Pauline Palmer (1867-1938)

Hiro Fine Art is interested in purchasing artworks by Pauline Palmer.

Pauline Lennards Palmer was born in McHenry, Illinois in 1867. She showed interested in art at an early age by studying at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1891 she married Dr. Albert Palmer who encouraged her to keep up with her art studies. She studied under William Merritt Chase; he saw great talent in Palmer and encouraged her to study in Paris, France.

Pauline Palmer went to Paris in the 1890s and studied under Simon, Collin and Courtois. She received acclaim for her art and won a gold medal at the Colarossi Academy as well as a bronze medal at the Academy de la Grande Chaumiere. From 1903 to 1906 she exhibited at the Paris Salon. While in Paris, she learned from and befriended Richard Emil Miller.

When she returned to Chicago, Palmer set up her studio in the Tree Studios Building and began to build her reputation as the “painter lady.” Palmer exhibited over thirty times at the Art Institute, winning many medals and prizes. She won medals in Omaha, Nebraska at an art exhibition in 1898, in Buffalo, New York in 1901, at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904, and at the Panama Pacific Exposition of 1915. Her spouse Dr. Palmer died in 1921, so she moved to Provincetown, Massachusetts with the artist Charles W. Hawthorne and set up a studio.

The Art Institute of Chicago installed solo exhibitions in 1913 and 1950 featuring paintings by Pauline Palmer. In 1919, she became the first female president of the Chicago Society of Artists and the president of the Art Institute Alumni Association in 1927. In 1950, the Art Institute of Chicago began giving an annual award in her honor.

• 1867 – Born in McHenry, Illinois
• 1891 – Married Dr. Albert Palmer
• 1890s – Studied in Paris, France
• Returned to Chicago and set up her studio in the Tree Studios Building
• 1921 – She moved to Provincetown, Massachusetts