Born in New Bedford, MA., possibly in 1837, M. Katherine Baker was a painter of flowers, still lifes, figures, and portraits. Other New Bedford artists of the period included Albert Bierstadt, William Swain, and Albert Pinkham Ryder, and Baker was no doubt influenced by the artistic ethos of her home town.

She later moved to Boston and became a member of the Boston Art Club, where she exhibited in 1887-88. She also exhibited at the National Academy of Design between 1878 and 1881, as well as in the Philadelphia Art Show in 1876.

Falk, citing Mary Blasdale (Artists of New Bedford 36) suggests that M. K. Baker might be Mary Katherine Mayo, born in Philadelphia in 1841 and adopted by David and Anna Baker of New Bedford in 1843, but that is conjecture. Writing in 1884, Clement and Hutton described her as a native of New Bedford "whose aim is the painting of figures and portraits, and who so far has devoted herself to the representation of flowers and still life" (cited by Falk).

In "Bouquet of Flowers," Baker's use of an inky black background to set off the rich color of her floral bouquet is reminiscent of the Baroque masters of the 17th century. Appropriately, the painting is presented in an ornate, gesso and gilt frame.

Provenance: Skinners, Boston, May 2007.


References:


E. Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Gravures (Grund: Paris, 1976).

Mary Jane Blasdale, Artists of New Bedford: A Biographical Dictionary, 1990.

Peter H. Falk, ed. Who was Who in American Art (Soundview Press: Madison, CT.: 1999).

Mantle Fielding, ed., Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers, 1926.

Maria Naylor, ed., A National Academy of Design Exhibition Record, 1861-1900, 1973.

Chris Petteys, A Dictionary of Women Artists born before 1900, 1985.Born in New Bedford, MA.,