This image of a painting by Alice Merrill Horne, used to illustrate the article "Flowers and Feuds" in this month’s edition of 15 Bytes, was sent to us by a private collector. It isn’t signed, but there is a prominent AMH exhibition label on the painting’s back (still in original frame), where Horne lists herself as the artist, and describes the circumstances of the painting’s creation.
Horne says she painted it on the occassion of a dear friend’s death, memorializing her by painting some of her funeral flowers. This was a common enough practice at the time, something Horne’s friend Minerva Tiechert was known to do.
AMH was best known for her floral paintings. The Desert News of December 19, 1899 describes Horne’s work in the Utah Art Institute’s inaugural exhibition thus: "Among the flower paintings are some that see to give the impression of touch and perfume as well as color and form. Alice Merrill Horne’s ‘Lilacs’ have these, and the dainty grace of early spring seems to breath palpably as an atmosphere about them. A spray of roses by the same artist is one of the most exquisite bits of flower paintings in the room. One can almost feel the velvety touch and dainty scent of the half crushed leaves."
In addition to the four floral pieces by Horne, the inaugural exhibition featured over 300 works by local and national artists. At the end of this post we have included a list of the artists known to have been included in the exhibit, as well as titles and descriptions for many of their works.
Utah Art Institute First Annual Exhibition December 1899
List of Exhibitors and Works Displayed
Non-Utah Exhibiting Artists
Henry Singlewood Bisbing (1849-1933)
”The Bull at the Barrier”
Julian Rix
"Evening on the Rampopo"
Abbott Fuller Graves (1859-1936)
"Under the Beeches"
"The Silent Partner"
K. von Koutich
"Sheep in the Meadow"
Eduard Heinel (1835 – 1895)
"The Goat Herd"
Carducius Plantagenent Ream (1837 – 1917)
"Peach and Grapes"
Frank Clark Bromley (1860 – 1890)
"After a Summer Shower"
William Merritt Chase (1849-1916)
"Contemplation"
George H. Smillie (1840-1921)
"Willows at Ridgefield, Conn"
Carleton Wiggens (1847 – 1928)
"View Near Plymouth"
Yund King
"Evening Glow"
Thomas B. Craig (1849-1924)
"Autumn Days"
B.A. Desgoffe (1830-1901)
"Bric-a-brac and Rare Fabrics”
Francis Coates Jones (1857 – 1932)
"In the Woods"
art fabrics loaned by Robert J. Coleman
Utah Artists
Danquart Anthon Weggeland (1827 – 1918) [1]
"Utah Lake"
George M. Ottinger (1833 – 1917) [10]
"Rejected"
"Montezuma Notified of His Election to the Throne"
"The Bucaneers"
"Silver Lake"
"A Morning Call"
"Meeting of Genzabow and O’Koyo"
"Children of the Sun, Manco Capa & Maina Ocllo "
"Parting of Ricklyn and Konamt"
"American Fork Canyon"
"John Howard Payne, houseless and homeless, listening to his own song ‘Home Sweet Home’"
Henry L.A. Culmer (1854 – 1914) [25]
"Valley and Mountain\ Mountain and Valley"
"Snowy Summits"
"Near Walker’s Farm" (award:honorable mention)
"Poplars"
"A Wet Road in the Woods"
"The Brook"
"Cypress Point near Monterey (sold)
"Down the Valley" (watercolor – sold)
"The Light Beyond the Tower" (sold)
John B. Fairbanks (1855 – 1940) [2]
"Indian Summer" (award: honorable mention)
"Early Morning in Autumn"
John Hafen (1856 – 1910) [5]
"Feeding Bossy" [two little tots feeding a cow in back yard]
"Mountain Brook"
"Study of Grapes"
"Along the Edge of the Field" [near Midway, peasant woman walking alng edge of wheat field]
"North Fork Provo Canyon" (award: 3rd place $20) (group of trees with glimpse of snow-capped mountain]
Edwin Evans (1860 – 1946) [1]
"Ready for Harvest" (award: second place $40; sold)
James T. Harwood (1860 – 1940) [14]
"Salt Crested Rocks at Black Rock" (award: 1st place $300)
"Evening Primrose"
"Birch and Maple"
"A Turn in the Road"
"Pebbles and Snow"
"A Carpet of Snow"
"Autumn Morning in City Creek"
"Rustling Leaves"
"Moonlight Liberty Park"
(half a dozen small pictures)
Mrs. Grace Young Kerr (1866 – 1955) [19]
Fleur de Lis (watercolor)
unknown watercolor
unknown watercolor
16 pieces of art china (award: $10 for best decorated china)
George Wesley Browning (1868 – 1951) [1]
"Waning Year" (award: honorable mention) [a sunset scene in pastel]
Alice Merrill Horne (1868 – 1948) [4]
"Fleur de lis"
a study of violets
"Lilacs"
a spray of rose
Edna Wells Sloan (1869 – 1935) [1]
violets
Ernest M. Pratt (1876 – 1945) [1]
"Indian Relics" (award: second prize student)
J. Leo Fairbanks (1878 – 1946) [2]
painting [old bottle, cobwebs]
Ball Pitcher (sculpture)
Lee Green Richards (1878 – 1950) [7]
"An Old Fence" (sold)
study in still life (sold)
"The Cottage" (sold)
"Autumn"
"Portrait" (award: $10 best study by student)
"The Pied Piper of Hamelein" (poster design) (award: $10 award for best poster design)
other poster designs
Louise Richards [Farnsworth] (1878 – 1969) [2]
study of chrysanthemums
study of strawberries
Caroline S. Hardley (1878 – ? ) [3]
"The Highwayman"
"A Monk"
"A Cavalier"
Cora Ferguson [Albritton] (1879 – ?) [1]
Luke Cranshaw (1880 – ? ) [1]
"Ball Pitcher" (award: Best plaster cast $10)
J. Leo Hafen (1880 – 1942) [1]
"Peapod" (award: Warnock prize for best amateur work in photography)
J. Paul Angell (1883 – ?) [1]
plaster cast
Joseph A.F. Everett (1884 – 1945) [2]
drawings from cast
Emma C. Carson (1858 – ?) [4]
"Carnation"
"Chrsyanthemums"
"Mount Hood"
"Road Through the Forest" [donated to the Alice Art Collection]
Mrs. Selia G. Brown [1]
Dalles & Hedges [2]
architectural drawings
R.J. Coleman [1]
Mrs. L.B. Bunnell [6]
6 pieces of art china (award: 2nd prize for best china, $5)
Alfred Rordame [3]
Sigma (award: 1st place photograph) [group of three photographs]
Dr. William F. Maack [1]
"Premo" (award: 2nd place photography)
H.B. Lyman [1]
hand carved saddle
M.P. Bansmon’s[1]
Cup of Strawberries [1]
W.E. Ware [1]
architectural drawing (award: best architectural drawing)
If you would like to support this sort of scholarship please go to our 2008 Fall Fundraiser page and make a pledge of support. In the comments box on the pledge form put "Notes for Bob and Bill" and we will direct your contribution towards further scholarly work about early Utah art.
UTAH’S ART MAGAZINE SINCE 2001, 15 Bytes is published by Artists of Utah, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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