Untitled, c. 1910
Painted china, 7 inch diameter
Private Collection

Born in 1865 in Barren County, Kentucky, Mary Moss (Brents) Caldwell was the daughter of Samuel and Eliza (Trigg) Brents. Mary grew up in Glasgow and married Ed Caldwell about 1887. Local tradition holds that Mary taught private art lessons, most notably china painting, in the Glasgow area. The 1910 Kentucky Census indeed lists Mary's occupation as Artist-China. The census also records Caldwell was the mother of five children between the ages of 6 and 22 who all lived at home. China painting became popular in the late 19th century as an occupation for women with artistic talents. After decoration was finished, the group shipped their wares by train to one of the potteries in the Cincinnati area for firing. Mary Caldwell died July 28, 1930 in Barren County.

Next | Previous | Home - Artist Index | Sponsors

The Kentucky Museum does not hold copyright to the artwork shown on these pages. Contact KyMus@wku.edu for information about obtaining permission to use these images.

WKU Home | University Libraries | Special Collections | Kentucky Museum | Exhibits Index

November 13, 2001
Created by Donna Parker, Maintained by Web Site Team, Send comments to KyMus@wku.edu
Phone (270) 745-6258, Fax (270) 745-4878
Write to Kentucky Building, 1 Big Red Way, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky 42101-3576.
All Contents Copyright © 2001, 2002, Western Kentucky University

URL: http://www.wku.edu/Library/onlinexh/kwa/caldwell.html