Alice Beckington (July 30, 1868 – January 4, 1942) was an American painter. Born in St. Charles,

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, Beckington studied art at the

Art Students League of New York 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 ...

, where she was a pupil of J. Carroll Beckwith; she also studied for a month with

Kenyon Cox Kenyon Cox (October 27, 1856 – March 17, 1919) was an American painter, illustrator, muralist, writer, and teacher. Cox was an influential and important early instructor at the Art Students League of New York. He was the designer of the League ...

. She next traveled to Paris for study at the

Académie Julian The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...

, where her instructors included

Jules Joseph Lefebvre Jules Joseph Lefebvre (; 14 March 183624 February 1911) was a French painter, educator and theorist. Early life Lefebvre was born in Tournan-en-Brie, Seine-et-Marne, on 14 March 1836. He entered the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Ar ...

and

Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant (also known as Benjamin-Constant), born Jean-Joseph Constant (10 June 1845 – 26 May 1902), was a French painter and etcher best known for his Oriental subjects and portraits. Biography Benjamin-Constant was ...

, and taking lessons with Charles Lasar at his studio. She had exhibitions at Paris Salons and Paris Expositions through 1900, including the Salon du Champ de Mars. Upon returning to the United States, Beckington began exhibiting work in venues including the

Pan-American Exposition The Pan-American Exposition was a world's fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park–Front Park System, Delaware Park, extending ...

, where she received an honorable mention,

Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federa ...

, where she received a bronze medal, and Poland Spring Exhibition. She was a founder member of the American Society of Miniature Painters, of which organization she served as president for a number of years, and from 1905 to 1916 she taught miniature painting at the Art Students League. She was also a member, during her career, of the

American Federation of Arts The American Federation of Arts (AFA) is a nonprofit organization that creates art exhibitions for presentation in museums around the world, publishes exhibition catalogues, and develops education programs. The organization’s founding in 1909 ...

and the Pennsylvania Society of Miniature Painters. Beckington was among the women artists, including Theodora W. Thayer, Thomas Meteyard, sisters Matilda Lewis and Josephine Lewis, and Mabel Stewart who began summering at Scituate,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

around the turn of the century, founding a small artistic colony. During this time she also spent time with notable feminist author

Inez Haynes Irwin Inez Haynes Irwin (March 2, 1873 – September 25, 1970) was an American feminist author, journalist, member of the National Woman's Party, and president of the Authors Guild. Many of her works were published under her former name Inez Haynes Gi ...

, and she and Thayer both painted portraits of Irwin that were exhibited in the

Knoedler M. Knoedler & Co. () was an art dealership in New York City founded in 1846. When it closed in 2011, amid lawsuits for fraud, it was one of the oldest commercial art galleries in the US, having been in operation for 165 years. History Knoedler ...

Gallery. In 1935, she was awarded the medal of honor by the Brooklyn Society of Miniature Painters. A portrait by Beckington of her pupil Rosina Cox Boardman is currently in the collection of the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM; formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds one of the world's lar ...

. Three portraits, including one of her mother, are owned by the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

Gallery

File:Miss T. MET ap43.63.jpg, Portrait of Miss T., 1898 File:Richard Vaughn Lewis MET DP219126.jpg, Portrait of Richard Vaughn Lewis. c. 1910 File:Mrs. Beckington MET DP162099.jpg, Portrait of Mrs. Beckington (the artist's mother), 1913

References

1868 births 1942 deaths American portrait miniaturists 19th-century American painters 19th-century American women painters 20th-century American painters 20th-century American women painters People from St. Charles, Missouri Painters from Missouri Art Students League of New York alumni Académie Julian alumni Art Students League of New York faculty American women academics {{US-painter-1860s-stub