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Art in the Veins: The Legacy of the Edmondson Family in Cleveland

June 13 - August 1, 2009

From the late 1800s through the whole of the 20th century, the Edmondsons -- a family of painters, printmakers, sculptors and photographers -- were major contributors to the arts in Northeastern Ohio. This exhibition tells the story of a family and the place that formed them. Artists featured in the exhibition include George William Edmondson (1837-1913, George Mountain Edmondson (1866-1948), William John Edmondson (1868-1966) and Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909).

Wall panel biographies from the exhibition

George Mountain Edmondson

(1866-1949)

George Mountain was born in Norwalk, Ohio. He began studying and practicing photography at the age of 16 and after moving to Cleveland he began working with photographer James F. Ryder in his studio. He soon joined the Decker & Wilbur Photography Studio and became a partner of the studio with Edgar Decker in 1897 when he was 31 years old. George Mountain took over the studio at the turn of the century and moved it to Euclid Avenue, near the famous historic neighborhood nicknamed "Millionaire's Row." After the move, George began photographing many famous inhabitants of Euclid Avenue such as Samuel Mather, Leonard C. Hanna and John D. Rockefeller. From this point forward, George Mountain became renowned for his captivating portraits. George Mountain won several awards for his work throughout his career and in 1902 he was selected as the President of the Photography Association of America. George Mountain married Wilhelmina Neason in 1901 and had two children, George Mountain Jr. and Ivy Jane.

 

George William Edmondson

(1837-1913)

George William was born in England and was the descendent of a line of Quakers that extends back to the mid-seventeenth century. After immigrating to Canada, George William made the decision to become an artist, defying his father's wishes to become an engineer. His early life is full of interesting tales, including his journey with a Royal Society expedition in Canada as its photographer. Edmondson was injured and became separated from the group, when he was discovered by a Native American woman and nursed back to health. He eventually married and moved to the United States in the 1850s, settling in Norwalk, Ohio, just after the Civil War. Here he established the Edmondson Manufacturing Photography Studio. Edmondson later became a Methodist and for a time lived in the Christian community of Lakeside where he photographed the scenery and camp activities. Ever interested in stretching the possibilities of photography, Edmondson would shoot large photo-murals and paint over the top of them and even once captured the New York to Chicago express train in a photograph as it was racing through Norwalk in 1883.

 

William John Edmonson

(1868-1966)

William John Edmondson was born in Norwalk, Ohio. He was interested in art throughout his childhood and traveled to Paris to study at the Academie Julian with renowned French figure painter Jules Lefabvre. William John returned to the United States to complete a degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, and after four years he once again traveled to Paris, this time to study at the Aman-Jean Academy. Upon his return to the states, William John soon developed a reputation for portraiture and painted several prominent figures in turn-of-the-century Cleveland. He also liked to paint landscapes and often traveled West to paint. Edmondson's style is marked by abundant use of color and his remarkable patterns of light and dark. William John's work was shown at the Cleveland Museum of Art and he was awarded with the Penton Medal for Excellence from CMA in 1919. His work has also been showcased at art institutes in Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Detroit, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Indianapolis.

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr

(b. 1909)

Ivy Jane attended the Hathaway Brown Preparatory School in Shaker Heights, Ohio while taking Saturday art classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland Institute of Art. When she was 16, Ivy Jane spent a summer studying at a graduate art studio at Columbia University in New York City, but she has said that she was most influenced by working with her uncle, William John Edmondson. After beginning work as an artist, Ivy Jane married a young Hungarian history student, Stephen Starr. During the Great Depression it was difficult for Stephen to find work as an historian, so he began working as a businessman and Ivy stayed home to take care of their family. However, Ivy Jane continued to exchange her paintings for sides of beef to save money. After moving to Cincinnati, Ivy Jane began her work as a stone sculptor, studying with Charles Cutler at the Cincinnati Art Academy. Public organizations like the Public Library, the Cincinnati Zoo and the Children's Hospital commissioned several works from Ivy Jane during her years there. The Starr family later moved to Vermont, where Ivy Jane painted many watercolors of the surrounding nature. Ivy Jane's painting went through several stages during her career; watercolor landscapes, magic realism and a series titled "Women of the Old Testament." Having turned 100 years in February, Ivy Jane resides in a Quaker retirement community near Philadelphia and continues to make art to this day.

