Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 56

THE VASSAR DIASPORA

This past fall, members of the Vassar Club of Philadelphia made a
pilgrimage to the Woodmere Art Museum for a reception and viewing
of A Grand Vision: Violet Oakley and the American Renaissance, which
included Oakley's painting "Memorial to a Music Student," on loan
from Vassar. (For years, the piece has hung over the fireplace in the
dining room of Alumnae House.)
The artist Violet Oakley (1874-1961) was a renowned muralist,
portraitist, stained-glass designer, and illustrator. At a time before
women had the right to vote, Oakley achieved international fame for
paintings commissioned for the Pennsylvania State Capitol. A Grand
Vision documented Oakley's extensive contributions to Philadelphia
institutions and to the American Renaissance revival. The exhibition
followed her career-which also included painting portraits of League
of Nations and UN delegates-through the 20th century.
56

SPrINg 2018

During the Vassar event, docents and the museum director,
William Valerio, gave after-hours tours to alumnae/i from seven
decades. Many alums recalled the painter's stunning triptych "The
Great Wonder: A Vision of the Apocalypse," which hangs in the
Alumnae House living room. The piece was a memorial to Oakley's
sister, Hester Caldwell Oakley Ward, Vassar class of 1891. According
to the exhibition catalogue, "Hester's college roommate and closest
friend, Louise Lawrence Meigs [who had also served as the president
of the Alumnae Association], commissioned Oakley to design a
memorial to her sister on the Vassar campus that she would present
as a gift from the Class of 1891." The commission was completed in
1921, in time for what would have been Hester's 30th reunion; it
made a perfect addition to the Alumnae House, which opened a
few years later, in 1924.

Thomas robert Clarke Photography

Revisiting Violet Oakley



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018

Contents
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - Cover1
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - Cover2
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - Contents
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 2
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 3
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 4
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 5
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 6
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 7
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 8
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 9
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 10
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 11
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 12
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 13
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 14
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 15
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 16
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 17
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 18
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 19
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 20
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 21
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 22
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 23
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 24
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 25
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 26
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 27
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 28
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 29
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 30
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 31
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 32
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 33
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 34
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 35
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 36
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 37
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 38
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 39
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 40
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 41
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 42
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 43
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 44
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 45
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 46
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 47
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 48
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 49
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 50
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 51
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 52
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 53
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 54
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 55
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 56
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 57
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 100
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 101
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 102
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 103
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 104
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - Cover3
Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com