Frances C. Lyons Houston (January 14, 1851 or 1867 or January 17, 1867 – 1906) was an American painter. Houston was born in

Hudson, Michigan Hudson is a city in Lenawee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,415 at the 2020 census. The city is mostly surrounded by Hudson Township, but the two are administered autonomously. History Hudson was named for Dr. Danie ...

. She died in

Windsor, Vermont Windsor is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As the "Birthplace of Vermont", the town is where the Constitution of Vermont was adopted in 1777, thus marking the founding of the Vermont Republic, a sovereign state until 1791, when ...

in October 1906. Houston primarily worked in oils, but also did work in watercolors, pottery, goldsmithing, and jewelry making. Her primary subjects were portraits. Among her subjects noteworthy subjects was the actress

Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...

Life and career

Houston was born in

, though her date of birth is debated as being either January 14, 1851 or 1867 or January 17, 1867. Her parents were Lafayette A. Houston and Charlotte (Hand) Lyon Houston.HOUSTON, Frances C.
in ''

Who's Who in America Marquis Who's Who, also known as A.N. Marquis Company ( or ), is an American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies. The books usually are entitled ''Who's Who in...'' followed by some subject, such as ''Who's Who in A ...

''; p. 559; 1901-1902 edition; via

archive.org The Internet Archive is an American non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including websites, software applic ...

Portrait of Ethel Barrymore by Frances C

Houston studied in Paris with the French artists

Jules Lefebvre Jules Joseph Lefebvre (; 14 March 183624 February 1911) was a French Painting, 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 ...

and

Gustave Boulanger Gustave Clarence Rodolphe Boulanger (25 April 1824 – 22 September 1888) was a French figurative painter and academic artist and teacher known for his Classical and Orientalist subjects. Education and career The Néo-Grecs and the Prix de Rom ...

at the Julian Academy. She also lived in Italy for a short time. She married William C. Houston, a Boston businessman. After her marriage she took classes at the school of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston where she took the classes of Thomas Dewing. Dewing and Houston would remain close for the remainder of her life. Dewing painted a portrait of her which is currently on view at 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 ...

. Dewing would later encourage Houston and her husband to move to

Cornish, New Hampshire Cornish is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,616 at the 2020 census. Cornish has four covered bridges. Each August, it is home to the Cornish Fair. History The town was granted in 1763 and containe ...

, where Dewing had a summer home. At this time Cornish had a thriving art community which included Augusutus Saint-Gaudens, George de Forest Brush, and Charles Platt, among others. Houston had a summer home in Cornish from 1891 to 1906. She was popular among the other members of the community, praised for her genial and kind personality. Houston often painted portraits of other Cornish residents. Houston was a member of the Boston Water Color Club, the Boston Society of Arts & Crafts, the New York Water Color Club. Houston was an avid gardener. She was also active in the local community. Houston founded "The Mothers and Daughters' Club" with another woman of the Cornish community, Laura Walker, wife of Henry O. Walker. The group was started with the goal of allowing the women who lived in Cornish seasonally to become closer to the wives of the local farmers. The club involved group readings, travel talks, rug and carpet creation, and weaving. Houston made designs for rug weaving, and those made by the club were sold starting in 1903. Part of the purpose of weaving the rugs and carpets was to teach women about art. Later in life Houston shifted her focus away from painting, though she continued to exhibit, particularly at the Boston, New York, and Philadelphia Exhibitions. After Houston passed away, Dewing convinced the editor of ''

Century Magazine ''The Century Magazine'' was an illustrated monthly magazine first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City, which had been bought in that year by Roswell Smith and renamed by him after the Century Associat ...

'' to reproduce Houston's portrait of Ethel Barrymore, and wrote that it was her last work before she passed. Dewing also praised her work for its beauty and technique. Houston's works were exhibited after her death at Doll & Richards in Boston in 1908, from March 26 to April 7.

