My great-aunt is listed in "WHO'S WHO IN AMERICAN ART" - in her married name, Ethel Parsons Paullin. She had a career as a professional artist for over 60 years in New York City. This is a remarkable and rare occurrence for a woman in the early to mid-1900’s.

 She was born as Ethel Maria Parsons, in rural Chardon, Ohio in 1887 and died in New York City in 1971 at the age of 83. Having grown up on a farm, it is not clear to me why or how she became so focused to want to attend art school. But her remaining letters reveal that she became determined to do so. Never the less, she was so focused and her mother made quilts, selling them through the “Women’s Exchange” to put her, and also her other 3 siblings, through college in the early 1900’s. An extraordinary feat to say the least!

 Ethel first attended Ohio Wesleyan University, but was not satisfied. So her letters show how she worked out the equivalent expenses to be able to attend, and after 4 years, graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston in 1909.

In Ethel’s bio, she described that her training (from the Department of Design of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston) “was utilized designing pure ornament, decorative paintings and mural paintings”. I feel like the word decorative does not give enough credit to some of her wonderful work as you’ll see further on here.

Ethel became employed upon graduation in 1909 by the Herter Looms in New York City painting large murals, such as the ones shown below, installed in the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. Some of these murals spanned 12 feet x 20 feet!!

3-7

 The artists at Herter also produced murals as full-size ‘cartoons’ from which tapestries were woven in the ancient French Aubasson style where weavers would copy directly from the full size oil painted cartoons to make finished tapestries.

Between 1909 and early 1918, while working with Herter, Ethel was proud of murals she designed and painted for 3 tapestries, called ‘Adoration of the Magi’, for the Church of the Epiphany, Winchester Mass, as well as many other projects working for Herter Looms.

In 1913, for Herter, Ethel was the painter of an oil cartoon for a tapestry called “The Flight of the Duchess” which won a GOLD MEDAL at the PAN AMERICAN EXPOSITION in San Francisco.

Notes on this copy of the magazine article about this tapestry indicate that the original design for it was created by Ethel’s friend, E. Grace Hanks, or ‘Hanks’ as she was called, who would later join in working with Ethel in 1918 after they both left Herter’s employment (more about that below).

Interestingly, when I was 8 years old, in 1957 ‘Hanks’ came to our home in Michigan with Ethel and her sisters, my other two great-aunts, Elsie and Mildred (also artists) while on vacation. It was Ethel and ‘Hanks’ who gave me my first formal art lesson that summer consisting of the proportions of the head and face. Remember – I was 8. I never forgot.

I will also never forget the sensation of being woken up in the early morning to the sounds of shrieks and giggles as Ethel and ‘Hanks’, these two formidable grey-haired old women, were rolling –ROLLING down our very tall, steep back hill. Shocking! …and gleeful it was - from the point of view of an 8 year old in 1957, but I digress….

Albert Herter had employed quite a number of artists for his extensive work of supplying murals and tapestries to gentry and institutions all over the United States.

This gaggle-of-artists were seemingly a playful bunch. Many photos remain of them dressing up in costumes and forming various poses for the camera as shown below. These may have been used for references for some of the murals, but when Ethel was visiting me later in 1970, at the age of 82, she told me that they were the first ‘beatniks’, the first hippies’!

 Among these ‘gangsters’ of the Herter Artists, shown in the photos below, were Ethel, ’Hanks’ and Ethel’s sister Mildred. Looks to me like they were having fun!” 

In 1918 Ethel broke out from Herter and began contracting with major architects for monumental projects in N.Y.C. and across the country. I appreciate the fact that in 1918 it was a rare phenomenon for women to have been working anywhere, let alone contracting with architects for art work in major buildings! 

 Also in 1918 she married artist, Telford Paullin, who died suddenly of a mysterious illness 15 years after their marriage. They worked on projects together, but Ethel was, in her words, ‘the contracting lead with the architects’.

 ‘Hanks’ also contributed her skills to some of the huge, major projects, such as for the entire chancel in the Chapel of St. Bartholomew's Church (across from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel at 50th and Park Ave) New York City, and the Stations of the Cross for the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer in New York City, all in 1918.

Some of her projects included 9 churches, mostly in New York area, as well as the U.S. Army Hospital in San Antonio, TX. Her work with major architects led her to be invited to paint ceilings and murals for several private homes and for corporate buildings, including the Hardware Mutual Insurance headquarters in Stevens Point, Wis.

The list of her works is extensive and quite varied. Beside her mural and ceiling projects she also designed stained glass windows for the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church Dana Chapel, NYC, and St. John's Episcopal in Bernardsville, NJ. She was commissioned for many portraits, including one for a past President of Oberlin College, which she produced posthumously.

Ethel was a “survivor” as an artist in New York City. Since her husband’s death in 1933 and during the height of the Depression, she continued to get work. In 1935 and 1936, she was commissioned by the WPA (Works Project Administration) to paint ceiling ‘decorations’ for the new Federal building in Albany, New York, which held the U.S. Court House, Customs Building and Main U.S. Post Office all in one building. She rented an empty closed down building for a warehouse studio and executed 9 large maps each 15' square, also decorations for ceilings in 2 court rooms, 3 judge’s rooms, postmaster’s room, 7 lobbies, stair halls and elevator lobbies. Here are a few snapshots taken recently as the building remains in restored condition.

During WWII, Ethel was the first of many artists to be commissioned by the ‘Citizens Committee for the Army and Navy’ to paint Altar Triptychs for the Army, Navy and Air Force ships and worldwide bases. From 1941-1945 she finished 30 of them. In 1948 she was awarded the Patriotic Services Citation by the War Department.

The triptychs were made of 3 hinged brass panels, 5 ft tall by 8 ft wide that could be set up in barracks, hospitals and ships for non-denominational religious services. 

Below is a photo of Ethel working on one of the 30 triptychs that she painted. Her idea was that her designs should be relatable to everyday common men and, in her words, “pleasing to look at”. What a simple, but profound, thought for times of anxiety in this world!

In the 1950’s and 1960’s Ethel began engraving copper and steel plates. One of Ethel’s copper engraving prints, the Parable “Consider the Lilies” was selected from 188 prints in the competitive exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, New York in 1952 for the Traveling Show of the American Federation of Arts.

She won the ‘Catherine Lorrilard Wolfe GOLD MEDAL AWARD’ in the National Arts Club 1966 Spring Show for her intriguing, unique depiction of "The Parable of the Vine". After this award she was listed in "WHO'S WHO IN AMERICAN ART". Check out the tiny details in the far ground of these engravings which preceded the "trippy" days of the 1970's. Ethel was very straight, very spiritual and very inspired!

Here’s one more in the engraving series. All her religious themed art are indeed “pleasant to look at”, never agonizing or threatening as some older European depictions have been.

Her versatility extended to painting a book cover design for NOBEL Laureate Sigfrid Undset, stock certificates for American Banknote Co., many portraits, Christmas cards for Nancy Root Co., and 18 designs for the Kem Playing Card Co.

For a while, Ethel had a top floor loft studio in the famous ‘Tenth Street Studio Building’, former home to notables such as William Merritt Chase. She spent her later years in a brownstone artist's studio off Central Park at 54 W 74th St where she had a friendship with Edward Hopper and his wife Josephine who, upon her death, left Ethel 1/8th of her estate.

Finally, here is the last known snapshot of Ethel in that brownstone studio in 1970, age 82, at her drawing table. I was lucky enough to inherit this drawing table along with some oil paints and pastels and her considerable collection of brushes which I still use to this day. –G.P.L.