Object labels from the exhibition

George William Edmondson (1837-1913)

The Drinker's Progress

c. 1875

Stereographs

Collection of Michael Edmondson and Brad Edmondson

 

"Satan in his Laboratory Compounding Alcoholic Beverages"

 

"First Drink at a Fashionable Party"

 

 

George William Edmondson (1837-1913)

The Drinker's Progress

c. 1875

Stereographs

Collection of Brad Edmondson

 

"First Drink at Public Bar"

 

"First Intoxication-Bachelor's Carouse"

 

 

George William Edmondson (1837-1913)

The Drinker's Progress

c. 1875

Stereographs

Collection of Brad Edmondson

 

"Out for a Night of It"

 

"Caught in the Toils"

 

 

George William Edmondson (1837-1913)

The Drinker's Progress

c. 1875

Stereographs

Collection of Brad Edmondson

 

"Gets Into Trouble"

 

"He Resolves to Retrieve His Fortune at Cards"

 

 

George William Edmondson (1837-1913)

The Drinker's Progress

c. 1875

Stereographs

Collection of Brad Edmondson

 

"He is 'Cleaned Out'"

 

"Commits Murder for Gain"

 

 

George William Edmondson (1837-1913)

The Drinker's Progress

c. 1875

Stereographs

Collection of Brad Edmondson

 

"Delirium Tremens"

 

"The Bitter End-Pauper Coffin"

 

 

George William Edmondson (1837-1913)

Lakeside Camp Meeting Scenes

c. 1875

Stereographs

Collection of S. Frederick Starr

 

"Instantaneous-Views Toward Dock"

 

"The Child Preacher"

 

Lakeside, a "Chautauqua on Lake Erie," was conceived by members of the local Methodist Episcopal Church as a camp meeting location and a summer resort for Christian families. George W. Edmondson was a member of the community and documented it through numerous photographic series.

 

 

George William Edmondson (1837-1913)

c. 1875

Stereographs

Collection of S. Frederick Starr

 

View of Lakeside Hotel

From one of two series by Edmondson-either "Picturesque Lakeside" or "Lakeside Past and Present," this photograph was taken shortly after the hotel was completed.

 

(Untitled) Floral bouquet with Portraits

Here Edmondson demonstrates his unique printing abilities and plays with the stereographic medium.

 

The Drinker's Progress

 

One of Edmondson's most delightful series depicts a young man's sad demise as he succumbs to "the drink." We begin with Satan himself mixing alcohol in his lair and follow the poor chap as he begins drinking at parties and quickly turns to a life of debauchery, gambling, and crime. In the end he dies a pauper-with only his dog to mourn him!

 

A staunch moralist, George Edmondson came from a long line of Quakers, though he eventually became a Methodist. However Edmondson also maintained a wild side in his fascination with gypsies-he was known to disappear for days at a time when bands of gypsies had come to town.

 

 

George William Edmondson (1837-1913)

Methodist Camp Banquet

185

Watercolor on paper

Collection of Melissa Bausman

 

A resident of Lakeside, a Christian resort community, Edmondson depicted camp meetings in stereographic photos as well as paintings. Lakeside's first auditorium was not completed until 1878, before which camp meetings were held outdoors and in tents.

 

 

George William Edmondson (1837-1913)

Gypsies at Campfire

c. 1854

Watercolor on paper

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

Edmondson maintained a life-long fascination with gypsies. Despite being a married man and a stern moralist, he would often join up with local gypsies for days at a time!

 

 

George William Edmondson (1837-1913)

Queenswood College, Hants.

c. 1840

Blue ink and wash on paper

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Dancers

Bronze, c. 1980

Collection of Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Go-kart Driver

Bronze, c. 1970

Collection of Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

My Old Parents

Egg tempera on board, 1943

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Naomi and Ruth

(from Old Testament Women series)

Oil on linen, c. 1985

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Delilah and Samson

(from Old Testament Women series)

Oil on linen, c. 1985

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Rachel and Leah See Jacob

(from Old Testament Women Series)

Oil on canvas, c. 1985

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Miriam, Baby Moses, and the Princess

(from Old Testament Women Series)

Oil on canvas, c. 1985

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

David Meets Abigail

(from Old Testament Women series)

Oil on linen, 1996

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

What the Frogs are Telling Us

Oil on linen, 1994

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Winter in Vermont

Watercolor on paper, c. 1975

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Walkers' Sugarbush, VT

Watercolor on paper, c. 1960

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

A sugar bush is an area of forest dominated by sugar or black maple trees from where large amounts of maple syrup can be harvested.

