A Piece of Quaker History Gifted to Friends

Inspired by the acquisition of the Gee’s Bend print, Jane Curley, an art historian and alumni parent ’01, ’05, donated a 1899 work by Olive Rush (1873-1966) that will hang in the lobby of the Townhouse Building. “I loved finding this small but intensely-felt bit of Quaker history. What better home for it than Friends Seminary,” Jane comments.

Purchased in the 1990s, in the early days of Ebay, the piece came with no provenance but was most likely created as a magazine illustration. Rush, who went on to become a pioneer in Native American art education, was also well known as a painter and illustrator. Jane comments, “In grad school I researched a project about art education for women in the late 19th century. Rush was a perfect example of how the world opened up to young women of her generation because for the first time, professional training was available to them. She was a groundbreaker.” To read more about Olive Rush click here. To read more about Jane’s published works, click here.

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