Exhibitions

Houston exhibited at the Boston Art Club in 1880 and at an Atlanta Exposition in an unknown year, where she received a bronze medal. Houston exhibited at the Great Art Loan in Detroit, Michigan in 1883. Houston first exhibited at the

Paris Salon The Salon (), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art event in the Western world. At the ...

in 1889 with a study of ''Woman of Capri.'' Houston exhibited at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

in 1890 with ''Head of a Capri girl''. At this time she had an address at 115, Rione Amedeo, Naples. She also exhibited in 1900 at the Paris World's Fair with a portrait, where she received an honorable mention award. Houston also exhibited at the

Worcester Art Museum The Worcester Art Museum houses over 38,000 works of art dating from antiquity to the present day and representing cultures from all over the world. The museum opened in 1898 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Its holdings include Roman mosaics, Europe ...

in 1903. Houston's work ''Indian Summer'' was exhibited at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904 for which she received a medal, and she also showed two pieces of jewelry. Houston exhibited at the

St. Botolph Club The St. Botolph Club is a gentlemen's club, private social club in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1880 by a group including many artists. Its name is derived from the English saint Botolph of Thorney. Among the club's other activities in its q ...

in Boston in 1905.

List of known works

Portraits

*''Portrait of Ethel Barrymore'' *''Woman of Capri,'' exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1889'''' *''Head of a Capri Girl'', exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1890 *''A Standing Female Nude'', black chalk on paper, 62.5 by 47.4 cm, sold at auction in 2011 by

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...

*''Portrait of Mrs. B'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905, loaned by John L. Batchelder, Jr., Esq. *''Portrait of Rita'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905, loaned by F.R. Millliken, Esq. *''Portrait of Mr. B.'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905, loaned by J. William Beal, Esq. *''Portrait of Mrs. N.'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905, loaned by George Nightingale, Esq. *''Portrait of Francis H. Davenport'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905 *''Portrait Study'' of an unknown subject, displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905 *''Portrait of Mrs. C.'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905, loaned by Winston Churchill, Esq. *''Portrait Head'' of an unknown subject, displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905, loaned by John I. Batchelder, Jr., Esq. *''Portrait of Richard Mann'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905, loaned by A.E. Mann, Esq. *''Portrait of Miss Houston'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905, loaned by J.C. Fairchild, Esq. *''Portrait, Cavaliero Francesco Mancini'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905 *''Portrait of Miss M.'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905, loaned from Robert M. Morse, Esq. *''Francis'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905 from a loan by J.C. Fairchild, Esq. *''Ellen'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905 on loan from Louis Evan Shipman, Esq. *''Jane'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905, loaned by Pope Veatman, Esq. *''Portrait of Miss T.,'' displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905 from a loan by E.V.R. Thayer, Esq. *''Portrait of Mrs. W.'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905 from a loan by Samuel D. Warren, Esq. *''Portrait of Mrs. M.'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905 on a loan A.E. Mann, Esq. *''Charlotte'', a portrait of her daughter completed before 1898, last known to be in a private collection *''Mrs. J.C. Fairchild and Children,'' also known as ''Summer'' or ''Portrait Group - Summer'', done before 1905, as of 1985 was in a private collection; displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905, where it is noted as being unfinished *''Granddaughter Frances with Cat,'' last known to be in a private collection *''Mrs. Winston Churchill'', done before 1905

Other

*''Garden with Irises,'' a pastel, last known to be in a private collection *''Summer Evening'', done in 1905, exhibited at the St. Botolph Club the same year on loan from Albion Lang, was with the Plainfield Historical Society in 1985, gift of the estate of Albion Lang *''Indian Summer'', won a medal at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905 *''The Mirror,'' which was exhibited at the

in 1903, and at the St. Botolph Club in 1905 *''Larghetto,'' displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905 *''Crayon Study'' of an unknown subject, displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905 *''The Spinner,'' oil on canvas, 15" by 18", displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905 on a loan from W.J Hoyt, Esq., sold at auction in 2010 *''Liseuse'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905 *''In the Studio'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905 *''Sabra'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905 on loan from John I. Batchelder, Jr. Esq. *''The Dryad'', displayed at the St. Botolph Club in 1905

References

External links

Works of Frances C. Houston that are recorded as having been auctioned

Thomas Dewing's ''Portrait of Frances C. Houston''

Houston's ''Summer''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Houston, Frances C. 1906 deaths Year of birth uncertain 19th-century American women painters 19th-century American painters Artists from Michigan People from Hudson, Michigan