Anna Hills  By the Roadside, Near El Toro (1882 ­1930) Oil on canvas 14" x 10"

Marion Kavanagh Wachtel (1876-1954) studied figure painting under William Meritt Chase, as well as at the Art Institute of Chicago where she eventually became an instructor. After teaching in Chicago for several years, she accepted an offer from the Santa Fe Railroad Company to trade some of her sketches to pay for her passage west. Once she arrived in San Francisco she briefly studied with the noted artist, William Keith (1839-1911). When Miss Kavanagh was planning a trip to Los Angeles, Keith encouraged her to “look up” Elmer Wachtel (1864-1929) as “...one man down there who can paint.” Elmer and Marion soon married. Not to conflict with her husband, Mrs. Wachtel graciously chose to paint in what was considered to be the lesser medium of watercolor. Thus, Mr. Wachtel would have the professional respect of an oil painter. However, after her husband’s death Marion eventually returned to oil painting.

Whether in watercolor or oil, Marion Wachtel excelled as a poetic landscapist. The first art critic of the Los Angeles Times, Antony E. Anderson (1863-1939), recognized her genius and wrote, “...I dare to compare Marion Wachtel’s latest watercolors with the finest by Winslow Homer.”
California is indebted to many women artists who have made personal sacrifices in order to accomplish significant contributions to the oeuvre of American art. The current exhibition, “A Woman’s View,” shown at The Irvine Museum through May 19, 2001, recognizes their achievements and celebrates them through the assemblage of sixty paintings, showcasing the works of twelve women artists. Executive Director of The Irvine Museum, Jean Stern, testifies to the strength of the exhibition by challenging the viewer, “I defy anyone to come in here and tell me if they could see the difference between a man’s work or a woman’s work.”

Notes: Research material for this article was gathered from the following sources: Independent Spirits: Women Painters of the American West, 1890-1945 edited by Patricia Trenton, Ph.D., copyright 1995, published in association with the University of California Press, Berkeley, on occasion of an exhibition of the same title organized by the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, ISBN #0-520- 20202-3; and Plein Air Painters of California: The Southland by Ruth Westphal, copyright 1982, Westphal Publishing; Irvine, California, ISBN #82-090314.