CATALOG NUMBER:  OLST 473

DESCRIPTION:

THIS IS A BLACK-AND-WHITE RECTANGULAR LITHOGRAPH IN LANDSCAPE ORIENTATION, SHOWING THE OLD STONE HOUSE FROM A PERSPECTIVE ACROSS M STREET.  IT ALSO SHOWS THE PARKING LOT WHERE THE GARDEN IS NOW, AS WELL AS PART OF THE ADJACENT BUILDING.  IT IS SIGNED BY CAROLINE VAN H. BEAN (A WELL-KNOWN ARTIST, ACCORDING TO THE IDENTIFIER--SEE ARTIST/MAKER FIELD FOR MORE INFORMATION) AND DATED 1947.  THE FRAME IS AN ORDINARY RECTANGULAR WOOD FRAME WITH GOLD-COLORED TRIM; THE PRINT IS COVERED WITH GLASS.   THERE IS A WIRE PICTURE HANGER ON THE BACK.

THE PRINT DOES NOT HAVE A MAT, BUT THE BACKGROUND OF THE PRINT IS YELLOW, AND STANDS OUT FROM THE WHITE OF THE PAPER.  SINCE THIS BACKGROUND IS RECTANGULAR AND HAS A VERY DEFINITE EDGE (LIKE THE LITHOGRAPHIC STONE THAT WAS PRESSED AGAINST THE PAPER TO CREATE THE PRINT), THE PRINT APPEARS TO BE MATTED AT FIRST GLANCE.

CONDITION:  COMPLETE/GOOD

CONDITION DESCRIPTION:  GLASS CRACKED, LOWER RIGHT

ARTIST/MAKER:

NAME:  BEAN, CAROLINE/CAROLYN VAN H./BLOMMERS/BINYON

BIRTH YEAR:  1877

DEATH YEAR:  1980

PRODUCTIVE YEARS:  C. 1947

NOTES:  LIVED IN GEORGETOWN NEIGHBORHOOD, WASHINGTON, DC, USA.  NAME SOMETIMES SPELLED "CAROLYN" AND SOMETIMES "CAROLINE" (ON OLST 473, NAME IS "CAROLINE")

ACCOMPLISHMENTS (KNOWN):  THE PRINT OF THE OLD STONE HOUSE IN THE 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY WAS DRAWN BY CAROLYN VAN HOOK BINYON BLOMMERS, NEE BEAN.  SHE WAS BORN IN WASHINGTON IN 1879, AND SHOWED AN INTEREST IN ART AT AN EARLY AGE, HAVING HER FIRST EXHIBIT AT AGE 7 IN DC'S COSMOS CLUB (HER FATHER WAS THE CLUB PRESIDENT).  SHE LATER STUDIED IN EUROPE WITH WILLIAM MERRITT CHASE, JOHN SINGER SARGENT, AND A DUTCH ARTIST NAMED BART BLOMMERS, TO WHOM SHE WAS BRIEFLY MARRIED.  SHE MOVED TO NEW YORK IN 1905 TO STUDY AT THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF DESIGN, THEN RETURNED PERMANENTLY TO WASHINGTON IN 1921 (EXCEPT FOR A FEW YEARS IN NEW YORK IN THE 1940'S) AND REMARRIED THERE TO A CAPT. ALGERNON BINYON.  SHE IS KNOWN FOR MANY IMAGES OF WASHINGTON, AND EXHIBITED AT THE CORCORAN, THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO, AND PRIVATE COMMERCIAL GALLERIES.  SHE WORKED AS A HOUSE REMODELER WHEN SHE WAS NOT PAINTING AND DRAWING, AND DIRECTED THE REMODELING OF SEVERAL HOUSES IN GEORGETOWN.  SHE DIED IN A NURSING HOME IN 1980.  (HER FIRST NAME IS SPELLED CAROLINE IN SOME OF THE SOURCES, AND CAROLYN IN OTHERS.)

SOURCES:

"BINYON, CAROLYN VAN HOOK (NEE BEAN) BLOMMERS," IN VIRGIL MCMAHAN, THE ARTISTS OF WASHINGTON, DC 1796-1996: A STUDY OF PAINTERS, SCULPTORS, AND ENGRAVERS, WASHINGTON: ARTISTS OF WASHINGTON, DC, 1995, PP. 20-21.

NO AUTHOR LISTED.  "CAROLINE BEAN RETURNS: ARTIST ESTABLISHES STUDIO HERE AFTER TWO-YEAR TOUR."  WASHINGTON STAR, WASHINGTON, DC, MARCH 3, 1940.

SMITH, GRETCHEN.  "CAROLINE BEAN'S ARTISTRY BEGAN ON WRAPPING PAPER; RECOGNITION OF TALENT AT EARLY AGE LED TO HER STUDIES IN DRAWING AND PAINTING ABROAD."  WASHINGTON STAR, FEB. 25, 1940.

UNTITLED CLIPPING INCLUDING PICTURE OF CAROLINE BEAN AND REPRODUCTION OF A WORK BY HER.  INCLUDED IN WASHINGTONIANA ROOM PERSONAL FILE FOR BEAN.

WHITE, JOHN.  "DID YOU HAPPEN TO SEE CAROLINE VAN H. BEAN?"  WASHINGTON TIMES-HERALD, WASHINGTON, DC, APRIL 13, 1948.

YOUNG AMELIA.  "‘HUMBUG' SAID JOHN S. SARGENT."  WASHINGTON STAR, APRIL 12, 1964.

ALL OF THE ABOVE SOURCES WERE FOUND IN THE WASHINGTONIANA ROOM OF THE MARTIN LUTHER KING LIBRARY, WASHINGTON, DC.

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DIMENSIONS:  H 50.8, W 54.8 CM (INCL. FRAME)