Isabel Bishop, American painter and printmaker, 1902-1988.
Doris Caesar, American sculptor, 1892-1971, in her studio.
Betti Richard, American sculptor, born 1916, in her studio.
Helene Sardeau, American sculptor, 1899-1969, at work in her studio.
Florence Julia Bach, American painter and sculptor, 1891-1978.
Brenda Putnam, American sculptor, 1890-1975.
“All my life I knew I was loved and protected but it did not prepare me for life and what was ahead of me. The tragedies, the disappointments, the challenges and how to live with them were difficult.
“At 85, I think about life differently. I can look at my past life like watching an old silent film. I can’t change anything but I can remember and wonder and think about what if I was more prepared, stronger, wiser, more experienced. Then something inside of me says ‘forget it, try to enjoy the rest of your life.’
“That is what I am trying to do. I don’t want to waste precious days still ahead of me.”
— Regina Titus
New York Times columnist David Brooks recently reached out to readers over 70 to contribute to a new project: The Life Report. Encouraged to share life stories, failures, joy and wisdom, this collection of narratives really resonated with me; the excerpt above from 85-year-old Regina Titus left me feeling hollow, sad, hopeful, and most of all, that it needed to be shared.
I’ve really enjoyed reading every story collected. Read more remembrances at The New York Times.
And aren’t those photos amazing? More portraits of twentieth century female artists can be found via the Smithsonian Institution’s Flickr.
Man, these pictures are great, and Regina Titus – what a wise woman.
What a great collection of female artists, but what I love most of all is the quote. It really speaks to me. Thank you so much for sharing!
x E.
These photos are beautiful, almost timeless. When you think of what was happening in the world at that time, how women were perceived, it blows my mind.
Truly!
Wonderful collection of portraits of women artists! I had not seen these before. I find it so inspiring to hear older women’s perspective, and sometimes I imagine what advice I would give myself as a 90 year old woman looking back.