Amy Otis

Mary Amy Otis^[1] (1863–1950) was an American miniaturist.

Otis was a native of Sherwood, New York, and was born to a family of Quakers. Her parents had migrated to the area at different times from Massachusetts, and had seven other children, six surviving; among them was Susan, who later became a noted physician in Cayuga County. Her grandfather was Job Otis,^[1] who with his wife Deborah was a leader of the Otisites, and whose house may still be seen today in Sherwood.^[2] Amy studied at Cornell University and the Philadelphia School of Design for Women,^[3] and was a graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.^[4] She also studied at the Académie Colarossi in Paris. For some years she was active as a portraitist in Philadelphia, where she also taught art at Miss Capen's School for Girls from 1911 to 1914.^[3] In that year^[5] she began work a professor at Wheaton College in Massachusetts,^[3] ultimately becoming the head of the art department.^[6] Otis retired from Wheaton in 1932.^[5] She designed the seal for the school's Alumnae Association while she was there.^[7] After leaving Wheaton she taught for a time at Wells College, where she was at one point acting head of the Department of Art.^[8]

During her career Otis exhibited work throughout the United States. She was a member of the Philadelphia Water Color Club, the Pennsylvania Society of Miniature Painters, and The Plastic Club, and was a sister of Kappa Kappa Gamma.^[3] Among her pupils at Wheaton was the future Precisionist Molly Luce.^[9]

Otis was the aunt of painter Elizabeth Otis Dunn and illustrator Samuel Davis Otis,^[4] and was a descendant of Mayflower passenger John Howland;^[3] numerous other ancestors were prominent in the history of Scituate, Massachusetts.^[1] A lecture series at Wheaton was established in her honor^[10] by the Class of 1931 after her death.^[5] A miniature watercolor-on-ivory portrait of Dorothy Gifford, titled A College Girl, is currently owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.^[11]

References

1. Denis Larionov & Alexander Zhulin. "Read the eBook Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Cayuga County, New York by Biographical Review Publishing Company online for free (page 72 of 85)". Ebooksread.com. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
2. Nancy L. Todd (March 2008). . New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original on 2012-09-26. Retrieved 2009-11-10.See also: . Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
3. Albert Nelson Marquis (1915). Who's who in New England: A Biographical Dictionary of Leading Living Men and Women of the States of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. A.N. Marquis & Company. pp. 807–.
4. . 28 April 2013. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
5. . 7 January 2011. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
6. Catherine Filene (1920). Careers for Women. Houghton Mifflin. pp. 69–.
7. . Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
8. Auburn Citizen Advertiser of February 27, 1933
9. Eleanor Tufts; National Museum of Women in the Arts (U.S.); International Exhibitions Foundation (1987). American women artists, 1830–1930. International Exhibitions Foundation for the National Museum of Women in the Arts. ISBN 978-0-940979-01-7.
10. . 20 September 2010. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
11. Art, Philadelphia Museum of. "Philadelphia Museum of Art – Collections Object : A College Girl (Portrait of Dorothy Gifford)". Retrieved 13 January 2017.