This site is dedicated to the life and career of Caroline van Hook Bean, (1879-1980). Caroline's greatest fame came at the end of World War I when her series,"'New York in Wartime" received critical acclaim by the New York media. Trained by some of the first and greatest of America's Impressionist painters, Caroline went on to perhaps the longest active career of any American artist. By the time she was in her 90s she was being referred to as "The Last of the Impressionists" by the Washington DC media.
On this website, you will find some of her life story, photographs of the artist and copies of several of her works of art. A much more detailed book on the life of Caroline van Hook Bean is available for purchase. The book's Appendix lists approximately 250 Patrons and Portrait Subjects and approximately 400 known works of art. There are many examples of Caroline's work included as well as photographs and correspondence from her personal papers. These personal papers have been kept 'in the family' and form the basis for the book, Caroline van Hook Bean - The Last of the Impressionists.
Caroline van Hook Bean - The Last of the Impressionists is available for the Kindle at Amazon.com, for the Nook at Barnes & Noble, on Kobo Books for the Kobo eReader and for the iPhone, iPad or IPod touch with iBooks at Apple's iBookstore. For those who wish to read the book on a Windows PC, the book may be downloaded from Lulu.com and displayed on the free Adobe Digital Editions software.
Caroline was particularly fortunate to study with some of the most noted artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. She took courses from these men and offers extensive comments in her preserved notes on
William Merritt Chase, Robert Henri and John Singer Sargent. She studied under many other artists of her day and has left comments on several of them including Edmund Messer, Harry Thompson, Kenneth Hayes Miller, Emil Carlson, Edmund Wuerpel, B.J. Blommers, Charles Hawthorne, Robert Brackman, Leonard Richmond and Karl Anderson.
From 1905-1921 Caroline was involved with the New York art scene at a critical time when the American Impressionists were evolving to produce the multifaceted art world of today. She shared the experiences and course instruction of Robert Henri's 'Ash Can' group and has been identified with them in some discussions.
Caroline van Hook Bean was active primarily in New York, Washington D.C. and Palm Beach, Florida. She lived most of her life in the Washington D.C. area. Here she did an extensive series of street scenes which she turned into lithographs. These prints sold well in Washington D.C. and Alexandria, Virginia gift shops and along with her portrait painting provided a source of income for many years.
In Palm Beach during the 1920s, Caroline was THE painter in demand by the rich and famous. Besides painting pictures of the houses and gardens of the wealthy, she was commissioned to paint many portraits including those of members of the Du Pont family, Marjorie Merriweather Post, Florenz Ziegfeld's wife Billie Burke ('Glinda the Good Witch' in "The Wizard of Oz") and Amelia Earhart. She was probably the first artist to paint Amelia Earhart's portrait. Amy Phipps Guest, who financed Amelia's first major accomplishment, sent the young aviatrix to Caroline's studio in Palm Beach to have her portrait done in 1928.
One of Caroline's best friends was Mary Allen Hulbert Peck, whose rumored affair with President Woodrow Wilson created scandal that affected both of Wilson's campaigns in 1912 and 1916 for the Presidency. Caroline met Mrs. Peck in Bermuda and painted her portrait in 1910. Two years later, Caroline had Mary Allen Hulbert, now divorced, sign her autograph book on the same page that she has Mrs. Ellen A. Wilson's signature (the President-elects's wife).
Caroline and Mary remained friends and corresponded until Mary's death in 1939. In what was probably Mary's last communication with anyone before her death, she wrote a letter to Caroline giving her final assessment of Woodrow Wilson.
Besides the wealth of information contained in Caroline's remaining effects, the author was allowed access to several sources of Caroline's correspondence and collections of her work. The book on Caroline's life quotes her own words extensively in hopes that the reader will gain a true understanding of her personality.
Enough details were left behind to paint a fairly complete picture of the people Caroline cared for most in her life. Besides comments about her relationships with her two husbands, Caroline left behind information on the other love interests in her life. In particular she wrote a short story, intended for publication, about her trip to England in 1907, "In Search of a Mother-In-Law."
