Alice Brown Chittenden

San Francisco Call, December 12, 1892, p.8,c.3

Mrs. Chittenden’s Work

One of the most exquisite paintings at the World’s Fair will be a group of chrysanthemums carelessly scattered on the floor as they were thrown out of the baskets in which they were sent from the garden.

They are of all colors and shades of colors from dead white to deep crimson or dark yellow, and the delicate fronds have been reproduced in the painting with marvelous fidelity.

In the case of two or three of them the impulse is strong to pluck them so realistic is the work and so beautiful is the whole effect when seen with a fair light in the studio.

The artist is Mrs. Alice B. Chittenden, so well known in this city for the excellence of her canvases and the richness of her coloring in flower work.

Mrs. Chittenden is really self-taught as far as her specialty is concerned, having only studied portrait painting in the art school under the late Virgil Williams.

Afterward she from love of them undertook to paint the native wild flowers of the State, and so good was her success that she went in for more ambitious work and has painted some wonderful roses, peonies, pelargoniums and other flowers that have been awarded the highest prizes wherever exhibited.

When at the art school Mrs. Chittenden applied herself particularly to perfection of detail, and it is this that has given her the success she has now achieved.

At the World’s Fair she will have two paintings, one of a group of chrysanthemums and the other a group of peonies, and for form and coloring they will be excelled by no artist at the fair.

Mrs. Waite of the woman’s department was very anxious to obtain a panel for the Woman’s Pavilion painted by Mrs. Chittenden, but the work she had in hand precluded the idea of any further contributions and she was reluctantly compelled to decline.

Both the paintings for the World’s Fair will be on exhibition at the Mechanics’ Institute next month before being sent to Chicago.

Source: San Francisco Main Library