Hildegarde Hume Hamilton (1898-1970)
By Debbie Hughes, granddaughter of Hildegarde Hume Hamilton, written in 2004.
Growing up, I remember with fondness the visits to Hildegarde’s house in Fort Lauderdale. She lived in a small house in front of a canal with a huge banyan tree in the front yard. The house always smelled of oil paint and her paintings were stacked up everywhere, on the mantel, on the furniture, walls – all the way to the ceiling, occupying every available space. The minute we’d arrived she would occupy us with discourse and stories. During the day we’d enjoy the beaches with her, at night the restaurants that often had her paintings lining their walls as well.
My grandmother had a rich and colorful story behind most every painting she did – not that unusual since she travelled the globe painting landscapes her entire adult life. My mom and uncle accompanied her on these journeys, largely due to the fact that they had no choice in the matter, it seems that Hildegarde’s painting always came first. In writing the biography below, I extend many thanks to Manuel E. Flores, John Nettles, my uncle Hume Hamilton, Suzann Kruthaupt, and the privately compiled 1978 Gables Art Gallery Chronology which I have used as a basis for my research along with piles of papers, letters and photos that I have gone through. Also, much heartfelt thanks to my mom, Meldegonde Giles for all of her memories and input. At the end of this page I have also listed quite a few notable collectors who own Hildegarde’s paintings as well as a list of “Firsts” for a woman artist of her time.
Hildegarde Hume Hamilton was born Sept. 11, 1898 at the House of the Good Shepherd, Syracuse, New York – daughter to Maude Hume Hamilton and Dr. James Henry Hamilton, who taught Economics, Sociology and Political Economics at Syracuse University from 1896 to 1903. He also lived and worked at The University Settlement in N.Y. He and Maude, from Clinton, New York, married in 1890 and resided in Syracuse, NY.
In 1901 Hildegarde’s mother Maude drowned – an apparent suicide, but there are no details about the circumstances. Hildegarde lived with her father until 1904, then was placed in the home of her aunt and uncle, Mr. & Mrs. Lindsey Best in Plainfield, New Jersey. There she attended school until the 5th grade. By 1908, her father had taken Hildegarde to Geneva, Switzerland, and Florence, Italy, and she had decided she really wanted to be a painter. Her father made the decision to take her back abroad in 1909 where she received art training in Geneva, Florence and Berlin under various tutors for three years. She returned to New Jersey to finish high school and during this period attended the Art Students League in New York and studied with the Summer Landscape School in Woodstock. In 1921 she received her B.A. from The University of Arizona.
From 1921 to 1926 Hildegarde returned to Europe to study at the Academie Julian, Academi Colarossi, Ecole des Beaux Arts, and the Academie de la Grand Chaumiere, all in Paris. Other schools were the L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Toulouse; Acadamia de Bellas Artes, Sevilla, Spain; and Harvey and Proctor School of Modern Landscape Painting, Newlyn, Cornwall, England. She returned to the U.S. and studied briefly at John Herron Art Institute, Indianapolis, Indiana; Cincinnati Art Academy, Cincinnati, Ohio and under Anthony Thieme, Rockport, Massachusetts.
Sometime in her trip to France before 1926, Hildegarde met Captain Lucien Hobart Ryland aboard a ship on its way to Grenoble, France. A gentleman of an old Virginia family, Hobart, who had fought in World War I, was at this point in time on his way to study at the University of Grenoble. Later he would become a professor of Romance Languages at the Virginia Military Institute. Hildegarde was going to Grenoble to study and paint. They spent time together there and met up with Hildegarde’s father in Paris; her father was so impressed with him that he gave his consent for marriage. A month later Hobart proposed and upon returning to the states in 1926, they were married at The University Settlement in New York, where Hildegard’s father had lived and worked for so many years.
By the first winter after her marriage Hildegarde had sold 300 landscapes. In 1927 Hildegarde exhibited work in Virginia, Indiana, Washington D.C. (The Women’s Welfare Conference), Paris (The Exhibition of Modern Artists), Grenoble and Nice (The First Salon of Women Painters) and on the Steamship Hamburg on its voyage across the Atlantic. She reportedly exhibited paintings on the First, Second and Third Class levels of the ship so that everyone on board could view them (she would later continue this type of exhibiting – always on the way home from Europe if she were granted permission from the Captain). Upon her return from Europe, Hildegarde made her debut in New York at Ainslie Galleries, 677 Fifth Ave. with a one-person show. She exhibited 33 French Alpine scenes. She met with much success and sold quite a few pieces. This same year she went on to have many more exhibits in New York at various galleries, hotels, libraries and at the University Settlement.
