Permelia Redmon Wheeler (Mrs. Charles Wheeler)
- Date
- c.1845
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- Troy, Missouri, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- American Art
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 337
- Dimensions
- 35 x 27 in. (88.9 x 68.6 cm)
framed: 42 1/2 x 34 in. (108 x 86.4 cm) - Credit Line
- Gift of Sydney M. Shoenberg Sr.
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 190:1951
NOTES
Permelia Wheeler gestures gracefully to the rose pinned to her bodice; its color echoed in her book. The palette of pinks and blues along with the elegant patterns and curves establish a unified, delicate tone throughout the portrait. Permelia's sister, Lucinda, created both this picture and a companion portrait of Permelia’s husband, Charles Wheeler .
Permelia and Lucinda's family moved from Kentucky to St. Charles, Missouri, where they owned land next to Linden Wood School for Girls, now Lindenwood University. The Wheeler portraits reveal typical signs of a self taught artist, such as inconsistencies in anatomy, perspective, and shading. Nevertheless, their refined charm and competence suggest Lucinda may have developed her natural ability through study at the nearby school, which offered art instruction—a rare opportunity for a woman at that time. Permelia's grandson donated both portraits to the Museum.
Provenance
- 1951
Charles Wheeler (1795–1873), Permelia Redmon Wheeler (1817–1881), Troy, MO; Luclema Wheeler Carter (1847–1929), by inheritance; Earnest E. Carter (1884–1962) and Katherine H. Carter (1887–1963), Columbia, MO, by inheritance [1]
1951 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Earnest E. and Katherine H. Carter, through Sydney M. Shoenberg Sr. [2]
Notes:
[1] Permelia and Charles Wheeler were the sister and brother-in-law of the artist. Three portraits in the Museum's collection (190–192:1951), depicting the artist herself and Charles and Permelia Wheeler, share the same provenance. The paintings remained in the family's estate in Troy, MO until the house was sold around 1948. Earnest E. Carter (grandson of Charles and Permelia) and Katherine H. Carter (his wife) of Columbia, MO received the paintings by inheritance from his mother Luclema Wheeler Carter [letter from Katherine H. Carter to Perry T. Rathbone, Museum director, dated January 1952, SLAM document files].
[2] Letter from Perry T. Rathbone to Sydney M. Shoenberg Sr., dated October 2, 1951, [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, October 5, 1951.
Charles Wheeler (1795–1873), Permelia Redmon Wheeler (1817–1881), Troy, MO; Luclema Wheeler Carter (1847–1929), by inheritance; Earnest E. Carter (1884–1962) and Katherine H. Carter (1887–1963), Columbia, MO, by inheritance [1]
1951 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Earnest E. and Katherine H. Carter, through Sydney M. Shoenberg Sr. [2]
Notes:
[1] Permelia and Charles Wheeler were the sister and brother-in-law of the artist. Three portraits in the Museum's collection (190–192:1951), depicting the artist herself and Charles and Permelia Wheeler, share the same provenance. The paintings remained in the family's estate in Troy, MO until the house was sold around 1948. Earnest E. Carter (grandson of Charles and Permelia) and Katherine H. Carter (his wife) of Columbia, MO received the paintings by inheritance from his mother Luclema Wheeler Carter [letter from Katherine H. Carter to Perry T. Rathbone, Museum director, dated January 1952, SLAM document files].
[2] Letter from Perry T. Rathbone to Sydney M. Shoenberg Sr., dated October 2, 1951, [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, October 5, 1951.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.