Agnes Richmond

(1870-1964)

I am always intrigued by the two dichotomous views on what subject the collector should buy—a subject fully representative of the artist’s work, or the rare, exotic composition you simply never see.There’s a compelling rationale for either side you choose to endorse. So, the answer must be: the piece you like the best, either representative or rare. Agnes Richmond was a well-trained, well-disciplined artist who focused upon portraits of women, often in their middle years, and always reflecting a sense of strength, dignity, and confidence. Exhibition catalogues or retrospective listings almost always show portraits of women, sometimes revealing garments and backgrounds reflecting well-to-do circumstances but also modest, even poor, surroundings. Richmond was married to artist Winthrop Turney, who was fourteen years younger, and she also seemed to have had strong views on the women’s suffrage movement. When I saw this classic Cape Ann scene of the famous Yellow Shed from Banner Hill at the Boston Art Club in 2003, I would never have guessed the artist’s name. Yet there were a few Gloucester paintings, probably circa 1915, that had remained in her estate, apparently rarely if ever offered for sale, given the dominance of her figural work. So, the choice is representative versus rare. I chose rare this time.