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Exhibition History“American Folk Painters of Three Centuries,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, February 26, 1980 – May 13, 1980.
"Mary Ann Wilson," Museum of American Folk Art, New York, NY, June 13, 1998 - September 20, 1998.
“Uncommon Quilts: Treasures of the New York State Historical Association,” Aspen Art Museum, Aspen, CO, June 4, 1998 – July 19, 1998; Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca, NY, August 29, 1997; Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY, April 1, 1996 – December 31, 1996.
“Folk Art and American Modernism,” American Folk Art Museum, New York, NY, July 8, 2015 – October 1, 2015; Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY, September 18, 2014 – December 31, 2014.
"As They Saw It: Women Artists Then & Now," Springfield Museums, Michele and Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, MA, October 14, 2023 - January 14, 2024; Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY, April 1, 2024 - September 2, 2024
BibliographyStacy C. Hollander, "Mary Ann Willson Artist Maid", Folk Art Magazine, by Museum of American Folk Art, Summer 1998, pp. 21 - 23.
Artist
Mary Ann Willson
Maremaid
Date1810-1820
MediumWatercolor on paper
DimensionsSight: 13 × 15 1/2 in. (33 × 39.4 cm)
Framed: 17 1/8 × 19 3/4 × 1 1/4 in. (43.5 × 50.2 × 3.2 cm)
Object numberN0085.1961
Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Gift of Stephen C. Clark
Photograph by Richard Walker
Label TextMary Willson’s Maremaid is a combination of Amazon warrior and mermaid imagery. The Maremaid an early symbol of female empowerment, brandishing a warrior’s weapon in each hand instead of a mermaid’s mirror and comb. This mixture of attributes is a self-portrait of Willson’s life on the farm that she shared with her close friend, and possibly romantic partner, Miss Brundage. Willson maintained her traditionally feminine qualities while depicting herself as a fierce and dangerous female warrior.Exhibition History“American Folk Painters of Three Centuries,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, February 26, 1980 – May 13, 1980.
"Mary Ann Wilson," Museum of American Folk Art, New York, NY, June 13, 1998 - September 20, 1998.
“Uncommon Quilts: Treasures of the New York State Historical Association,” Aspen Art Museum, Aspen, CO, June 4, 1998 – July 19, 1998; Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca, NY, August 29, 1997; Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY, April 1, 1996 – December 31, 1996.
“Folk Art and American Modernism,” American Folk Art Museum, New York, NY, July 8, 2015 – October 1, 2015; Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY, September 18, 2014 – December 31, 2014.
"As They Saw It: Women Artists Then & Now," Springfield Museums, Michele and Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, MA, October 14, 2023 - January 14, 2024; Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY, April 1, 2024 - September 2, 2024
BibliographyStacy C. Hollander, "Mary Ann Willson Artist Maid", Folk Art Magazine, by Museum of American Folk Art, Summer 1998, pp. 21 - 23.
On View
On view
