...

from its founding. Following the birth of her daughter, Helen Appleton Read returned to art history and criticism, including authoring a book on her former painting teacher Robert Henri (1931). From 1922 to 1938, Appleton Read worked as art critic for ''

The Brooklyn Eagle The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''Kings County Democrat'', later ''The Brooklyn Daily Eagle'' before shortening title further to ''Brooklyn Eagle'') was an afternoon daily newspaper published in the city ...

''; for part of that period (1925 to 1930) she also served as associate art editor of ''Vogue''. She joined the contemporary portraiture gallery, Portraits, Inc., then located at 460

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a boulevard in New York City that carries north and southbound traffic in the borough (New York City), boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the wes ...

, in 1943 as gallery director, then became president in 1957. She retired in 1972, but continued as a consultant. Appleton Read died on December 3, 1974, aged 87, at her

home at 146 Hicks Street, a historic Federal townhouse built in 1826. She was survived by her daughter, three granddaughters, and her sister.

Books

*''Robert Henri'' (1931) *''500 Years of German Art'' *''Caspar David Friedrich, Apostle of Romanticism''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Read, Helen Appleton 1887 births 1974 deaths American art critics American art historians Smith College alumni Vogue (magazine) people American newspaper people People from Brooklyn Heights Historians from New York (state)