Susie M. Barstow: redefining the Hudson River School

Abstract

Why do we not know more of Susie Barstow? A prolific artist, Susie M. Barstow (1836-1923) was committed to expressing the majesty she found in the national landscape. She captured on canvas and paper the larger American landscape experience as it evolved across the nineteenth century. A notable figure in the field of American landscape painting, now is the time to bring forward her narrative. In Susie M. Barstow: Redefining the Hudson River School, the life and career of this fascinating artist are explored and extensively researched utilizing vast, and previously unknown, archival materials. This rare occasion to mine the depths of an artist's life through letters, dairies, photographs, and sketchbooks provides a unique opportunity to present a comprehensive study that is both art-historically significant and visually stunning. Susie M. Barstow: Redefining the Hudson River School unpacks and positions Susie 'as a prominent landscape artist, whose paintings won her wide renown,' as her obituary would confirm, and explores the manner in which she struggled, flourished, and ultimately earned her living in the arts. This is her moment.