Brian Cullen | Story
“If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.” –Edward Hopper
Five Paintings - Five Olympic Tales A visit to the newly restored Victorian mansion, the Hamilton-Worthington House, in Quilcene, just might indeed leave you speechless. One of the final acts in this remarkable decade-long volunteer project by the Quilcene Historical Museum is the hosting of a painting collection by Northwest artists whose heydays coincided with that of the mansion. The sixteen painting collection is on loan from Allan and Mary Kollar of A.J. Kollar Fine Paintings, LLC. Both Allan and Mary, volunteers since 2011, share a commitment to the cultural and educational mission of Worthington Park. They are also in large part responsible for the historical furnishings in the mansion. “We would like to thank the Kollars for the loan of these lovely paintings and for the amazing support they have given the project since 2011,” said the new Chair of the Museum, Christine Satterlee. The Museum is exploring ways now to showcase the mansion interiors, including this extraordinary art collection, to the public in 2021. What follows are five representative paintings culled from the collection for their significance. Women artists of the 19th and early 20th century had an uphill battle in a world of practicing artists. The Academies were founded by men. The exhibitions were judged by men. Women had to rise above the norm to break into art establishments. The Hamilton-Worthington House is exhibiting four paintings by three women
artists of the period: Abby Hill, Harriet Beecher, and Eliza Barchus. Two of those artists’ works are profiled here: Abby Hill (Am. 1861-1943)
Cedars Above Trout Lake, Mt Adams Abby Hill moved to Tacoma, Washington from Iowa in 1889. She exhibited her art in the 1893 Columbian Exposition at the Chicago World’s Fair, the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, the 1905 Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland, and in many other national art exhibitions. She won two gold medals in the 1909 Alaska-Yukon Pacific Exposition in Seattle. Her great fame was established by her numerous landscape commissions from the Northern Pacific and Great Northern Railways to promote tourism. She left her personal painting inventory to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA.
Abby Hill, Cedars Above Trout Lake, Mt Adams photo: Jeff Childs
Harriet Foster Beecher (Am. 1854-1915)
Pondering, 1895 Harriet Beecher moved from Indiana to San Francisco to study at the School of Design. She moved to Port Townsend in 1880, and later moved to Seattle in 1893. Beecher was considered one of the most noted female artists of the 19th and 20th century in America. She was one of the first women artists to be selected to serve on the Panama-Pacific International Exposition’s Advisory Board.
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