In 1928, Hildegarde had a show at the Women’s National Party Headquarters on First Street. Vice President Charles Gates Dawes (an old friend of the family) gave Hildegarde much encouragement and purchased one of her paintings. June 1928, Hildegarde and Hobart sailed for France, where she painted and exhibited in many Continental Art Societies, and he obtained a Doctorate in the Romance Languages at the Sorbonne in Paris. October 22 – November 2, 1928 – Hildegarde had a show at the leading gallery in France – Galerie Bernheim Jeune in Paris. This gallery included much of the estate of the late Georges Pierre Seurat. Hildegarde’s exhibit consisted of 47 paintings of landscapes and cities in Switzerland, Franche-Comte, Paris, Grenoble, the Chateau of Chillon, Mont Blanc and a major canvas – a view of the ruins that survive above Sassenage. The exhibit was viewed by the various embassies, American Women’s Club, the Beaux Arts, journalist reporters, members of the Legion of Honor – all of whom spoke in praise of the exhibit. It was reviewed by The New York Herald, Paris Art Notes by Georges Bal, the magazine “Intransieance – Les Arts” and the Magazine “Les Artiste D’ Aujourd’ Hui.”
In 1929 Hildegarde was the first American woman to exhibit at Philip Dillon’s Club “L’Artistique” at Provence. She also exhibited at the Fortieth Salon of the Societe des Artistes Independents in Paris, the Galerie Alban, Monte Carlo and the Society of Modern Artists, Paris. In this year, Hildegarde gave birth to her first child, Meldagonde, in Marseille, France. Again on her return home from Europe, Hildegarde exhibited her paintings aboard a ship, this time on the S.S. Vulcania. She arrived in New York in August with her new baby, her husband, four Siamese cats and 300 paintings which were packed in the automobile they had used in Europe. In 1930 Hildegarde exhibited mostly in Washington D.C. at the Carlton Hotel through the Art Promoters Club, of which she was a member. She also had exhibits in New York at the Grand Central Palace, American – Anderson Galleries on 30 East 57th St. and the Huntington Bay and Yacht Clubs. Her gallery shows at this time included paintings of Italy, France, Switzerland, Greece, Yugoslavia and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Hildegarde and family lived at 9 Gramercy Park at this time.
In late July of this year she departed once again for Europe with her husband, daughter Meldagonde and her father. In October in Paris she gave birth to her second child, Hume. The family stayed in Europe till the following year. In January or February 1931, Hildegarde met Rudyard Kipling. He wrote to her on April 25 from Aix-en-Provenance, praising her paintings. Kipling acquired one of Hildegarde’s paintings later, which was a study of a fountain in Aix-en-Provenance. In the spring, Hildegarde painted in Ajaccio and Corsica, in the summer she painted in Jeroma, Northern Spain. During this same time period 1930-31, Hobart had written a book titled Francois Fabie (Fabre) – a story about a peasant poet. It was published in France in 1931 and translated into several languages. Hildegarde supplied illustrations of French subjects for the book.
In the fall of 1931 Hildegarde and family returned to the U.S. From 1932 – 1933, she had shows in New York, New Jersey, and Washington D.C. Also in 1932 she was elected a non-resident member of the National Arts Club in New York City and given her own gallery space at 15 Gramercy Park. In 1933, she again sailed for Europe. From 1933-35 she had shows in Constantinople, Turkey; American College, Sophia, Bulgaria; Heidelberg University, Germany and on the Steamship “Washington.” While in Istanbul, Hildegarde was admitted into a Turkish harem to paint the slaves, apparently the only artist from the states allowed to do this. She was also granted permission to paint in a Mohammedan Harem in Tangier but was not allowed to sell the paintings. Shortly afterwards she was allowed to paint in the royal palace gardens at Seville – the first woman artist allowed to do this. She returned to America with 150 paintings and resumed exhibits in New York and Washington D.C. The scenes in these pieces were of Seville, Spain, Faro, Tetuan, Nuremberg, Palma, Budapest and Istanbul.
In October of 1935, Hildegarde received a letter from Pearl Buck who saw her paintings at the Pen and Brush Club in New York and offered praise. (Again, another letter that seems to have disappeared from the archives, but one which I did personally see). In June of 1936, Hildegarde sailed for Europe to paint scenes along the Dalmation Coast, Austria, Budapest and Switzerland. In November she returned to exhibit at the Pen and Brush club.