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

After Berkeley Hills Fire

Oil on linen, 1991

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Birch Tree in Winter, VT

Watercolor on paper, 1979

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Tree with Broken Branch

Watercolor on paper, c. 1960

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Bathers on a Log (Diana and George at Windcrest, Mentor-on-the-Lake, OH)

Watercolor on paper, 1948

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

January Thaw, Underhill Center, VT

Oil on linen, c. 1977

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Snow Thaw

Watercolor on paper, c. 1980

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

October Blow

Watercolor on paper, c. 1970

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

A Life (Rulers, Wars and Nature)

Collage and watercolor on paper, not dated Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Yale Law School Graduation, May 25, 1998

Oil on linen, 1998

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Just Too Many of Us

Oil on Canvas, 1993

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Self-Portrait

Oil on masonite, c. 1940

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Stephen Z. Starr (Reading at Home on Langdon Farm Rd., Cincinnati, OH)

Oil on masonite, c. 1944

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Diana at Lake Erie

Watercolor on paper, c. 1950

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Child Holding a Pet

Grey marble on wood base, c. 1960

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Sacred Grove

Ceramic, c. 1980

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr (b. 1909)

Crouching Female Figure

White marble, c. 1977

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

William John Edmondson (1868-1966)

Student Self-Portrait

Oil on board, 1894

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

William John Edmondson (1868-1966)

Portrait of Ora Coltman

Oil on canvas, 1925

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

Edmondson asked this fellow artist and sitter to pose for the portrait in his blue painter's smock.

 

 

William John Edmondson (1868-1966)

Valley Landscape with Town and Church

Oil on canvas, c. 1920

Collection of the Union Club of Cleveland

 

 

William John Edmondson (1868-1966)

A Village Near Williamstown, MA

Oil on canvas, c. 1920

Collection of James S. and Cynthia P. Gascoigne

 

 

William John Edmondson (1868-1966)

Late Afternoon

Oil on board, c. 1920

Collection of James I.W. Corcoran

 

William John Edmondson (1868-1966)

Untitled (Landscape with horse)

Oil on masonite, c. 1920

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

William John Edmondson (1868-1966)

Untitled (At the lake)

Oil on masonite, c. 1920

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

William John Edmondson (1868-1966)

Untitled (Autumn landscape)

Oil on masonite, c. 1920

Cleveland Artists Foundation Collection

 

 

William John Edmondson (1868-1966)

Approach to Jacob's Ladder, Berkshire Mountains Oil on board, 1924

Collection of S. Frederick Starr

 

 

George Mountain Edmondson (1866-1948)

Lucia "Queenie" Otis, 1916

Printed c. 1963 from original glass plate negative

Courtesy of Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection

 

Daughter of prominent Cleveland businessman, Charles Augustus Otis, Jr.

 

Mrs. Otis was the wife of Charles Augustus Otis Jr., a businessman who played a pivotal role in the formation of the Cleveland stock exchange and owned the two most prominent newspaper companies in Cleveland at the time. Mrs. Otis is pictured with her children, Lucia ("Queenie") and William.

 

 

George Mountain Edmondson (1866-1948)

Queenie and Tiny, c. 1916

Printed c. 1963 from original glass plate negative Courtesy of Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection

 

 

George Mountain Edmondson (1866-1948)

Mrs. C.A. Otis and Children, 1908

Printed c. 1963 from original glass plate negative Courtesy of Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection

 

 

George Mountain Edmondson (1866-1948)

Harvey H. Brown and Grandchildren, c. 1900

Printed c. 1963 from original glass plate negative

Courtesy of Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection

 

Brown, a native Clevelander, became the president of the Northwestern Transportation Company in 1876. This company was the oldest and most important involved in lake transportation. Out of respect for Brown, the company's largest ship was named the "Harvey H. Brown" and one of the smaller ships was named for his grandson, Fayette Brown. Fayette is pictured here with Brown, along with his brother, Willard.

 

 

George Mountain Edmondson (1866-1948)

Interior of Charles W. and Mary Payne Bingham House, c. 1930

Printed c. 1963 from original glass plate negative

Courtesy of Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection

 

The Bingham residence was one of many "Millionaire's Row" houses photographed by George Edmondson. Located at 2445 Euclid Avenue, the home was built in 1883 by Peabody & Stearns -- the New York-based architects' only residential commission in Cleveland.

 

Bingham served as president of the Standard Tool Company. He was also a trustee of the Western Reserve Historical Society and served as the treasurer for the Case Library. Throughout his life he donated liberally to the Cleveland Museum of Art.

