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Women in the Arts
Women in the Arts
One of the many benefits of being a socialite was the ability to financially support people and causes through the act of patronage. Growing up in socialite circles, Mary Elizabeth Sharpe had developed a keen artistic interest and sensibility. Now, as a member of Providence’s elite, she mixed this interest with her past history as a self-made businesswoman to become a leading patron and champion for women in the arts.
Mary Elizabeth was a patron to several female artists, most notably Florence Koehler. Known for her jewelry, Koehler helped Mary Elizabeth choose decorations for Rochambeau House and gifted her this portrait. Titled “Mother and Child”, it depicts a woman seated on a chair in a long, white dress, a small boy standing to her right. These figures are likely Mary Elizabeth and her then-7 year old son Henry Sharpe Jr.
A notable relationship developed between Mary Elizabeth and Florence Koehler, a well-known jeweler working in the Arts and Crafts movement. The two met in 1920 and formed a fast friendship, bonding over their mutual love of fine art. Mary Elizabeth described Koehler as a “conversationalist” who taught her much that she was ready to “soak up like mud”. When Mary Elizabeth and her husband Henry began to build Rochambeau House in 1927, it was Koehler who helped take the lead on picking furniture and fixtures with Mary Elizaebth. One of the notable paintings you will still find in the Music Room is a massive portrait by Koehler, titled Mother and Child and likely depicting Mary Elizabeth Sharpe with her then-young son, Henry Jr.
The work of other women artists can also be found throughout Rochambeau House. Along the hallways on the second floor, a trompe l’oeil marbling pattern and vine detailing decorate the floorboards and molding. This was painted by French landscape artist Chantal Quenneville, another friend of Mary Elizabeth. The most significant work, though, would have to be the extensive gardens surrounding Rochambeau. Throughout the process of their design, Mary Elizabeth (a self taught landscape architect in her own right) collaborated with notable women in the field such as Irmgard B. Graham and Marian C. Coffin to create the various gardens, including an infinity garden, that visitors see here today.
An initial sketch of the gardens at Rochambeau by landscape architect Marian C. Coffin. Working in a male-dominated field, Coffin had difficulty gaining employment and established her own practice in 1905. She gained fame for her garden designs for elite families along the East Coast, including her work with the Sharpe family.
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