Almira Edson (January 20, 1803 – December 14, 1886) was an American folk artist, known as the painter of a series of distinctive family registers. Edson was born in

Halifax, Vermont Halifax is a town in Windham County, Vermont, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 771. History Halifax was the second town chartered, west of the Connecticut River on May 11, 1750 by New Hampshire Governor Benni ...

, the daughter of Jesse and Rebecca Edson. Jesse died in 1805, and Rebecca married Captain Edward Adams of nearby

Colrain, Massachusetts Colrain is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,606 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Colrain was first settled in 1735 as "Boston ...

, where her family moved when Almira was seven. As an adult she painted, in or near

, a series of

family register Civil registration is the system by which a government records the vital events (births, marriages, and deaths) of its citizens and residents. The resulting repository or database has different names in different countries and even in different ...

s which are unusual in that they also incorporate features of the mourning picture. Her first work to come to public attention was the register of the Woodard family, painted around 1837 in watercolor and ink, which was discussed by

Jean Lipman Jean Herzberg Lipman (1909 – June 20, 1998) was an American artist, collector, and art historian, a pioneer in the study of American folk art. Biography A native of Manhattan, where she was born Jean Herzberg, Lipman grew up in Midtown before ...

and Alice Winchester in ''The Flowering of American Folk Art 1776–1876'' in 1974. Some years later another register, dated around 1838 and painted for David and Anna Niles, appeared at auction. Other registers, for Dennis and Lois Stebbins, Oliver and Olive Wilkinson, and James and Jane Clark, are also known. The Clark register is inscribed, "Executed by Almira Edson, Halifax, Vt." All have been ascribed to Edson based on stylistic similarities. In 1841, unmarried, Edson joined the religious community in

Putney, Vermont Putney is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,617 at the 2020 census. The town's historic core makes up the Putney Village Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Histor ...

founded by

John Humphrey Noyes John Humphrey Noyes (September 3, 1811 – April 13, 1886) was an American preacher, radical religious philosopher, and utopian socialist. He founded the Putney, Oneida and Wallingford Communities, and is credited with coining the term "com ...

. There she fell in love with another community member, John R. Lyvere. The couple asked Noyes for permission to marry, but he refused; consequently, while he was away the pair eloped to

Hinsdale, New Hampshire Hinsdale is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,948 at the 2020 census. Hinsdale is home to part of Pisgah State Park in the northeast, and part of Wantastiquet Mountain State Forest in the northwest. T ...

, where they wed on September 18, 1842. Noyes banished them upon hearing of their disobedience, and they moved to

Vernon, Connecticut Vernon is the most populous town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 30,215 at the 2020 census. Vernon contains the smaller villages of Talcottville and Dobsonville. Vernon contains the former City of Rockville. ...

, where Edson remained until her death. Her last known register, for William C. and Emily Porter Russell, was painted around 1847 in

Ellington, Connecticut Ellington is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. Ellington was incorporated in May 1786, from East Windsor. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 16,426. History Originally the area in what is now Ellington was named ...

, near Vernon. Little else is known of her life, although she was the subject of research by collectors Arthur and Sybil Kern. Edson's family register for the Clarks is currently owned by the

New-York Historical Society The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library in New York City, along Central Park West between 76th and 77th Streets, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum ...

. The Stebbins family register is held by

Historic Deerfield Historic Deerfield is a museum dedicated to the heritage and preservation of Deerfield, Massachusetts, and history of the Connecticut River Valley. Its historic houses, museums, and programs provide visitors with an understanding of New Engla ...

in its collections. The Niles family register sold at auction in 2018 for $4,305.

References

1803 births 1886 deaths American women painters American watercolorists Women watercolorists Folk artists Women outsider artists 19th-century American painters 19th-century American women artists People from Halifax, Vermont Painters from Vermont People from Colrain, Massachusetts Painters from Massachusetts People from Vernon, Connecticut Painters from Connecticut {{US-painter-1800s-stub