- Dixie Selden
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Dixie Selden (February 28, 1868 – November 15, 1935) was an American artist.
Contents
Early life
Selden was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to John R. and Martha Selden. The family moved to Covington, Kentucky when Selden was very young. Her parents indulged her artistic abilities from a very early age, building her a studio and taking her on two tours of Europe before she 15 years old.
Art education and career
Selden attended Bartholomew's Girls' School in Cincinnati and then enrolled in the Cincinnati Art Academy in 1884 where she studied under fellow Covington resident, Frank Duveneck for six years, becoming one of his favorite students. Selden continued to study intermittently at the Cincinnati Art Academy until 1912. Selden also studied in Venice, Italy with William Merritt Chase, in St. Ives, England with Henry B. Snell, and in Paris, France with other artists. Her style changed considerably after studying with Chase, as she moved from the darker influence of the Munich School to a lighter, impressionistic style.
Selden traveled extensively throughout Europe, Mexico, China, Japan, and the Middle East painting both landscapes, genre scenes, and portraits. In her lifetime, Selden's works were exhibited throughout the United States. She settled in Cincinnati in 1910 after the deaths of her parents; she later relocated to Covington where she lived for the majority of her adult life.
A professional artist by age 26, Selden was greatly in demand for her portraits. Her notable subjects include Frank Duveneck, Mrs. Mary Emery, and Judge A. M. Cochrane of Maysville, Kentucky.
Selden was very active in the Cincinnati art community and was one of the founding members of the Women's Art Club of Cincinnati.
Personal life and death
Having never married, Selden enjoyed a long friendship with fellow Cincinnati artist, Emma Mendenhall. Selden died in Cincinnati on November 15, 1935. She is buried in Highland Cemetery, Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.
References
- "Dixie Selden", The Kentucky Encyclopedia, John E. Kleber (ed.) (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky), 1992. ISBN 0-8131-1772-0
- "Dixie Selden", by Mrs. H. V. McChesney, The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 35 (July 1937): 273-276.
Categories:- American artists
- Artists from Kentucky
- 1868 births
- 1938 deaths
- People from Covington, Kentucky
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