Lot 18: EVELYN RUMSEY CAREY (1855-1924)

PAN AMERICAN EXPOSITION / BUFFALO. 1901. Gies, Buffalo.

471/2x243/4 inches.

Condition B+: repaired tears in margins; minor tears along vertical and horizontal folds.

Although unsigned, this American Art Nouveau classic poster is based on the painting "Spirit of Niagara" by Evelyn Rumsey Cary. A prominent member of Buffalo's society, Cary's paintings and portraits were regularly exhibited at the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy and at annual exhibitions held by the Buffalo Society of Artists. For this, her most famous painting, she depicts "the great waterfall of Niagara set against the skyline of Buffalo . . . Niagara is an allegorical female nude with her arms outstretched and her ethereal body delicately veiled by the blue and white foam of cascading waters. Undoubtedly, Cary intended to create an image that served to elevate the figure of Niagara from that of local legend to the level of academe. The seductive promotional symbol was used to create a poster lithograph in nine colors . . . While the poster itself was used as a means of attracting visitors to Buffalo, it was also reproduced in many of the sixty-seven pamphlets and other items issued by the Pan-American Exposition's publicity bureau." (Illuminations-Revisiting the Buffalo Pan American Exhibition, University at Buffalo Libraries).