Willie Betty Newman (1863-1935) was an American painter. Born on a plantation during the Civil War, she studied painting in Cincinnati, Ohio and Paris, France. She exhibited her paintings in Parisian salons in the 1890s. She established a studio in Nashville, Tennessee, in the early 1900s, where she did portraits of prominent Tennesseans, including President James K. Polk.
Willie Betty Newman | |
|---|---|
.png) Taken by J. C. Strauss, 1902 | |
| Born | January 21, 1863 Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | February 6, 1935 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Education | Soule College Greenwood Seminary |
| Alma mater | Cincinnati Art School Académie Julian |
| Occupation | Painter |
| Spouse | J. Warren Newman |
| Children | 1 son |
| Parent(s) | William Francis Betty Sophie Rucker |
Early life
editWillie Betty was born on January 21, 1863, on Maple Grove Plantation, later known as Betty Place,[1] in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.[2][3] Her father, Colonel William Francis Betty, served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War of 1861–1865.[1] Her mother, Sophie Rucker, was the daughter of Benjamine Rucker, the owner of the Maple Grove Plantation,[1] and the owner of 200 slaves.[4]
Betty was educated at the Soule College in Murfreesboro and the Greenwood Seminary in Lebanon, Tennessee.[3] She attended Thomas Satterwhite Noble's Cincinnati Art School in Cincinnati, Ohio.[2][3] She subsequently attended the Académie Julian in Paris, France.[3]
Career
editBetty Newman exhibited her paintings in Parisian salons from 1891 to 1900.[1][5]
Betty Newman became a painter in Nashville, Tennessee, in the early 1900s.[2] She did portraits of Governor James Frazier, John Trotwood Moore, Joel Creek, Mrs. James C. Bradford, James E. Caldwell, Oscar F. Noel, and other Tennesseans.[1][3] She also did portraits of James K. Polk and John C. Bell for the United States Capitol.[1][3]
Betty Newman was the recipient of the Parthenon award from the Nashville Museum of Art.[3]
Personal life, death and legacy
editBetty married J. Warren Newman on January 2, 1881.[2][3] They separated shortly after their wedding.[2][3] They had a son, William Gold Newman,[1] who was raised by relatives.[5] She died on February 6, 1935, in Nashville, Tennessee.[2]
Some of her paintings are in the permanent collection of the Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art.[3] Moreover, three of her paintings are exhibited at The Athenaeum in Columbia, Tennessee.[6] In 2002, an exhibition of her work was held at The Parthenon in Nashville's Centennial Park.[5]
References
edit
- ^ a b c d e f g Grogan, Kevin (2013). "Newman, Willie Betty". In Bonner, Judith H.; Pennington, Estill Curtis (eds.). The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Volume 21: Art and Architecture. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: UNC Press Books. pp. 392–394. ISBN 9780807837184. OCLC 61703835.
- ^ a b c d e f "Newman, Willie Betty". Tennessee Portrait Project. National Society of Colonial Dames of America in Tennessee. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kelly, James C. "Willie Betty Newman". The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Tennessee Historical Society and University of Tennessee Press. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Rucker, Benjamine, House". National Park Service. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
- ^ a b c Wibking, Angela (February 14, 2002). "An Artist Reclaimed". Nashville Scene. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
- ^ "Willie Betty Newman - Artworks". The Athenaeum. Retrieved August 27, 2016.