Electra Carlin (September 28, 1912 – February 19, 2000) was an American art dealer and gallery owner in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...

. She operated Fort Worth's longest-running private art gallery, which was also the first in the area founded and operated by women.

Early life

Electra Anne Marshall was born September 28, 1912 to Bert Marshall (ca. 1869-1924) and Frances E. "Fannie" Peers Marshall (1872-1955). Bert was a railroad conductor and, later, car service superintendent, from Illinois or Missouri; Fannie was a homemaker from

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

.Ancestry.com. ''Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982'' atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Born and raised in Fort Worth, she attended art exhibitions at

Fort Worth Public Library Fort Worth Public Library is the public library system that serves the city of Fort Worth, Texas. The Fort Worth Public Libraries consist of 16 branches including the central library and two regional libraries. History In April 1892, 20 women f ...

as a child, but never studied art. She majored in journalism in college, attending the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

Beaver College Arcadia University is a private university in Glenside, Pennsylvania. The university enrolls approximately 4,000 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students. The campus features Grey Towers Castle, a National Historic Landmark. History ...

in Pennsylvania, and

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University i ...

. There she met her husband, Howard Lee "H. Lee" Carlin, a native of Racine, Missouri who served in the Navy Reserve during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. The Carlins lived in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is ...

while H. Lee worked at the

Bureau of Engraving and Printing The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is a government agency within the United States Department of the Treasury that designs and produces a variety of security products for the United States government, most notable of which is Federal Reser ...

and the

National Production Authority The National Production Authority (NPA) was an agency of the United States government which developed and promoted the production and supply of materials and facilities necessary for defense mobilization. It was part of the Department of Commerce ...

of the

Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bus ...

. In 1952, the couple relocated to Dallas, where H. Lee was killed in an accident only three weeks after their move, at the age of 41, and interred at Greenwood Cemetery.

Career

After her husband's death, Electra returned to Fort Worth to live near her mother. She volunteered at The Reeder School, a noted children's theater school run by

Fort Worth Circle The Fort Worth Circle was a progressive art colony in Fort Worth, Texas. The colony was active during the 1940s and much of the 1950s and formed around younger artists, most of them native Texans under-30, who embraced themes not traditionally seen ...

artists Dickson and Flora Reeder, until its closure in 1958. She kept books for the nearby Gallery of Wonderful Things, on Byers Avenue in Fort Worth's west side, until 1959, when owner Terese Law Hershey moved to

Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

and left Carlin the gallery. Carlin continued exhibiting art at the gallery as well as Ridglea Country Club, showing works by Fort Worth Circle-affiliated artists like Bill Bomar,

Cynthia Brants Cynthia Brants (20 June 1924 – 11 January 2006) was an American artist and a member of the Fort Worth Circle of artists. She attended Saturday classes at the Fort Worth School of Fine Art from the age of 10, studying under Blanche McVeigh. Afte ...

Blanche McVeigh Blanche McVeigh (August 23, 1895 – June 1, 1970) was an American printmaker, founder of the Fort Worth School of Fine Arts and Fort Worth Artists Guild, and art educator in Fort Worth, Texas. Known for her mastery of the aquatint medium, McVei ...

Edward Dickson Reeder Edward Dickson Reeder (6 February 1912 – 8 May 1970) was an American artist and member of the Fort Worth Circle. Early life and education Reeder was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He was the eldest child of Dean W. and Edwina Reeder. Reeder ...

, and Bror Alexander Utter. She renovated an old laundromat on 7th Street and moved the gallery there in 1959. In January 1960, she mounted the first exhibition of

Inuit art Inuit art, also known as Eskimo art, refers to artwork produced by Inuit, that is, the people of the Arctic previously known as Eskimos, a term that is now often considered offensive. Historically, their preferred medium was walrus ivory, but sin ...

in Texas; the Gallery of Wonderful Things was renamed "Carlin Gallery" three months later. Carlin emerged as a regional tastemaker, selling Inuit art to the

Amon Carter Museum Amon may refer to: Mythology * Amun, an Ancient Egyptian deity, also known as Amon and Amon-Ra * Aamon, a Goetic demon People Momonym * Amon of Judah ( 664– 640 BC), king of Judah Given name * Amon G. Carter (1879–1955), American p ...

, the

Museum of Fine Arts Houston The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is an art museum located in the Houston Museum District of Houston, Texas. With the recent completion of an eight-year campus redevelopment project, including the opening of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Bui ...

, and the

McNay Art Museum The McNay Art Museum, founded in 1954 in San Antonio, is the first modern art museum in the U.S. state of Texas. The museum was created by Marion Koogler McNay's original bequest of most of her fortune, her important art collection and her 24-room ...

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. She continued selling the work of local and Inuit artists, and spoke at an Inuit art conference at the Smithsonian in 1962. In 1963, she was appointed to the City of Fort Worth Art Commission along with Ruth Carter Stevenson. Carlin represented nationally known artists like

Peter Hurd Peter Hurd (February 22, 1904 – July 9, 1984) was an American painter whose work is strongly associated with the people and landscapes of San Patricio, New Mexico, where he lived from the 1930s. He is equally acclaimed for his portraits and his ...

and Henriette Wyeth Hurd, the daughter of N. C. Wyeth, and showed ceramics and work by Texas artists. In 1964, she expanded the Carlin Gallery space to include an outdoor sculpture garden designed by architects Albert S. Komatsu and Emery Young, Jr., and landscape architect Elbert Spence. Throughout the 1960s, Carlin lectured women's clubs on how to purchase and decorate the home with fine paintings and partnered with the Junior League on exhibitions in other Texas cities. In 1970. the Carlin Gallery mounted a memorial , retrospective exhibition for prolific Fort Worth printmaker Blanche McVeigh that included "virtually all" of her prints. Carlin organized an art exhibition at Fort Worth's first Mayfest celebration, organized by the Junior League in 1973. She was also a donor to Streams and Valleys' Trinity River beautification project in the 1970s. In 1990, Carlin announced the closing of the gallery. Over the course of 31 years, Carlin Gallery held over 150 exhibitions with work by 130 artists and steered the development of numerous museum collections in Texas.

Death and legacy

Electra Carlin died in Fort Worth on February 19, 2000 and is buried at Oakwood Cemetery. She is remembered as an "exact, aware businesswoman" and the "dean of Fort Worth art dealers." A bequest from her estate established the Electra Carlin Endowment to fund exhibitions of Texas artists at

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciple ...

References

External links

Carlin Art Gallery Records at Fort Worth Library Archives

Carlin Galleries Records at the Archives of American Art

Terese Tarlton Hershey Papers at the Archives of American Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlin, Electra 1912 births 2000 deaths Women art dealers American art dealers Washington University in St. Louis alumni People from Fort Worth, Texas University of Oklahoma alumni