| Green began her career
making illustrations in pen and ink and returned periodically to
the medium as seen in this illustration for Henry Van Dyke's story
"The Mansion." Green's ability to depict figures of varied
ages, to suggest psychological engagement between them, and to incorporate
complex landscape backgrounds into her compositions is evident in
this image. |
Welcome, said the old man:
will you come with us, ca. 1910
Ink on board
Published in Harper's Magazine,
December 1910
Prints & Photographs
Division
LC-USZ62-51159; LC-USZC4-9396 (2)
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Rising vigorously out of the earth was a little rose bush,
ca. 1908
Watercolor and charcoal on board
Published in Harper's Magazine,
August 1908
Prints & Photographs
Division
LC-USZ62-128610 ; LC-USZC4-6289 (8)
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"It
seemed so marvelous a thing for a rose to be blooming so far from
cultivation that Dave for the moment could feel nothing but wonder.
It was as if the forest in its old age brought forward a miracle
of youth." This excerpt from "The Flowers" by Margarita
Spalding Gerry presents the dramatic moment in the story that Green
has chosen to illustrate. In addition to capturing the growing relationship
between the aging florist Dave and the young boy Jeremy, she also
beautifully illustrates the relationship between man and nature.
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| This singular work of
art by Green mirrors the artist's positive approach to her life
and work; it contains allusions to concrete and intangible elements
vital to her as an artist and as a human being. These include large
living and studio spaces, proximity to nature, and personal and
professional support from her companions. Green depicts herself,
her equally gifted colleagues and housemates Jessie Willcox Smith
and Violet Oakley, and other friends enjoying one another's company
amid the blooming grounds of the Red Rose Inn, one of the homes
that the three artists shared. Green took the title from Henry Van
Dyke's poem Inscriptions for a Friend's House, published
opposite this image, which celebrates the close friendship between
the artists. |
Life was made for love and cheer, ca. 1904
Watercolor and charcoal on board
Published in Harper's Magazine,
September 1904
Prints & Photographs
Division
LC-USZ62-56041 ; LC-USZC4-1542 (4)
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Like other illustrators of her
time, Green worked from models. While a student at the Pennsylvania
Academy of Fine Art,she also learned about photography and used
it in developing her illustrations. Most photographs she made
were taken as aids for making a particular illustration. Her drawing
of Rebecca, the little girl in this scene, closely resembles the
accompanying photograph in every detail, from the folds in the
dress to the style of the hair to the reflection on the shoe.
The composition was set in a landscape drawn from the grounds
of the Red Rose Inn.
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Won't you eat just one more kernal
(sic), Thomas Jefferson? ca. 1905
Charcoal on board
Published in Harper's Magazine,
June 1905
Prints & Photographs
Division
LC-USZ62-54785 ; LC-USZC4-9398 (9)
Gift of Mrs. T.P. Huger
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Girl kneeling, n.d.
Gelatin silver print
Collection of Ben and Jane Eisenstat (19)
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In this memorable image, Green
envisions the heroine of Justus Miles Forman's story "The
Dream," as she might have appeared when meeting the male
protagonist. This Gothic tale involves a feud between two old
landed families, a repeated dream that curses the men of one family,
and the final destruction of that curse. The drawing represents
one of the most pleasing examples of Green's highly praised decorative
style.
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Giséle, ca. 1908
Watercolor and charcoal
Published in Harper's Magazine,
October 1908
Prints & Photographs
Division
LC-USZ62-53874 ; LC-USZC4-1374 (7)
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The wind blowing off the glacier,
fluttering her gown, ca. 1910
Charcoal on board
Published in Harper's Magazine,
January 1910
Prints & Photographs
Division
LC-USZ62-56037 ; LC-USZC4-9401 (13)
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The power of a husband's and wife's
relationship is integral to the story "Her Eyes are Doves"
by Harriet Prescott Spofford. As a king battles internally between
loyalty to his father's ruling tradition--signifying expansionism
and war--and loyalty to his wife--who cares more for peace for
the sake of the people--he draws upon a memory of his first sight
of her against a glacier and remembers how and why he fell in
love with her.
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Library
of Congress
