Ellen Day Hale at the Fenimore Art Museum

There's a painting on display at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York, that completely captivated my attention when I viewed it in person—Self Portrait by American painter Ellen Day Hale. She started the oil on canvas in 1884 when she was twenty-nine years old and completed it in 1885. It's currently on loan from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, through September 2, 2024. Its 28.5"H x 39"W size holds a comfortable presence on the wall at the Fenimore.

After I walked upstairs and entered through the door to the special exhibition room, I did a quick scan of the room, the way you do when you walk into an unfamiliar space, to gain a sense of what was nearby.

I noticed the portrait on the wall to my left but didn't go straight to it. My attention, though, had been captured and I continued to feel the piece from across the room. Something about this painting and its perfect-to-me color combination drew me in more than the others. I knew it was one I needed to see. Its pull only intensified as I got closer.

When I was at the Fenimore, I remember saying to my daughter, "I don't understand how a person can make something so real." And I was completely serious. It really does seem like an impossibility to me that a person can begin with nothing and go on to create something so real, so entrancing. And an image of oneself, nonetheless.

After I got back home, I found a picture of the painting online and saved it to the photo library on my phone. I look at it often and get lost in thought. I was, and continue to be, blown away by her skill.

I actually haven't been able to pinpoint why this painting speaks to me. I am by no means a connoisseur of art. I can tell you very little about the details, techniques, and principles of a work. I don't know any of the proper terminology. Yet this piece fills me with curiosity and wonder.

It's pretty spectacular that a woman could achieve something like this given the societal limits placed on them during that period. Hale was fortunate to be born into a family whose accomplished women helped advance her opportunities.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts writes:

"Her great-aunt Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. . . . Her aunt Susan Hale, a watercolorist and advocate for women artists, was particularly encouraging."

Another great-aunt, Catharine Beecher, was "one of the nation's most prominent educators before the Civil War" who "worked tirelessly for women's education."

Her uncommon opportunities might not have seemed out of the ordinary to her, given her rearing in such a forward-thinking family lineage. I imagine it was natural for her to live life bold, to push past what others declared a boundary. I wonder, though, Did she recognize how unique her circumstances were, given the cultural environment at large?

The Cornwall Historical Society notes:

"After the Civil War, increasingly large numbers of women began to formally study art. In 1870, just over 400 women in the United States were professional artists, representing roughly 10 percent of artists. By 1890, nearly 11,000 women were professional artists, close to half the total number of professional artists."

Hale was twenty-two years younger than I am now when she completed the self-portrait. If I could go back in time, she would be a person I'd like to know. I'd like to see the way she carried herself and hear the way she spoke. Observe how she interacted with her peers and how she filled her days. Witness the impacts she had on the women around her. See the progress unfold.

Was she self-assured through all of that? I know when we're in the throes of life, it's difficult to recognize our accomplishments and see the impacts we've had, but I imagine she had an inkling.

When I look at this painting, I see her staring straight ahead, so directly, so strong. Without the airs of making herself pretty for pretty's sake, although I think she's lovely. It feels like she's looking directly into my soul, like there's something she wants me to know. Look at the possible. See the boundaries you can push. There are great things yet to accomplish. Don't place limits on yourself or allow them to be placed upon you.

Is there a piece of art that has reached deep into your soul, grabbed your attention, and made your breath catch?

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