VHarris Writes

Is it your painting, Laura? “Dear Ms. Harris, My mother moved to a senior facility prior to passing away in 2016. In downsizing, some of her pictures were moved into a storage space, then to an empty room in my house following her passing. Now retired, I am finally going through the rest of my mother’s things. I believe this painting to be a Wheeler Waring. On the back of the frame was a taped “tag” that is so old that it fell off as I tried to view it. Any guidance you can

Although Laura was now in Paris independent of her Academy classmates, she was not alone for long. Visiting Paris at the time were two...

“Miss Laura Wheeler, a colored girl of Hartford, Conn., has been awarded a European Traveling Scholarship by the Pennsylvania Academy of...

A major benefit of attending the Academy was the opportunity to compete for cash prizes and scholarships. There were several awards for...

The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts was founded in 1805 in Philadelphia at a time when the city was considered a cultural and...

Upon arriving at the Institute for Colored Youth (ICY) at Cheyney, PA, Laura Wheeler would have first been greeted by a spacious stone...

“Dear Uncle Hugh,

While still in her teens, Laura Wheeler determined to leave Hartford for study at the Portrait of Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937) by Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, believing that if she were to have a chance at success, it would have its genesis there. The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, housed in its grand and colorful Gothic revival-styled building on Philadelphia's Broad Street, was at that time the most prestigious institution of its kind in

By the time she'd graduated from Hartford High School, Laura Wheeler had determined to become an artist. Her father was not pleased.

"I remember being taken to the art galleries in Hartford many times...I cannot remember a time I did not have a great thrill with my paints and pencils."