Helen Searle (1834-1884)
- Helen Searle (1834-1884)
- Still Life of Fruit, 1871
- Oil on Panel
- 8 ½ x 11 /14 inches
- Signed Helen Searle and inscribed
- Düsseldorf and dated 1871 at lower right
- Original frame
Helen Searle, though little known today, was recognized in her time as one of the most well-trained still life painters of the nineteenth century. Searle was born in Burlington, Vermont in 1834. When she turned ten, her father, an architect, moved the family to Rochester, New York. She developed an early interest in painting and in 1863, she received accolades for six still lifes she exhibited at the Babies’ Hospital Relief Bazaar in Rochester. The following year, she began to show fruit and flower pictures at the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy. These achievements contributed to her growing reputation, and she soon accepted a position as an art instructor at Mrs. Bryan’s Female Seminary at Batavia, New York. However, Searle recognized that to advance her artistic career, she needed to pursue European training.
