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The Cone Sisters of Baltimore: Collecting at Full Tilt
Over a period of fifty years, sisters Claribel and Etta Cone amassed one of the most acclaimed collections of late-nineteenth and twentieth-century art in America. Dr. Claribel and Miss Etta were two halves of an idiosyncratic team—Claribel bold and assertive and Etta reflective and sensitive—who used the fortunes of their German Jewish immigrant family to seek out works that inspired and pleased them, regardless of public opinion and with only self-taught expertise.
This richly illustrated biography documents their lives from a unique perspective: that of their great-niece, who wrote this book with her daughter. Ellen B. Hirschland and Nancy Hirschland Ramage delve into Claribel’s and Etta’s world, following the sisters through letters and personal stories as they travel to meet some of the artists whose works would turn their adjoining apartments into a gallery. They bought art by Manet, Gauguin, and Cézanne, as well as of Picasso and Matisse, whom they came to know well. The sisters’ experiences in Paris from 1901 through the 1920s provide an exceptional view of the bright artistic ferment in the city at that time. They were two Victorian women from Baltimore buying avant-garde masterpieces, attending salons with friends Gertrude and Leo Stein, and building a collection that would initially enrage the conservative people around them. Only with time would their keen eyes and unwavering taste prove them right.
This richly illustrated biography documents their lives from a unique perspective: that of their great-niece, who wrote this book with her daughter. Ellen B. Hirschland and Nancy Hirschland Ramage delve into Claribel’s and Etta’s world, following the sisters through letters and personal stories as they travel to meet some of the artists whose works would turn their adjoining apartments into a gallery. They bought art by Manet, Gauguin, and Cézanne, as well as of Picasso and Matisse, whom they came to know well. The sisters’ experiences in Paris from 1901 through the 1920s provide an exceptional view of the bright artistic ferment in the city at that time. They were two Victorian women from Baltimore buying avant-garde masterpieces, attending salons with friends Gertrude and Leo Stein, and building a collection that would initially enrage the conservative people around them. Only with time would their keen eyes and unwavering taste prove them right.
- GenresNonfictionBiographyArt
352 pages, Hardcover
First published July 3, 2008
58 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 10, 2015
I found this book quite interesting, and although I have seen the Cone Collection several times at the BMA, I have a strong desire to see it with fresh eyes after reading this joint biography of Claribel and Etta Cone.The book was written by a mother/daughter team who were related to the Cone sisters, which gave them a unique perspective of these justifiably renowned art collectors. In my opinion, however, they didn't come off so well as human beings, although I am sure that was not the authors' intent. Born into a large, wealthy, Jewish family, neither one of the sisters ever had to work a day in her life, although Claribel did become a doctor at a time when that was quite an accomplishment for a woman. I guess they are best-known for spending their family's money wisely, and we in the Baltimore area are certainly the beneficiaries of that.
July 19, 2008
Thoroughly enjoyable look at art and art collecting. One historical aspect that always fascinates me is groups of artists or intellectuals hanging out together, so a book that includes two sisters vacationing with Alice Toklas and Gertrude Stein while buying artwork from their friends, Matisse and Picasso, is right up my alley.
And quite fascinating to see just how much a part of their lives the Cone sisters considered art to be. The many photograps of their average sized apartment crammed full of art (Matisse, Picasso, Gauguin, etc.) were absolutely amazing.
Amazingly, I even came to respect Matisse and Picasso as artists, which I did not so very much do before reading this book. I've long held a "fine art died circa 1895" opinion, but now can admit (oh so begrudgingly) that Picasso's early period was fine, and that Matisse's early and mid periods had strength and value as well.
Oh...some modern arts are quite enjoyable as well (John Currin. Lisa Yuskavage. Dave Cooper. Ryden before he became a self parody) so I suppose I should disclaimer this area and say that fine art, for me, now died circa 1920, but has recently been perhaps somewhat reborn.
But I'm digressing. This was a charming book, and the sisters were obviously charming women, and educated and emancipated and damned powerful creatures. I really didn't know of them before reading this book, but now I wish I could have attended a few of their salons and walked through their apartments, agape and stupefied.
And quite fascinating to see just how much a part of their lives the Cone sisters considered art to be. The many photograps of their average sized apartment crammed full of art (Matisse, Picasso, Gauguin, etc.) were absolutely amazing.
Amazingly, I even came to respect Matisse and Picasso as artists, which I did not so very much do before reading this book. I've long held a "fine art died circa 1895" opinion, but now can admit (oh so begrudgingly) that Picasso's early period was fine, and that Matisse's early and mid periods had strength and value as well.
Oh...some modern arts are quite enjoyable as well (John Currin. Lisa Yuskavage. Dave Cooper. Ryden before he became a self parody) so I suppose I should disclaimer this area and say that fine art, for me, now died circa 1920, but has recently been perhaps somewhat reborn.
But I'm digressing. This was a charming book, and the sisters were obviously charming women, and educated and emancipated and damned powerful creatures. I really didn't know of them before reading this book, but now I wish I could have attended a few of their salons and walked through their apartments, agape and stupefied.
December 27, 2008
THE CONE SISTERS OF BALTIMORE : Collecting At Full Tilt by Ellen B. Hirschland & Nancy Hirschland Ramage – Northwestern University Press / 0-8101-2481-5 / 271 pps (with Bibliography, Footnotes and Appendixes) / $34.95
I think this is my most enjoyed book of the year. Etta and Claribel Cone are a delightful duo. Told by the niece and great niece, this is the life of two “spinster” sisters who amassed a staggering collection of art from “radical, disreputable artists” that eventually became its own wing at the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Their father and mother were Jewish immigrants from Germany with a history of hard work, success and generosity. Via their inheritance (and a substantial allowance from their successful brother’s textiles business), they start collecting art from, at the time, unappreciated artists such as Picasso, Degas, Matisse, Van Gogh, Renoir, Cezanne, and other, as yet, famous artists of the early 1900’s.
