Lot 133: Marie Madeline Seebold Molinary (American/New

Marie Madeline Seebold Molinary (American/New Orleans, 1866-1948), "Holy Name of Jesus Church from Audubon Park, New Orleans", oil on canvas, signed lower left, 18 in. x 12 1/4 in., in a giltwood frame. ?

Reference: Mahé, et al. Encyclopedia of New Orleans Artists 1718-1918. New Orleans, The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1987.

Note: Marie Madeleine Seebold Molinary was a pioneer woman artist in New Orleans and the second female member of the Artists' Association of New Orleans, to which William and Ellsworth Woodward also belonged. Painting scenes of Audubon Park would have been a popular activity for any New Orleans artist, particularly those associated with Newcomb, as Tulane University is directly across St. Charles Avenue from the park. Fellow artists Ellsworth Woodward and Robert Bledsoe Mayfield both painted landscapes from similar vantage points as the current lot, including the lagoon in the park and the tower of Holy Name of Jesus Church in the background. The inclusion of Holy Name's tower dates this painting to after the church's rebuilding, which took place between 1913 and 1918.
Marie Madeline Seebold Molinary's father, Frederic William Emile Seebold, was a well-known art connoisseur who owned a gallery on Carondelet Street between 1913-1918. It is very easy to posit that the Seebold family home and gallery were the nexus of the vibrant art community of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in New Orleans. Almost every celebrated artist who visited New Orleans came to the Seebold home or gallery during this time period, fostering a creative environment for his children, who were both artists.