Berkshire Sunrise

Description

Berkshire sunrise by Susan Field Bissell (American, 1860-1920). Presented in a giltwood frame. Signed "S. Bissell" lower right. Minor creasing … more Berkshire sunrise by Susan Field Bissell (American, 1860-1920). Presented in a giltwood frame. Signed "S. Bissell" lower right. Minor creasing to upper left corner and lower right corner. Image size, 11"H x 9"W. Susan F. Bissell died in 1920 at Port Jefferson, Long Island. She was the possible twin sister to William Bissell. She attended the School of Applied Design for Women where she was one of the first students of William Merritt Chase (1858-1916), a well known American impressionist painter. Chase appointed her as a monitor of the Women's Life Class in 1897. In 1899, at the formation of the New York School of art by William Merrit Chase, She became secretary of the school. Susan Bissell accompanied William Merritt Chase on his first traveling class to Europe. She specialized in landscapes and snow scenes. A student in the School of Applied Design for Women, she was there in 1896 when William Merritt Chase withdrew from the Art Students League and established a class. She was one of the first members of his class, and when the school was reorganized as the New York School of Art, she became the Secretary. Considering the village’s artistic tradition, picturesque setting, easy access by rail and ferry, and proximity to the luxurious Belle Terre Club, talks began in early 1914 about establishing a summer art school in the area. The Port Jefferson Business Men’s Association supported the venture. During the nineteenth century, Port Jefferson led Suffolk County in wooden shipbuilding, but with the decline of this industry, the business community began promoting Belle Terre and Port Jefferson as summer destinations. The idea of a summer art school was not new to Long Island. In 1891, the painter and teacher William Merritt Chase (1849-1916) had established America’s first formal outdoor art school, the Shinnecock Hills Summer School of Art, which he ran in Southampton Town until 1902. Susan Field Bissell was among Chase’s first students in an art class he established in New York City in 1896. When the Chase School was renamed the New York School of Art in 1899, Bissell became its secretary/treasurer. She retained the position when the institution was reorganized again in 1909 as the New York School of Fine and Applied Art, known today as “Parsons The New School for Design.” In 1914, with the energetic and personable Bissell spearheading the project, the New York School acquired land in Belle Terre and made plans to construct a summer school on the property. less