The innately talented Mary Neal Richardson I1859-1937) of Canton, Maine studied (with scholarship) at the Boston Museum School (now the MFA) and was accepted to the Paris Salon Exhibition in 1897. Her talents were soon recognized throughout the Boston area. From 1905 until 1934 she lived in Boston's famous landmark Fenway Studios where she painted the portraits of many prominent politicians, judges, professors and ‘Boston Brahmin’ families.  

No image of the artist has been published since 1937 (until now) and the book illustrates over 40 color images of her work (much of it never before seen in public) and lists over 150 of her portraits. This story of her impressive contribution to Boston’s art scene has never been told.

Woman with Violin

In 1903, the Boston Globe wrote; “Among her artists, Boston ranks many gifted women and several of those are to be found in that most Bohemian of artist colonies (Grundmann’s Studios.) One of the most talented of these studio artists is Mary Neal Richardson.”

In 1897, one of her portraits was shown “in the light” (in a prominent position) in France's world  famous Paris Salon.

Dorothy Bond

Boston Matron

She exhibited around the country alongside the likes of John Singer Sargent (leading portrait artist) and Childe Hassam (foremost American impressionist)

Photograph of Frank Bond 1885

Richardson's charcoal rendering 1904

Aquarius 

A devout member of Boston's Church of the Disciples, she was a suffragist, Universalist, mystic and astrologist. She also liked to row. The culmination of her life's work was the 10-foot complex, allegorical painting, "Aquarius" which she took on tour for exhibition in Los Angeles in the 1930s to inspirational reviews. Her exquisitely detailed and sympathetic portraits hang in libraries, boardrooms, and universities throughout the Boston area.

To purchase the book, visit IndieAuthorBooks or Amazon.

The Author: Frederic L. Thompson