Dorothy Nelson, of Petersham, Massachusetts

Martha B. Willson Day, Dorothy Nelson, of Petersham, Massachusetts, ca. 1935, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the American Society of Miniature Painters, 1965.30.18
Copied Martha B. Willson Day, Dorothy Nelson, of Petersham, Massachusetts, ca. 1935, watercolor on ivory, 2 1⁄8 x 1 5⁄8 in. (5.4 x 4.1 cm) oval, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the American Society of Miniature Painters, 1965.30.18

Artwork Details

Title
Dorothy Nelson, of Petersham, Massachusetts
Artist
Date
ca. 1935
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
2 1⁄8 x 1 5⁄8 in. (5.4 x 4.1 cm) oval
Credit Line
Gift of the American Society of Miniature Painters
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
Keywords
  • Portrait female — Nelson, Dorothy — bust
  • History — United States — Massachusetts
Object Number
1965.30.18
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1965.30.18

Artwork Description

Dorothy Nelson (1912-1958) was the tenth of twelve children born to Norwegian parents. She grew up in Petersham, Massachusetts, where Martha Buttrick Willson Day owned a summer home. Dorothy married George Vaidulas (1911-1994), also from Massachusetts, and the couple had two daughters. She died in 1958 after a battle with leukemia.