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MYSTERY SOLVED: The Mystery of Cecilia Beaux and an unidentified woman at Green Alley, circa 1910
The Mystery:
What: The two women are going on a stroll outside
Where: Green Alley, Cecilia Beaux's summer home in Gloucester, Massachusetts
When: circa 1910
Who: Cecilia Beaux (left) and unidentified woman (right)
Help us solve the mystery: Who is the woman on the right enjoying the outdoors with Cecilia Beaux?
More about the People and the Place:
Cecilia Beaux trained in the studio of Catherine A. Drinker, an artist and a cousin of her uncle Will Biddle. From 1881-1883 she attended life classes directed by William Sartain, who traveled to Philadelphia from New York to give criticisms. She also counted the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts master Thomas Eakins among her early influences, though she did not receive direct instruction from him.
By 1905, Beaux was living and working primarily in New York during the winter, and at "Green Alley," a home she built in Gloucester, MA, in the summer. She was introduced to Gloucester by friend and Harvard economist A. Piatt Andrew, and entertained a steady stream of intellectual, literary, and artistic friends such as Isabella Stewart Gardner, William James, and Thornton Oakley.
The Solution:
Cecilia Beaux and Virginia Mason (?) at Green Alley, circa 1910
What: The two women are going on a stroll outside
Where: Green Alley, Cecilia Beaux's summer home in Gloucester, Massachusetts
When: circa 1910
Who: Cecilia Beaux (left) and Virginia Mason (right)
Virginia Mason was the mother of Joanna Davidge, one of Cecilia Beaux's closest friends in Gloucester. Joanne Davidge was an intellectual and became headmistress of a school. Beaux and Davidge were both part of a Gloucester-based friend group referred to as the Dabsville group, with the name deriving from the first letters of their last names (Joanna Davidge, A. Piatt Andrew, Cecilia Beaux, Henry Davis Sleeper, and Caroline Sinkler).
How to Get In Touch:
If you have leads, clues, or ideas of who the unknown individuals may be , email us at AAAMysteries@si.edu. Your email should include:
- Your first and last name
- Your organization, if applicable
- Your preferred mode of contact, should we need to reach you (e.g. email address or phone number)
- The photo name (for which you are identifying the unknown individual)
- The name of the individual you believe is the unidentifiable figure in the photo or any information you may have that could help us identify the individual
- Your level of certainty in the information you provided
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