Dorothy Morlan (May 25, 1882 – October 25, 1967) was an American

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

artist who was born in Salem, Ohio and lived in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Biography

Mabel Dorothy Morlan was the daughter of Albert and Martha Morlan. Dorothy Morlan's father was an amateur painter, and taught Morlan how to paint at an early age. Morlan moved to Irvington, a suburb of

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, Indiana at a young age, and that is where the majority of her career as an artist took place. Morlan studied at the

Herron School of Art and Design Herron School of Art and Design, officially IU Herron School of Art and Design, is a public university, public art school at Indiana University Indianapolis, Indiana University–Indianapolis (IUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is a professional ar ...

and was a known participant in the Indianapolis City Hospital Project.

Career

Dorothy Morlan signature on Indianapolis hospital mural

Dorothy Morlan began her career as a student at the

John Herron Art Institute Herron School of Art and Design, officially IU Herron School of Art and Design, is a public university, public art school at Indiana University Indianapolis, Indiana University–Indianapolis (IUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is a professional ar ...

, where she began studying composition in 1905. She studied under

J. Ottis Adams John Ottis Adams (July 8, 1851 – January 28, 1927) was an American Impressionist painter and art educator who is best known as a member of the Hoosier Group of Indiana landscape painters, along with William Forsyth, Richard B. Gruelle, Otto ...

, and William Forsyth, and began to study landscape painting while at Herron. In 1933, the Institute hosted a one-person exhibition of her paintings. After studying at Herron, Morlan studied at the Robert Henri School of Art in New York and at the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1805, it is the longest continuously operating art museum and art school in the United States. The academy's museum ...

, under

Daniel Garber Daniel Garber (April 11, 1880 – July 5, 1958) was an American Impressionist landscape painter and member of the art colony at New Hope, Pennsylvania. He is best known today for his large impressionist scenes of the New Hope area, in which he ...

. Shortly after her return to Indianapolis, she began the Indianapolis City Hospital Project under the direction of William Forsyth. Morlan's City Hospital murals were believed to be "lost" after multiple hospital renovations. They were later restored and are now in the collections of th
Irvington Historical Society
Morlan was also a member of the Irvington Group, a group of artists that lived and taught in the Indianapolis suburb of Irvington. Morlan suffered a stroke in the late 1940s which paralyzed her right side, ending her painting career; she remained an invalid until her death. She died in Indianapolis.

References

American Impressionist painters American landscape painters 19th-century American painters Hoosier Group landscape painters Irvington Group landscape painters Painters from Ohio 20th-century American painters 19th-century American women painters 20th-century American women painters Artists from Indianapolis Painters from Indiana 1882 births 1967 deaths Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni Herron School of Art and Design alumni American muralists American women muralists {{US-painter-1880s-stub