Elizabeth Rebecca Coffin (1850–1930) was an American artist, educator and philanthropist who is known for her paintings of

Nantucket Nantucket () is an island in the state of Massachusetts in the United States, about south of the Cape Cod peninsula. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck Island, Tuckernuck and Muskeget Island, Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and Co ...

, Massachusetts. Well-educated and accomplished, she was one of the "

New Women ''New Women'' () is a 1935 Chinese silent drama film produced by the United Photoplay Service. It is sometimes translated as ''New Woman''. The film starred Ruan Lingyu (in her penultimate film) and was directed by Cai Chusheng. This film beca ...

" of the 19th century who explored opportunities not traditionally available to women. She was the first person in the United States to earn a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...

degree and was the first woman admitted to the Hague Academy of Fine Arts. She opened a school in Nantucket that had been only open to men and offered several types of trade and crafts work courses to both genders.

Early life

Elizabeth Rebecca Coffin, nicknamed "Lizzie", was born September 9, 1850, in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York,Elizabeth R. Coffin, Passport issued June 2, 191-. Passport Applications, January 2, 1906–March 31, 1925. NARA Microfilm Publication M1490, 2740 rolls. General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59. National Archives, Washington, D.C. into a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

family.Paulena Stevens Janney. ''The Civil War period journals of Paulena Stevens Janney, 1859-1866''. Gateway Press, Inc.; January 2007. p. 380. She was the daughter of Andrew G. Coffin and Elizabeth M. Sherwood Coffin. Her father was born on

Nantucket, Massachusetts Nantucket () is an island in the state of Massachusetts in the United States, about south of the Cape Cod peninsula. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck Island, Tuckernuck and Muskeget Island, Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and Co ...

and her mother in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

.John William Leonard.
Woman's Who's who of America: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporary Women of the United States and Canada, 1914-1915
'. American Commonwealth Company; 1914. p. 190. She was an eighth-generation descendant of the original Nantucket settlers Tristram and Dionis Coffin.

Education

She studied at the

Friends Seminary Friends Seminary is an independent K-12 school in Manhattan. The oldest continuously coeducational school in New York City, in recent years it has served approximately 800 students. The school's vision statement declares its purpose is "to prep ...

in New York City before attending

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

, where she was taught by the Dutch painter

Henry Van Ingen Henry Van Ingen (12 November 1833, The Hague - 17 November 1898, Poughkeepsie, New York) was a Dutch painter who for many years taught art at Vassar College in the United States. Career Hendrik van Ingen studied at the Hague Academy of Design fr ...

. She received her

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree there in 1870. In 1872 she enrolled at the Hague Academy of Fine Arts, the first woman to gain admission to this school. Coffin studied at the Hague Academy for three yearsSamantha Soper '91
"About Books: Nantucket Spirit: The Art and Life of Elizabeth Rebecca Coffin"
''Vassar''. Winter 2001. Retrieved March 30, 2014. and received medals for anatomy, composition, perspective and antique drawing. She received her

degree from Vassar College in 1876; Coffin was the first person in the United States to have received that degree.

Maria Mitchell Maria Mitchell ( ; August 1, 1818 – June 28, 1889) was an American astronomer, librarian, naturalist, and educator. In 1847, she discovered a comet named 1847 VI (modern designation C/1847 T1) that was later known as " Miss Mitchell's Comet ...

, a professor of astronomy at Vassar, was Coffin's mentor and lifelong friend. She later studied 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 ...

, and 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 ...

. She also traveled extensively in Europe and California. Coffin was a pupil of

Thomas Eakins Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins (; July 25, 1844 – June 25, 1916) was an American Realism (visual arts), realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important American artist ...

."Previous Exhibitions: Paintings of Rebecca Coffin, 2007.
Nantucket Historical Association. Retrieved March 30, 2014.

Career

Art

Coffin began to summer regularly on Nantucket, starting in the 1880s, and moved there in 1900. She painted in the

American Realist American realism was a movement in art, music and literature that depicted contemporary social realities and the lives and everyday activities of ordinary people. The movement began in literature in the mid-19th century, and became an importan ...

style. Her paintings preserved the way of life of Nantucket, now no longer a whaling port. Her ''Hanging the Nets'' was exhibited in 1892 at the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Frederick Styles Agate, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, an ...

and won the Norman W. Dodge Prize for the best picture by a woman. She won the Norman W. Dodge Prize at the National Academy again in 1902. She exhibited her work at the

Palace of Fine Arts The Palace of Fine Arts is a monumental structure located in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, originally built for the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition to exhibit works of art. Completely rebuilt from 1964 to 197 ...

at the 1893

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

in Chicago, Illinois. She was one of the "

New Woman The New Woman was a feminist ideal that emerged in the late 19th century and had a profound influence well into the 20th century. In 1894, writer Sarah Grand (1854–1943) used the term "new woman" in an influential article to refer to indepe ...

" of the 19th century successful, highly trained women artists who did not marry, like Ellen Day Hale,

Mary Cassatt Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side (Pittsburgh), North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, whe ...

Elizabeth Nourse Elizabeth Nourse (October 26, 1859 – October 8, 1938) was a realist-style genre, portrait, and landscape painter born in Mt. Healthy, Ohio, in the Cincinnati area. She also worked in decorative painting and sculpture. Described by her contempo ...

and

Cecilia Beaux Eliza Cecilia Beaux (May 1, 1855 – September 17, 1942) was an American artist and the first woman to teach art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Known for her elegant and sensitive portraits of friends, relatives, and Gilded Age p ...

