Learning to Draw in Antebellum Massachusetts

Abstract

At first glance, Eloise Richards Payne (1787–1819) would seem similar to visual art educators today: she was female, white, and native born. Her family was part of an emerging, urban middle class. As a child, Eloise probably paid attention to the visual culture surrounding her. A closer look reveals differences reflecting her gender and time period; her early art materials were probably watercolors and silk embroidery thread. Eloise’s parents were teachers who owned the Berry Street Academy in Boston, a venture or for-profit school. Before the invention of common schools, most schools were independent, with parents paying either by cash or by barter. Notwithstanding, if enough students chose not to enroll, the school soon failed.