Women in the 19C United States of America: Paris influences Late 19C American Fashion

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Paris influences Late 19C American Fashion - American Richard Miller (1875–1943)

Richard Edward or Emil Miller (1875-1943) ) Woman with Umbrella

An American artist who was able to combine all of the elements of Impressionism into purely American paintings was Richard (Edward or Emil) Miller (1875–1943). Here we have it all--Asian robes, parasols, taking tea, the milliner, goldfish, women at ease, fans, gardens, & dressing tables--all the subjects so dear to the hearts of the Impressionists. He also uses all the components of Japonisme in his works. Miller studied at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts, then he sailed for Paris to study at Academie Julian (1898–1901).

Richard Edward or Emil Miller (1875-1943) Reflections

In the decades after the Civil War, Paris became an irresistible attraction for thousands of American artists and art students, both men and women. They came to study the old masters hanging at the Louvre. They came to examine the modern art on display at the annual Paris Salon and at smaller exhibitions, among them the eight shows organized by the Impressionists. They came to learn, at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts and at many private studios. They came to make new contacts, immersing themselves in the city's vibrant artistic life. Boston painter May Alcott described the experience as being plunged into an "art atmosphere" where the whole city seemed to be "one art studio."

Richard Edward or Emil Miller (1875-1943) Afternoon Tea

Miller became a member of the “Giverny Group,” the 2nd generation of American artists to study & paint near Claude Monet's magnificent garden. He lived in France until 1914, working in various Paris studios in the winters and teaching summer classes at Giverny & Normandy. His subjects were almost exclusively women enjoying a moment of quiet reverie. On his return to America, Miller became a founder, along with Edmund Greacen, of the Provincetown Artists Colony.

Richard Edward or Emil Miller (1875-1943) Woman Sewing

Richard Edward or Emil Miller (1875-1943) The Chinese Robe

Richard Edward or Emil Miller (1875-1943) ) Chinese Robe

Richard Edward or Emil Miller (1875-1943) Goldfish 1912

Richard Edward or Emil Miller (1875-1943) The Milliner

American Richard Miller (1875–1943)

Richard Edward or Emil Miller (1875-1943) Chinese Statuette

Richard Edward or Emil Miller (1875-1943) Morning Sunlight

Richard Edward or Emil Miller (1875-1943) The Pool

Richard Edward or Emil Miller (1875-1943) Woman by a Window

Richard Edward or Emil Miller (1875-1943) Daydreams

American Richard Miller (1875–1943)

About this blog

In colonial America, men were considered superior to woman in all ways. In a strict patriarchal hierarchy, men controlled not only wealth & political power but also how their children were raised, religious questions, & all matters of right & wrong.

In the early part of the 19Cy, however, many Americans experienced a revolution in gender. The doctrine of “separate spheres” maintained that woman’s sphere was the world of privacy, family, & morality while man’s sphere was the public world -– economic striving, political maneuvering, & social competition. But women were interested in equality.

In 1848, New York passed the Married Woman’s Property Act. Now a woman wasn’t automatically liable for her husband’s debts; she could enter contracts on her own; she could collect rents or receive an inheritance in her own right; she could file a lawsuit on her own behalf. She became for economic purposes, an individual. By 1900, every state has passed legislation modeled after this, granting married women some control over their property and earnings.

In 1870 after the Civi War, the 15th Amendment was ratified, saying, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” African-Americans could vote, but women could not.

But it was not until 1920, that the 19th Amendment was ratified granting women the right to vote. “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”