Birgitta Kathleen Moran Farmer (May 23, 1881 – January 17, 1939)Biography , amazon.com. Accessed June 16, 2023. was an American artist particularly known for her portrait miniatures.
Life Birgitta Moran was born in Lyons, New York. She attended Lyons Public School and graduated from the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Rochester, New York. A graduate of the College of Fine Arts of Syracuse University and a member of Gamma Phi Beta's Alpha Chapter, she won the 1906 Hiram Gee Award in Painting at commencement.Bulletin of Syracuse University (April 1907), Page 132
She used the award to study at Académie Julian and Académie de la Grande Chaumière Paris during 1906–1907.Birgitta Moran Farmer Diary, entry 3 October 1906, owned by familyMacMillan Company, 1927, American Art Annual, Volume 24; Volume 26 Among other places, she roomed at the American Girls' Club in Paris.
She married Dr. Thomas Patrick Farmer of Syracuse, New York in 1913.The Lyons Republican (Friday, August 29, 1913), Page 7 They had four children. She exhibited with the Brooklyn Society of Miniature Painters,The Art News, Vol. 22, no. 23. (1924). The Art News (1923-), 22(23), page 11. American Society of Miniature Painters,Twenty Fourth Annual Exhibition of the American Society of Miniature Painters New York February 6th-March 10th inclusive: M. Knoedler & Co., 1923. Thomas Watson Library accessed September 11, 2016 The Art News, Vol. 22, no. 16. (1924). The Art News (1923-), 22(16), page 1. the Pennsylvania Society of Miniature Painters,The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts presents The Thirty-seventh Annual Philadelphia Water Color and Print Exhibition, and the Thirty-eight Annual Exhibition of Miniatures, by Philadelphia Water Color Club and the Pennsylvania Society of Miniature Painters, Oct 22-Nov 26, 1939, 2nd Edition. the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors, and the Associated Artists of Syracuse.The Art News, Vol. 21, no. 38. (1923). The Art News (1923-), 21(38), page 10. She died in 1939 in Syracuse, New York, of cancer, aged 57.
Art Farmer's work, including her 1924 self-portrait, was exhibited at the 24th and 25th Annual Exhibition of American Society of Miniature Painters and the Pennsylvania Society of Miniature Painters's 38th Annual Exhibition.
Her portraits of Briget Amelia Moran (nee Fitzpatrick) titled "Mother" and of Anna V. Dunn titled "Mrs. Hugh Edward McSloy" were exhibited at the 1921 Annual Water Colors and Miniature Exhibitions of The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.Annual Water Colors and Miniature Exhibitions Catalogue, by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1921, page 19. Accessed October 22, 2023
Her portrait of her daughter "Anne" was included in the 1933 Chicago World's Fair Century of Progress "Exhibition of Miniature Paintings by Living Artists",Catalog of an Exhibition of Miniature Paintings by Living Artists, A Century of Progress, General Exhibits Building, Graphic Arts Pavilion (Chicago World’s Fair) May 27- Oct 31, 1933, page 29. The Met: Watson Library Digital Collections Accessed December 31, 2024 The Metropolitan Museum of Art "Four Centuries of Miniature Painting",Four Centuries of Miniature Painting: A Special Exhibition, Including Loans from Museums and Private Collections and Examples from the Museum's Own Collection, Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the American Society of Miniature Painters, Metropolitan Museum of Art, January 19 – March 19, 1950 page 15. Thomas Watson Library Accessed September 11, 2016 and the Smithsonian American Art Museum National Collection of Fine Arts.Smithsonian Institution, National Collection of Fine Arts, April 1950.
Farmer is included in the National Portrait Gallery (United States) Catalog of American Portraits,Smithonsian Collection Search Center accessed September 11, 2016 the National Portrait Gallery Library National Portrait Gallery Catalog of American Portraits File "Brigitta Moran Farmer (Mrs. Thomas P. Farmer)" N.B. Misspelled first name and the Archives of American Art.Archives of American Art: Anna Margaretta Archambault selected papers, [ca. 1880-1946] accessed June 2, 2018
Her art was often signed “B K Moran”, “Moran”, or “B M Farmer”.
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