Celia Thaxter: an exhibit of her work at The New Hampshire Historical Society

One Woman’s Work

The Visual Art of Celia Laighton Thaxter

An exhibition at the NH Historical Society, Concord, NH
May 4 - October 19, 2002

by Patricia L. Cummings

Celia Thaxter (1835-1894), a celebrated painter, poet and writer, born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, shared the beauty of her world through her art, and has left us many examples of her artistic vision, both in words and in images. She not only rendered skillful watercolor book illustrations which complemented her own prose and poetry, but she would also decorate personal letters with elaborate motifs. One simple but nonetheless beautiful design is an autumn leaf that she included on the first page of a letter to her grandfather. In all, there are sixty examples of Celia’s fine work in this wonderful exhibit currently on display.

As she traveled the world, she brought along a small sketchbook. These drawings were later used as a starting point for her realistic botanical paintings on china. In addition to composing original poetry and prose about the natural world, lost love, the graves of shipwrecked sailors and other topics, Celia was the recognized leader of a band of artists who spent their summers at Appledore Island which is located within the Isle of Shoals, ten miles off the coast of New Hampshire.

n her work with china painting, she preferred themes of olive branches, scarlet pimpernel, and seaweed. Her teacups were quite unusual in that they had the configuration of a butterfly to form the handles. There are many examples of her china painting in the exhibit, including some pieces borrowed from other historical institutions. A china basket with seaweed ornamentation has a beautiful handle and was one of the more unusual and charming pieces shown.

A photograph of her parlor, taken circa 1885, shows a typically Victorian room replete with lots of fringe trim and the cluttered look of “more is better,” with every surface, including the walls, decorated so that there is barely a blank space. An easel sits there ready for use, and an Oriental rug graces the floor. There are fans all around the room, including at the top of her easel, so popular at the time when anything “Oriental” was in vogue. Textiles and needlework can be seen, too, including a fringed tablecloth, and what appears to be a needlepoint canvas picture in progress draped over a small stand.

An obituary printed in The States and Union, Portsmouth, NH,
August 30, 1894 announces Celia’s death. A reprint of that column is shared in a current Souvenir paper called The Steamship Log, available at the exhibit. The short obituary subheadings note that she died suddenly at the Isle of Shoals, that she was a “famed woman.” The notice also predicts that “the author of many sweet poems will live forever.”

As long as we remember Celia Thaxter, she will indeed live on not only through her works but also through her legacy of having imparted beauty to our world in ways that are still relevant today. Please keep in mind that this is only a thumbnail sketch of Celia’s life. The Museum of NH History’s gift shop has a number of books available on the subject. For more information, call 603/228-6688 or write: Tuck Library, 30 Park Street, Concord, NH, or see the Museum’s website at www.nhhistory.org

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