There are many people who feel that women artists of the early twentieth-century did not receive the attention that male artists received. Perhaps this website and the release of her biography will help Caroline to become more well-known as "The Last of the Impressionists."
On this website, you will find some of her life story, photographs of the artist and copies of several of her works of art. A much more detailed book on the life of Caroline van Hook Bean is available for purchase. The book's Appendix lists approximately 250 Patrons and Portrait Subjects and approximately 400 known works of art. There are many examples of Caroline's work included as well as photographs and correspondence from her personal papers. These personal papers have been kept 'in the family' and form the basis for the book, Caroline van Hook Bean - The Last of the Impressionists.
Caroline van Hook Bean - The Last of the Impressionists is available for the Kindle at Amazon.com, for the Nook at Barnes & Noble, on Kobo Books for the Kobo eReader and for the iPhone, iPad or IPod touch with iBooks at Apple's iBookstore. For those who wish to read the book on a Windows PC, the book may be downloaded from Lulu.com and displayed on the free Adobe Digital Editions software.
Caroline was particularly fortunate to study with some of the most noted artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. She took courses from these men and offers extensive comments in her preserved notes on
William Merritt Chase, Robert Henri and John Singer Sargent. She studied under many other artists of her day and has left comments on several of them including Edmund Messer, Harry Thompson, Kenneth Hayes Miller, Emil Carlson, Edmund Wuerpel, B.J. Blommers, Charles Hawthorne, Robert Brackman, Leonard Richmond and Karl Anderson.
From 1905-1921 Caroline was involved with the New York art scene at a critical time when the American Impressionists were evolving to produce the multifaceted art world of today. She shared the experiences and course instruction of Robert Henri's 'Ash Can' group and has been identified with them in some discussions.
Caroline van Hook Bean was active primarily in New York, Washington D.C. and Palm Beach, Florida. She lived most of her life in the Washington D.C. area. Here she did an extensive series of street scenes which she turned into lithographs. These prints sold well in Washington D.C. and Alexandria, Virginia gift shops and along with her portrait painting provided a source of income for many years.
In Palm Beach during the 1920s, Caroline was THE painter in demand by the rich and famous. Besides painting pictures of the houses and gardens of the wealthy, she was commissioned to paint many portraits including those of members of the Du Pont family, Marjorie Merriweather Post, Florenz Ziegfeld's wife Billie Burke ('Glinda the Good Witch' in "The Wizard of Oz") and Amelia Earhart. She was probably the first artist to paint Amelia Earhart's portrait. Amy Phipps Guest, who financed Amelia's first major accomplishment, sent the young aviatrix to Caroline's studio in Palm Beach to have her portrait done in 1928.
One of Caroline's best friends was Mary Allen Hulbert Peck, whose rumored affair with President Woodrow Wilson created scandal that affected both of Wilson's campaigns in 1912 and 1916 for the Presidency. Caroline met Mrs. Peck in Bermuda and painted her portrait in 1910. Two years later, Caroline had Mary Allen Hulbert, now divorced, sign her autograph book on the same page that she has Mrs. Ellen A. Wilson's signature (the President-elects's wife).
Caroline and Mary remained friends and corresponded until Mary's death in 1939. In what was probably Mary's last communication with anyone before her death, she wrote a letter to Caroline giving her final assessment of Woodrow Wilson.
Besides the wealth of information contained in Caroline's remaining effects, the author was allowed access to several sources of Caroline's correspondence and collections of her work. The book on Caroline's life quotes her own words extensively in hopes that the reader will gain a true understanding of her personality.
Enough details were left behind to paint a fairly complete picture of the people Caroline cared for most in her life. Besides comments about her relationships with her two husbands, Caroline left behind information on the other love interests in her life. In particular she wrote a short story, intended for publication, about her trip to England in 1907, "In Search of a Mother-In-Law."
There are many people who feel that women artists of the early twentieth-century did not receive the attention that male artists received. Perhaps this website and the release of her biography will help Caroline to become more well-known as "The Last of the Impressionists."