Florence Dreyfous (October 25, 1868 – September 11, 1950) was an American painter who studied and spent most of her life in New York City.[1]

Florence Dreyfous
Born(1868-10-25)October 25, 1868
New York
DiedSeptember 11, 1950(1950-09-11) (aged 81)
Resting placeBeth Olom Cemetery (also known as Shearith Israel Cemetery), Queens, New York
NationalityAmerican
Known forSculpture

Early life and education

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Florence Dreyfous was born in New York City on October 25, 1868 to Alida Gomez Dreyfous (1833–1907) and her husband Joseph A. Dreyfous (1832–1891), both of Sephardic Jewish ancestry.[2] The family would also include daughters—Adele (1859–1879) and Gertrude (1862–1949)—and son Walter (1861–1924). Through their mother, the family would become involved in litigation against a distant relative, Horatio Gomez, who administered a family estate beginning in 1865, but never gave other family members and accounting and also entered into various below-market long-term leases, so a court appointed a referee to investigate his administration in 1891.[3]

Dreyfous studied at the Chase School of Art and with Robert Henri at the Henri School of Art, as well as with contemporary miniaturist Theodora W. Thayer(1868–1905).[4]

Career

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In 1903 and 1904, Dreyfous exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.[4] She also exhibited two of her watercolors, A boy and Mildred, at the landmark 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art.[5] Between 1916 and 1932, Dreyfous exhibited at the MacDowell Club, Society of Independent Artists, Morton Gallery in New York, Salons of America and the Opportunity Gallery, all in New York.[4] In November and December 1921, a watercolor exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum of Art also included her work.[6]

 
Florence Dreyfous - Mildred - Armory Show 1913

Death

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Dreyfous died September 11, 1950, and is buried with her parents and siblings at historic Beth Olom cemetery[7] in Queens County, New York.

References

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  1. ^ Opitz, Glenn B., Mantle Fielding's Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers, Apollo Books, Poughkeepsie, NY, 1988.
  2. ^ Record for artist Florence Dreyous, born in 1868. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 – March 31, 1925; Collection Number: ARC Identifier 583830 / MLR Number A1 534; NARA Series: M1490; Roll #: 1865.
  3. ^ "Appellate Division of the Supreme Court".
  4. ^ a b c Marian Wardle. American Women Modernists: The Legacy of Robert Henri, 1910-1945. Rutgers University Press; 2005. ISBN 978-0-8135-3684-2. p. 193.
  5. ^ Brown, Milton W., The Story of the Armory Show, The Joseph H. Hirshhorn Foundation, 1963 p. 239
  6. ^ Search: Florence Dreyfous. SIRIS. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  7. ^ "Beth Olam Cemetery".