. About 1890 Coffin made a self-portrait. Along with Hale and Nourse, these women "created compelling self-portraits in which they fearlessly presented themselves as individuals willing to flout social codes and challenge accepted ideas regarding women's place in society. Indeed, the New Women portraits of the 1880s and 1890s are unforgettable interpretations of energetic, self-confident and accomplished women." Coffin was a member of the Brooklyn Art Guild and the

. Her art work has been in the collections of the

Art Gallery, Frances Lehman Loeb collection,

Nantucket Historical Association Nantucket () is an island in the state of Massachusetts in the United States, about south of the Cape Cod peninsula. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined cou ...

and The Coffin School.

Educator

In her later years she put most of her energy into reviving handicraft instruction at the

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

Coffin School. It was built in 1852 for nautical and private education of boys and for descendants of town founder Tristram Coffin by Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin. The school closed in 1898 and Elizabeth Coffin reopened the school for students of both genders in 1903. It taught males woodworking, mechanical drawing, plumbing and metalworking; Females were taught basketry, cooking, and sewing. Until Coffin taught basketmaking, baskets were traditionally made by boys and retired sea-faring men on Nantucket.Susan Simon.
The Nantucket Holiday Table
'. Chronicle Books; 1 June 2000. . p. 159. Her students included women from the Goldenrod Literary and Debating Society which was established in 1895 for girls.Frances Ruley Karttunen.
The Other Islanders: People who Pulled Nantucket's Oars
'. Spinner Publications; 2005. . p. 152. Coffin reopened the school during a period when the whaling industry, which had been the economic backbone of the island, had ended. The trades helped to create new opportunities for men and women. Coffin School has Elizabeth Coffin's paintings on display.Sandy MacDonald.
Quick Escapes Boston: 25 Weekend Getaways from the Hub
'. Globe Pequot Press; 1 May 2002. . p. 92.

Personal life

In 1910 Coffin was living at 30 Remsen Street in Brooklyn, New York. She left for Europe, intending to spend two years there. In 1927 she sailed from

Southampton, England Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

to New York on the '' SS Nieuw Amsterdam'' with Fred Coffin, who was born in 1873 and lived at 30 Remsen Street in Brooklyn. Her address was the Vassar Club on 57th Street in New York City. On Nantucket, she lived at 23 Lily Street. Her recreational interests included sailing, walking and driving. She was also interested in the theatre, opera and music. During her life, she worked with boys and girls clubs, including supporting a gymnasium at the Nantucket Athletic Club for children;

settlement house The settlement movement was a reformist social movement that began in the 1880s and peaked around the 1920s in the United Kingdom and the United States. Its goal was to bring the rich and the poor of society together in both physical proximity an ...

s; and the women's

suffrage movement Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

. Coffin was a member of the Association of Collegiate Alumni, Vassar Alumni Association and Vassar Student's Aid Association. She was active with the

National Child Labor Committee The National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) was a private, non-profit organization in the United States that served as a leading proponent for the national child labor reform movement. Its mission was to promote "the rights, awareness, dignity, well ...

, College Settlements Association, Maria L. Owen Society for the Preservation of Wild Flowers,

and Nantucket Civil League. Coffin was living in her home on Lily Street in Nantucket when she died on June 21, 1930. She was buried in Brooklyn, New York at the Friends Cemetery at Prospect Park.

Legacy

A retrospective of her work was held at Vassar in 1920 during her 50th class reunion; Taylor Hall exhibited more than 70 of her works. In 2007, The Nantucket Historical Association exhibited Coffin's paintings and loaned a painting for an exhibition entitled "Gutsy Gals: From Hearth to Heavens, Maria Mitchell and Her Sister Nantucketers" by the Egan Maritime Foundation and The Coffin School.
Learn about the Islands 'Gutsy Gals'.
' Yesterdays Island, Today's Nantucket. May 24–30, 2007. Retrieved March 30, 2014. The exhibition discusses: Coffin and one of her paintings were mentioned in ''Beachcombers: A Novel'' by Nancy Thayer.Nancy Thayer.
Beachcombers: A Novel
'. Random House Publishing Group; 2011. . p. 208.

Gallery

File:Elizabeth Rebecca Coffin, Grandmother's Garret, 1884 (retouched).jpg, Elizabeth Coffin,
''Grandmother's Garret,''
1884,
Nantucket Historical Association File:Elizabeth Rebecca Coffin, Small Head in Profile (Portrait of Mary Eliza Starbuck), circa 1890.jpg, Elizabeth Coffin,
''Small Head in Profile (Portrait of Mary Eliza Starbuck)'',
,
Nantucket Historical Association File:Elizabeth Rebecca Coffin, Old Age Portrait of Anna G. Chase Derrick, 1892.jpg, Elizabeth Coffin,
''Old Age Portrait of Anna G. Chase Derrick,''
1892,
Nantucket Historical Association File:Elizabeth Coffin, The Window Towards the Sea - Phebe Folger Pitman, circa 1886-1887.jpg, Elizabeth Coffin,
''The Window Towards the Sea: Phebe Folger Pitman,''
,
Nantucket Historical Association File:Elizabeth Rebecca Coffin, Portrait of the Artist in Conversation with Subject (unfinished), circa 1890.jpg, Elizabeth Coffin,
''Portrait of the Artist in Conversation with Subject'' (unfinished),
,
Nantucket Historical Association File:Elizabeth Rebecca Coffin, Fishing Boat in Nantucket Harbor.jpg, Elizabeth Coffin,
''Fishing Boat in Nantucket Harbor'',
1906,
Nantucket Historical Association

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coffin, Elizabeth 1850 births 1930 deaths 19th-century American painters 20th-century American painters Art Students League of New York alumni People from Nantucket, Massachusetts Painters from Massachusetts Painters from Brooklyn Vassar College alumni Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni Students of Thomas Eakins Friends Seminary alumni 19th-century American women painters 20th-century American women painters