Abby Williams Hill who lived in the late 19th and early 20th century (1861-1943) was a remarkable woman for her time. She was a painter and a social activist, a brave woman who did not let much stand in her way. She was the founder of the Washington State Congress of Mothers which eventually became known as the PTA. She was a supporter of early childhood education. Visits to the Tuskeegee Institute and the Flathead reservation made her a champion of equal education for all. However despite these accomplishments, she is best known for her landscape paintings of the American West.
In the early 1900s Hill was commissioned by the Great Northern and later the Northern Pacific railway to produce paintings to promote tourism in the area. Leaving her husband behind in Tacoma but taking her four young children, one son and three daughters, Hill camped and painted 22 paintings in 18 weeks. Instead of a salary the railroad gave her tickets for a 1000 mile long journey for herself and her children. This allowed her to keep rights to her work and later she negotiated to have the paintings returned. The experience of producing these paintings created in Hill a lifelong love for the outdoors. Later in life, concerned by the threat of commercialism, Hill traveled for 7 years in the 1920s and produced a series of National Parks paintings to document what she viewed as disappearing landscapes.
The painting which illustrates this post exemplifies Hill’s character. When she painted the mountain, it was unnamed, and the US Geological Survey let her name it. She named it Mount Booker, after Booker T. Washington, the famous African American educator that she came to know at Tuskegee. As you can imagine, it was controversial in the early 1900s for a white woman to be naming a mountain after a black man however Abby stood her ground.
“Here was a glorious monument not made by the hand of man but carved by the Almighty. What could be more fitting than to name it for one of the most truly great men of our times… When we look at Mt. Booker let us be thankful for Booker Washington’s life, for what he did to solve seemingly impossible problems… His influence like the stream from the mountain will go on through the ages to bless and help mankind.” (Newsclipping)
If you find yourself fascinated by Hill, a more thorough biography can be found here.
When Hill died in 1943 her children looked for a place to house the collection of her artwork and papers. As she had spent much of her life in Tacoma, the University of Puget Sound’s Archives & Special Collections (UPS) was chosen as the site. UPS’s Abbey Williams Hill Collection grew piecemeal over several decades. The current collection consists of paintings but in addition there are letters and journals. Digitization of these materials is ongoing . The majority of Hill’s personal papers are still only available in their original paper format. She was a prolific writer and the bulk of this collection is from the early 1900s through 1910. There is a collection of photos, both family photos and photos taken by Hill on her travels. Also included is ephemera such as old National Park passes and pamphlets. The collection is housed on the second floor of UPS’s Collins Memorial Library is available for research by appointment only. If you want additional information about the collection send an email to: [email protected].
References
Fields, Ronald. “The wanderer, a portrait of Abby Williams Hill.” The University of Puget Sound. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 July 2016
Newsclipping, “Mountain in State of Washington Named in Honor of Booker Washington by Mrs. Abby Williams Hill, Painter”, The New York Age, March 8, 1930, Box 17, Folder 15, Abby Williams Hill Collection, Collins Memorial Library, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington.