Helen Hyde was an American etcher and engraver, best known for her color etching process and woodblock prints reflecting Japanese women and children characterizations. Born in Lima, New York, on April 6, 1868, she spent her adolescent years in California. Her art education began at the age of twelve when she studied for two years with her neighbour, Ferdinand Richardt, an American-Danish artist.
Early Life and Education
After the death of Hyde's father in 1882, her aunt,
Augusta Bixler, provided the remaining Hyde family with a home in San Francisco. Between 1882 and 1888, Hyde continued her education by graduating from
Wellesley School for Girls and attending the
California School of Design. For the next six years, Hyde developed her artistic talents through her studies with
Franz Skarbina in Berlin, and
Raphaël Collin and
Félix Régamey in Paris.
Régamey introduced Hyde to the Japonism movement through his vast Japanese art collection.
Career and Works
Hyde's prints are still sold at public galleries, and a vast collection of her works are within the confines of the
Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Examples of Hyde's works can be seen at the
Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. Two of Hyde's award-winning works are
"A Monarch of Japan" and
"Baby Talk". In 1901, Hyde's
"A Monarch of Japan" took first place in the
Nihon Kaiga Kyokai exhibition. This work is now housed at the
Smithsonian American Art Museum. In 1909, Hyde's
"Baby Talk" received a Gold Medal at the
Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition.
- Hyde also studied with Emil Carlsen, an American painter, and Kanō Tomonobu, the final master painter at the famous Kanō school of Japanese painting.
- By 1894, Hyde had returned to California and began to sketch likenesses of Chinatown women and children.
- Through her association with the Sketch Club, Hyde met and became friends with Josephine Hyde. Together they attempted color etchings, and in 1899, the two Hyde women settled in Japan to study the country's painting techniques.
Important works by Hyde can be found at https://WahooArt.com/@/HelenHyde, including "Sausalito", "Footbridge", and
"Her Bit". For more information on Helen Hyde's life and work, visit https://WahooArt.com/Art.nsf/O/A@D3CN8Z or check out her biography on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Hyde.