 

 

George Mountain Edmondson (1866-1948)

Miss Hanna (full name unknown), 1920

Printed c. 1963 from original glass plate negative

Courtesy of Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection

 

 

George Mountain Edmondson (1866-1948)

Constance Hanna, 1914

Printed c. 1963 from original glass plate negative

Courtesy of Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection

 

 

George Mountain Edmondson (1866-1948)

Four Generations of Mathers, 1911

Printed c. 1963 from original glass plate negative

Courtesy of Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection

 

The Mather family is an old Cleveland family involved in many of the companies that flourished in Cleveland at the turn of the century. The Mather's were active philanthropists, each generation donating large sums of money to Case Western Reserve University and other Cleveland organizations.

 

 

George Mountain Edmondson (1866-1948)

Charles Brush (1849-1929), c. 1900

Printed c. 1963 from original glass plate negative, Courtesy of Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection

 

Brush, an inventor and entrepreneur, was born on a farm in Euclid Township, Ohio, where he fostered his interest in science, especially in the experiments with arc light. He studied engineering at the University of Michigan, and in 1876 he received the funding to design an electric generator for powering arc lights. Brush sold his systems to several cities to provide the first public electrical lighting, and by 1879 he had established power plants throughout England and the United States. His house on Euclid Avenue was the first home in Cleveland to have electricity.

 

 

George Mountain Edmondson (1866-1948)

Hanna-McKinley Dinner Party, c. 1900

Reprint from first generation print

Collection of Ivy Jane Edmondson Starr

 

A grand dinner party given by Marcus Hanna (seated at the far left) with President William McKinley in attendance (fourth from right, looking into camera)

 

 

George Mountain Edmondson (1866-1948)

Alice Wade (Mrs. Sylvester T.) Everett, 1915

Printed c. 1963 from original glass plate negative

Courtesy of Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection

 

Granddaughter of Jeptha Wade, Alice Wade married Sylvester T. Everett, a Cleveland financier, in 1876. Though she was twenty years his junior at the time, the couple's union was remarkable in that the two married for love rather than according to social agendas -- Everett frequently took his bride on picnics and sleigh rides. He went so far as to have a windowless and soundproofed sitting room built in their home for Alice, who was deathly afraid of thunderstorms.

 

 

George Mountain Edmondson (1866-1948)

John L. Severance (1863-1936), c. 1900

Printed c. 1963 from original glass plate negative

Courtesy of Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection

 

Severance was born in Cleveland and lived there his entire life. After graduating from Oberlin College, he worked for Standard Oil Company until he aided in the formation of American Linseed Co., a paint and varnish company. Severance was also instrumental in the formation of several other Cleveland-based companies. Severance was the president of the Cleveland Museum of Art and Musical Arts Association and he was a liberal benefactor to the arts in Cleveland. Severance Hall, the home of the Cleveland Orchestra, bears his name because of his generous donations to the organization.

 

 

George Mountain Edmondson (1866-1948)

John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), 1910

Printed c. 1963 from original glass plate negative

Courtesy of Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection

 

Rockefeller was born in Richford, New York and moved to Strongsville when he was 13 years old. In 1870, he co-founded the Standard Oil Company. As oil and gasoline became more and more important, Rockefeller soon became the world's richest man and the first American billionaire. His company gained complete control over the U.S. oil industry until the Supreme Court ordered that it be broken up to put an end to its monopoly over the industry. Throughout his life, Rockefeller donated huge sums of his earning to charities and philanthropic organizations worldwide.

 

 

George Mountain Edmondson (1866-1948)

Laura Spelman (Mrs. John D.) Rockefeller, 1908

Printed c. 1963 from original glass plate negative

Courtesy of Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection

 

Laura was born in Wadsworth, Ohio into a family that was active in their church and in the Underground Railroad. When they moved to Cleveland Laura met John D. Rockefeller in an accounting class and they were married in 1864. After her marriage, Laura remained active in her Church and devoted much of her time and money to philanthropy. Spelman College, a historically black liberal arts college for women in Georgia, is named for her maiden name.

 

 

George Mountain Edmondson (1866-1948)

Hanna-McCormick Bridal Table, 1903

Printed c. 1963 from original glass plate negative

Courtesy of Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection

 

The marriage of Ruth Hanna to Joseph Medill McCormick joined two very prominent Midwestern families-the Hannas of Cleveland and the McCormicks of Chicago. Ruth Hanna McCormick went on to become a member of the United States House of Representatives, the first women elected to Congress from Illinois.

Images of objects from the exhibition

To view images page 1 please click here

To view images page 2 please click here

To view images page 3 please click here

RL readers may also enjoy:

• Art in the Veins: The Legacy of the Edmondson Family in Cleveland; essay By S. Frederick Starr (8/6/09)
• Three Generation of Moralists; essay By Henry Adams (8/6/09
• Ohio Art History
• Midwest Art: 20-21st Century

rev. 8/6/09

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