181:, NY, and Sea Cliff, NY. Music was a big part of the family's life, with her oldest sister Else a 'fine' pianist, according to several new articles and her sister Meta an excellent violinist. By 1898, the 'Misses Eilers' would host every Monday afternoon Sight Reading Class of 20 women, which the Brooklyn Eagle described as 'the latest novelty in the Hill society'. At least some of this love of music likely was the result of Emma's brother Karl Eilers marrying Leonie Wurlitzer, daughter of the founder of the
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It's unknown how early Emma developed physical shakes that the family called her 'palsy', but several first hand accounts describe how her brush would shake right up to the point where brush met canvas and then, suddenly, smooth strokes would appear. Dinner time was also a slightly unusual experience
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reported that "Miss Eilers of St.Marks avenue does some of the strongest and best work at the league. Her painting of the figure is fine, unsurpassed by any other attendant of the famous art school ...". Later in the year, according to another
Brooklyn Eagle Article, she was busy working "with mural
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Elizabeth (Emrich) Eilers September 12, 1870, in the town of Morrisania (now a neighborhood of the Bronx), becoming the 5th of 6 siblings. Census records suggest that during her first 10 years she spent most of her life in Morrisania, growing up amongst her family and German- American relatives
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While Emma's work is not generally well known, she did paint regularly in her large studio at Sea Cliff until her death on March 27, 1951. Her studio has since been converted into a house and still exists. Emma was the last of her 6 siblings to die, passing away at her Sea Cliff home that was the
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pieces exhibited at a Paris
Exposition, which was then presented as a permanent exhibit at the Musee Pedagogique. During the winter of 1899, Emma was painting out of Miss Kate Dow's studio, in the 'Bank Building', where regular art shows were held, as Kate had just traveled to Paris.
101:. In the span of just a few years, she would see her family's life alter dramatically as the Eilers family accumulated great financial gains that allowed them to purchase multiple homes, travel more easily between New York and Colorado, and now travel between Germany and the US.
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At the time of her death, relatives report that her studio was full of paints of various sizes, "they were laying everywhere". Some of her paintings passed down to relatives, some have recently appeared at auction, but most appear to have been destroyed.
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Unlike her oldest sister Else, who would graduate from Denver High School in 1883 or her brother Karl who graduated from the
Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute in 1884, Emma joined her three sisters (Louise, Anna & Meta) whom all graduated from the
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Between 1918 and 1921, both Emma's mother and father, along with sisters Louise and Meta, would pass away, though Emma still had her oldest sister Else living at Sea Cliff along with her brother, Karl, and his wife and 3 kids nearby.
130:(NAWA). Founding members included Adele Bedell, Anita Ashley, one of the early presidents, and Olive Brown, Matilda De Cordoba, Ethel Prellwitz, Elizabeth Watrous, Fanny Tewksbury, Elizabeth Cheever and, of course, Emma Eilers.
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Given her father's success, Emma was able to pursue her interest in art at her leisure. In 1889, around the time of her graduation from high school, she co-founded the Club Women of New York, which later became the
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In late 1892, she travelled with the entire family to visit relatives in
Germany as part of her sister Anna's wedding to Hans Weber. This is her only known international trip.
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As a boy Karl visited the Long Island following Emma's death and remembers paintings all over. He said they simply didn't know what to do with them all
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and other designs. A composition having for its subject St.Francis D'Assisi and the Birds was one in which the drawing and color were excellent".
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From the 1890s through the 1920s she and three of her sisters lived, unmarried, with their father and mother, splitting time between homes in
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for visitors as Emma's 'shakes' would cause the table to shake at times, rattling silverware, plates and glasses.
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This landscape painting does not have a name, but is very representative of her landscape style and use of color.
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This painting is called 'Girl in White
Reading a Book'. It is a good example of her portrait work.
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painting, or painting outdoors. This is the only verified time she attended an art school.
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By the late 1890s, Emma seems to have become a skilled artist. For example, in 1897, the
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2 different family members dined with the family at Sea Cliff and vividly remember this
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Sunday April 04, 1897 -- The Treble Clef Glee Club's
Musical was held the previous day
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69:(September 12, 1870 – March 27, 1951) was an American painter from
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Feb 26, 1902 Kosmos Club
Musical held at the Eilers house in Brooklyn
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Description hinnecock Hills Summer School of Art participants
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Sometime between 1878 and 1881, her parents moved to
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At some point during the 1890s, Emma studied at the
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161:, in 1899 one of her paintings was one of several
332:List of 1889 graduates of the Packer Institute
660:National Association of Women Artists members
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201:Eilers family home for more than 5 decades.
350:Description of NAWA and a list of founders
227:Eulogy of Anton Eilers by Rossiter Raymond
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252:"Anton Eilers & Family 1970 census"
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382:"hinnecock Hills Summer School of Art"
138:Shinnecock Hills Summer School of Art
128:National Association of Women Artists
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670:20th-century American women artists
665:19th-century American women artists
274:Biography of Elsbeth 'Else' Eilers
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163:Art Students' League of New York
81:Emma Eilers was born to parents
655:People from Sea Cliff, New York
408:Sunday January 17, 1897 page 26
303:Biography of Karl Emrich Eilers
640:20th-century American painters
635:19th-century American painters
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675:19th-century women painters
650:Painters from New York City
107:Packer Collegiate Institute
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645:Artists from the Bronx
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368:Emma Eilers biography
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583:"Family Interviews"
438:Sunday May 30, 1897
71:Sea Cliff, New York
468:January 29th, 1899
328:"Packer Institute"
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158:The New York Times
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86:who lived nearby.
48:September 12, 1870
557:December 11, 1898
223:"F. Anton Eilers"
187:Rudolph Wurlitzer
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142:En plein air
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83:Anton Eilers
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58:(1951-03-27)
630:1951 deaths
625:1870 births
256:1870 Census
77:Early years
67:Emma Eilers
23:Emma Eilers
619:Categories
478:2011-03-04
313:2011-03-04
284:2011-03-04
237:2011-03-04
209:References
113:Adult life
44:1870-09-12
185:Company,
183:Wurlitzer
95:Leadville
567:March 4,
537:March 4,
507:March 4,
448:March 4,
418:March 4,
346:"AskArt"
179:Brooklyn
91:Denver
569:2011
539:2011
509:2011
450:2011
420:2011
97:and
53:Died
38:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