In 1937, Hildegarde bought a home on the Tarpon River in Fort Lauderdale as a vacation home; several years later this home became her permanent home and studio. From 1938 to 1943 Hildegarde experienced her darkest times. In 1938, she and Hobart divorced. My mom said that they simply didn’t get along. He moved back to Virginia and started another family. Hildegarde remained in New York with her two children. In 1939, she received the news that her father had died. Hildegarde suffered a nervous breakdown and was confined to a mental hospital for a year. Meldagonde and Hume were sent to live with their father and step-family.
The biography that I have leaves out many details on what happened at this time. I know from my mom that Hildegarde was very close to her father; on their trips to Europe they spent most of their time together. Hildegarde didn’t resume painting until 1943 when she chose to paint West Point from the River, where Hobart had been an instructor during the War years. From 1943 on Hildegarde resumed painting and exhibiting – mostly shows in New York. In 1946 she started spending her summers in Nassau and would continue doing this the remainder of her life. Her work would lead her from Nassau to Abaco, Eleuthera, Spanish Wells, Exuma, Grand Bahama and other outer islands. In 1949 she had her first show in Nassau.
In 1954 during her summers in Nassau, Hildegarde would exhibit at The Lucerne Hotel every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon. From 1954-55, while her son Hume was stationed in the U.S. Army in Germany, Hildegarde followed him to Europe where she painted in Venice, the French Alps, Paris, Germany and throughout the continent. During his leaves they traveled and painted together. In the fall of 1955, Hildegarde had a show at the National Arts Club at 15 Gramercy Park, New York. Her exhibit included most of the work she did in Europe as well as paintings from Nassau. She continued to exhibit in both New York and Nassau and even had one exhibit in Lima Peru in 1963 at the Galerias Ivaldi. In the summer of 1965 she returned to Europe to paint in London, Wales, Belgium, Paris, and Lisbon.
In the spring of 1966 she traveled to Malta, Palermo, Tripoli and Rome. She was written up in the Malta News, June 3rd 1966. Upon her return to the U.S. Hildegarde was featured in a story by Terry Frost in the Miami Herald, dated July 26, 1966 and titled “If there’s no answer she’s in another country.” In the spring of 1967, Hildegarde travelled to Rio de Janeiro and then on to Argentina. In 1968 she exhibited in Nassau – mostly at the Carlton House. In 1969 she travelled to Equador and in that same year she traveled to New York in the fall to exhibit paintings at the Hotel Irving. From December 30 – January 4, 1970 Hildegarde had a show at the Pen and Brush Club in New York. The exhibit included scenes of Equador. This was Hildegarde’s last exhibit. In New York Hildegarde had a stroke and became disoriented. She had traveled alone and her son, Hume had to drive up and bring her back home to Fort Lauderdale. She was hospitalized at Broward General Medical Center. The rest of the family traveled down to see her; we lived in Atlanta at this time.
On January 22nd, 1970 Hildegarde died in her sleep. The cause of death was a heart condition resulting from pneumonia and various complications. It was quite sudden for all us, considering how energetic and strong she was the last time we had seen her. We had also wondered if Hildegarde had a traumatic experience in New York, because she kept repeating that someone had been trying to steal her paintings there. We never knew exactly what happened. She was missed very much by all of us, especially me – I was twelve at the time.
A partial listing of works in public and private collections: Eaton Gallery, New York City; Hall of Art, New York City; Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia; Vice President Charles Gates Dawes; The Allen Collection, Florida; Sir Bede Clifford, Governor of the Bahamas ; Governor and Lady Grey, Nassau, Bahamas ; Sir Robert Neville, Governor of the Bahamas; Indian Students Club, Darwin’s House, London; American Church of Paris; Societe des Beaux Arts, Paris; Rudyard Kipling, English novelist and poet, 1865-1936. These names were culled from articles in newspapers, and they are but a few of the thousands of people worldwide that acquired her works over the years. There are still a good number of paintings in her house in Fort Lauderdale and I have acquired a number of them as well. Hildegarde was also listed in editions of Who’s Who in Art, Who’s who in American Art, Who’s Who in the Southeast, E. Benezit, Paris and Enciclopedia Del Arte En America, Buenos Aires, and she held memberships in over thirty art organizations worldwide.
Information courtesy of Charlton Hall Galleries