GAY WOMAN PHOTOGRAPHER & ARTIST ARCHIVE c. 1920s
Item #1303
Edith Sarah Watson (1861 CT – 1943 FL), was an American photographer and watercolor artist who was active from 1891 to the 1930s. She spent a good deal of time in Canada, photographing scenes, and is known for her portraits of woman in rural life. Watson also spent many winters in Bermuda, and in 1911, met Victoria “Queenie” Hayward, a journalist and travel writer, who became her life and work partner.
Armed with her camera, Watson photographed the people of Canada, while Hayward would write about them. Watson also sold her work to several magazines and newspapers in North America and sold her work to locals to support her independent lifestyle.
Of the 33 pieces of work in this collection, twenty-one are signed by Watson, and 16 are identified as being from locations in Quebec. Many of these photos are of homes and landscapes, though a few are recognizable. All but one of the photos is heavily painted. That single photo is unsigned but has writing on the verso that appears to be the same as on the other artwork with writing. It is the last photo pictured here. Although I believe most of these works to be painted photos, there are two or three that may be just watercolors, and a few with palm trees, are probably from Bermuda.
There are several sources online about Watson and Hayward and their relationship, but I found this quote from Hayward’s Wikipedia page, that sums it up nicely:
“Hayward met photographer Edith Watson in Bermuda in 1911. The two would later live in Connecticut when not travelling. Though both were officially closeted, their surviving letters indicate they were romantically involved. Hayward left Connecticut after Watson's death in 1943, relocating to a cottage in Cape Cod, where she died in 1956. “
The sizes and condition vary amongst the lot. A few have bends and a couple have tears. One has foxing on the matte. The ones that are matted do not look to be professionally done and a few look to be cut out of a scrapbook page. Sizes, including the mattes are roughly:
Five 3.5” x 3.5”
Three 9.25” x 11”
Eleven 6.5” x 6.5”
Seven 8” x 10”
Five 7.25” x 9.5”
One 6.5” x 7.5”
A wonderful collection of art.
One 6” x 8.5”.
Price: $5,000.00