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Laura Jane Harris (Mrs. James Blake), by Susan Fauntleroy Quarles Nicholson, c. 1853. Oil on canvas. 48 11/32 x 35 63/64 in. (122.8 x 91.4 cm). Maryland Historical Society
Accession: 1944-17-1.
Copyright
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Medium/Discipline: Painting
Birthplace: Lynchburg, Virginia
Place of Death: near Baltimore, Maryland
Maryland Affiliation: Depicts Maryland subjects, Active while in residence
Prominent Theme: Portraits
Active Dates and Place: fl. 1820
Gender: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Biography: A member of a prominent aristocratic family, Susan Quarles Nicholson is best known for her family portraits. Born on June 13th, 1804, Nicholson was a member of a wealthy and illustrious Virginia family. Her first marriage was to a man referred to as "Muscarelli," but she later married Jacob Cannon Nicholson of Baltimore and had four children. A self-taught painter, Nicholson was not commissioned for work as were professional artists, so featured her own family members as the subject of her art. She painted most members of her family, from her brother and sister Henry and Elizabeth to her sister-in-law's father, William McDaniel. Only a single painting from her work is not a portrait. The woman in Woman Reading Book is unidentified, though she is probably a member of the Nicholson family. This work is now in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center collection in Williamsburg, Virginia. Nicholson died near Baltimore in 1858 and her husband remained there for the remainder of his life.
Education/Training: Self-taught
Selected References: Dean, Mary A. [et al.] 350 Years of Art & Architecture in Maryland (College Park : Art Gallery, and Gallery of the School of Architecture, University of Maryland), 1984.
The J. Hall Pleasants Files at the Maryland Historical Society.
Maryland Institutions Holding Artworks: Maryland Historical Society
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