Three Pioneers of Pennsylvania Impressionism
Their Historic Stone Farmhouses
New Hope Artist Colony
#1. Artist Daniel Garber
The ca. 1799 Kenderdine House
An Indiana Farmboy in a Quaker Farmhouse:
Daniel Garber painted this Delaware River landscape in 1937. This painting, Byram Hills, Springtime, sold for $1.1 million at Sotheby’s in 2003, a record auction price for a painting of the Pennsylvania Impressionism movement.
Daniel Garber and his wife Mary Franklin Garber acquired this Kenderdine farm in 1907 and made it their home.
Images source: Portrait: Artnet, Daniel Garber Catalogue, Hollis Taggart Galleries. Painting: Sotheby’s, House: Lee J. Stoltzfus.
This Garber house here on Quakerhouses.com.
#2. Quaker Artist Edward Redfield
His Home:
The 1831 Mitchell Farmhouse:
Quaker artist Edward Refield and wife Elsie (Delegant) Redfield lived in this sandstone farmhouse near New Hope from 1898 until his death in 1965. He purchased this house on the Delaware Canal in 1935 and added the large window when constructing his studio. William Mitchell built the house in 1815. Mitchell was an active member of the local Baptist congregation.
Image sources: ca. 1905 Redfield portrait: The Pennsylvania Impressionists, Thomas C. Folk, (1997), Internet Archive. Painting: New Hope, ca. 1926, National Gallery of Art. House photo: Lee J. Stoltzfus.
#3. Artist William Lathrop
Living in a Quaker Farmhouse
The Miller’s House at Phillips’ Mill:
Artist William Lathrop was a founding father of the New Hope Artist Colony. He and wife Annie Sarah (Burt) Lathrop lived in a historic Quaker farmhouse / miller’s house next door to Phillips’ Mill. Their home became a social center for the local arts community. In 1929 the Phillips Mill Community Association for art exhibit and theatrical performances. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1922.
Images source: Lathrop portrait: Jim’s of Lambertville. Painting: October Evening, 1922, Cottoneau Auctions, House photo: Lee J. Stoltzfus
Afternoon Tea at the Lathrop House
The Birth of the New Hope Artist Colony:
Above: William and Anna Lathrop hosted legendary afternoon teas for their artist friends at their home at Phillips Mill. This community attracted many other artists to the New Hope neighborhood. Artists who joined this group at New Hope included Henry Snell, Mary Elizabeth Price, Charles Rosen, Robert Spencer, Fern Coppedge , Rae Sloan Bredin, and George Sotter. Photo source: The Genius Belt, The Story of the Arts in Bucks County, Michener Art Museum, (frame added).
A Quaker Grist Mill in New Hope
Becomes a Legendary Summer Stock Theater:
Thornton Wilder: 1948: Thornton Wilder starred in his own plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth. He received the Pulitzer Prize three times, including one for each of these plays.
Helen Hayes: The “First Lady of Theater” graced the stage here at least two times in the 1940s.
Grace Kelly: This acclaimed actress makes her professional stage debut here in her uncle’s play The Torch-Bearers. She returns to this theater again in 1952 after becoming one of Hollywood’s brightest stars.
Robert Redford: He performed here for the first time in 1959. Then in 1963 he performed here in the world premier of Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park.
Image sources: Theater photo: Lee J. Stoltzfus, Thornton Wilder: Open Library, Helen Hayes: Wikipedia, Grace Kelly: Wikipedia, Robert Redford: Esquire / Facebook
The Bucks County Playhouse opened in 1939 and became the crown jewel of the Pennsylvania summer stock circuit. It was a premier pre-Broadway theater with a glittering roster of alumni. Also appearing here were Angela Landsbury and Dick Van Dyke. It served as a creative hub for playwrights like George S. Kauffman and Moss Hart, who lived nearby.
