Harriet Bennett Strandberg (born Harriet Elizabeth Bennett; April 28, 1914 – January 9, 1991) was an American artist. She is known for scientific art such as appeared in the William Beebe monograph of deep-sea dragonfish for the New York Zoological Society Zoologica. She worked in a variety of media such as oil painting, ink and pencil drawing, etching, paper folding, Japanese ink brush, silk screen, photography, oil and soft pastels, and egg folk art (Ukrainian wax resist).
Born in Glens Falls, New York, Strandberg graduated from Cornell in 1936, continued to study art, and worked at New York Zoological Society. She was initiated into Alpha Alpha Gamma - National Fraternity of Women in Architecture and its Allied Arts.
In the 1939 Annual report of the New York Zoological society William Beebe, Director of Tropical Research, wrote:
The naturalist William Beebe was her cousin, and had influence on her appreciation of science and nature along with technical art; as did her father Harry Bennett who graduated from Princeton University and worked as civil engineer and as forester for paper industry. In 1947 she married the scientist Malcom W. P. Strandberg, who became a physics professor at MIT.
She was influenced by woodcut engraver and friend Elfriede Abbe, and also followed other artists such as Clare Leighton in the 1930s. Her mother Elizabeth Chandler Clark, and grandmother Abby Rogers Clark, both had an impact on Strandberg's appreciation of the arts.
Art timeline
1931: Glens Falls Academy graduated with First Honors, including Drawing and Art 1936: Cornell University, graduated with Bachelor of Arts, majored in sciences and art, member of Pi Beta Phi sorority 1937: Cornell postgraduate studies in art 1937: Alpha Alpha Gamma member: National Fraternity of Women in Architecture and its Allied Arts. 1932–1940: studied art at: Brooklyn Museum Art School/Institute New School For Social Research, (The New School) Pratt Institute of Art Art Students League of New York 1938–39: New York Zoological Society artist over 190 drawings for Zoological Park laboratory and in Bermuda 1961–62: Grenoble, France - art classes, still life, and plein air 1966: Vermont with Elfriede Abbe 1973: Boston Museum School of Fine Arts - student 1972–76: HBS private art studio, Howard Street, Cambridge MA 1974–82: Cambridge Center for Adult Education - including engraving studio 1977: Art Institute of Boston – student
Exhibitions Woodstock, NY Art Association
Publications of work 1939: Zoologica
Referenced in Publications 1990: Pamphlet by Edward H. Bennett: A Letter to Harriet by Abby Rogers Clark 1925 1939: Annual report of the New York Zoological society 1973: Who's Who in American Art 1973 1999: Who Was Who in American Art 1564–1975 2017: Asa Wright Nature Centre newsletter
References