Most art echelons thought them crazy and monetarily wasteful , scoffing at their art selections only to grovel later to acquire their collection for their representative museums. They bought whatever they liked, with little, if any, concern as to future value.
Though extremely prim and proper themselves, they never shied away from provocative art, hanging several nudes prominently in their apartments, such as Matisse’s “Blue Nude”, which caused scandalous reviews & the burning of copies in effigy by Chicago art students.
Etta first Travelled to Paris, where she met Gertrude and Leo Stein, who subsequently introduced her to Picasso and Matisse. The rest, as they say, is history. Binding friendships soon ensued and Etta began the collection with five paintings by Theodore Robinson in 1898. With Leo as her first and foremost advisor, Etta is soon snapping up piece after piece, mostly to help financially strapped artists. Soon, nearly every available inch of their small, adjoining Marlborough building apartments in Baltimore was covered in art of all sizes, even the bathroom. (Imagine hanging a Matisse in your bathroom?)
Claribel earned a degree in medicine and worked as a physician at the Philadelphia Hospital for the Insane. She also studied Botany and became a lecturer and professor of pathology and pathological history while also working at the college’s hospital. She never had patients, only taught.
Etta, the youngest of 11 children, was an accomplished pianist and her parent’s keeper until their deaths, hence her more timid and demure nature.
Via both their friendships with Stein, they were active in Women’s Suffrage, yet, ironically, renowned for their eccentric attire, favoring their long black skirts and white petticoats, where a secret pocket kept all their traveling and art buying money.
Their sexuality was often questioned, assuredly due to their friendship with Gertrude, but never an issue, (though Stein’s lover, Alice B. Toklas remained jealous of the friendship throughout.)
Claribel died first, willing her collection to Etta, who died in 1949. Prior to her death, Etta was courted relentlessly for her art collection but it eventually was donated to their hometown museum. The Cone wing at the Baltimore Museum of Art now contains over 3000 works, 500 of which are by Matisse with an estimated value of one billion dollars.
Included in all the family history and personals are quite elaborate histories behind the art pieces they bought, excerpts from actual letters from Matisse, Gertrude Stein, and the sisters themselves, and Ellen’s own memories of trips with her aunts to buy art and tour Paris.
Within the appendixes are Claribel’s “Introductory Address to the Medical Class of the Woman’s Medical College” from 1896, a list of her published papers, several writings on their collection from American artist, Shelby Shackelford and John Hopkins Professor of Philosophy, George Boas.
The book is oversized, (an excellent coffee table book) and loaded with color reproductions of many of their pieces. A fascinating read that gives me further impetus to buy, buy, buy.. even if everyone thinks I’m crazy and monetarily wasteful.
Published on Women Writers net
I think this is my most enjoyed book of the year. Etta and Claribel Cone are a delightful duo. Told by the niece and great niece, this is the life of two “spinster” sisters who amassed a staggering collection of art from “radical, disreputable artists” that eventually became its own wing at the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Their father and mother were Jewish immigrants from Germany with a history of hard work, success and generosity. Via their inheritance (and a substantial allowance from their successful brother’s textiles business), they start collecting art from, at the time, unappreciated artists such as Picasso, Degas, Matisse, Van Gogh, Renoir, Cezanne, and other, as yet, famous artists of the early 1900’s.
Most art echelons thought them crazy and monetarily wasteful , scoffing at their art selections only to grovel later to acquire their collection for their representative museums. They bought whatever they liked, with little, if any, concern as to future value.
Though extremely prim and proper themselves, they never shied away from provocative art, hanging several nudes prominently in their apartments, such as Matisse’s “Blue Nude”, which caused scandalous reviews & the burning of copies in effigy by Chicago art students.
Etta first Travelled to Paris, where she met Gertrude and Leo Stein, who subsequently introduced her to Picasso and Matisse. The rest, as they say, is history. Binding friendships soon ensued and Etta began the collection with five paintings by Theodore Robinson in 1898. With Leo as her first and foremost advisor, Etta is soon snapping up piece after piece, mostly to help financially strapped artists. Soon, nearly every available inch of their small, adjoining Marlborough building apartments in Baltimore was covered in art of all sizes, even the bathroom. (Imagine hanging a Matisse in your bathroom?)
Claribel earned a degree in medicine and worked as a physician at the Philadelphia Hospital for the Insane. She also studied Botany and became a lecturer and professor of pathology and pathological history while also working at the college’s hospital. She never had patients, only taught.
Etta, the youngest of 11 children, was an accomplished pianist and her parent’s keeper until their deaths, hence her more timid and demure nature.
Via both their friendships with Stein, they were active in Women’s Suffrage, yet, ironically, renowned for their eccentric attire, favoring their long black skirts and white petticoats, where a secret pocket kept all their traveling and art buying money.
Their sexuality was often questioned, assuredly due to their friendship with Gertrude, but never an issue, (though Stein’s lover, Alice B. Toklas remained jealous of the friendship throughout.)
Claribel died first, willing her collection to Etta, who died in 1949. Prior to her death, Etta was courted relentlessly for her art collection but it eventually was donated to their hometown museum. The Cone wing at the Baltimore Museum of Art now contains over 3000 works, 500 of which are by Matisse with an estimated value of one billion dollars.
Included in all the family history and personals are quite elaborate histories behind the art pieces they bought, excerpts from actual letters from Matisse, Gertrude Stein, and the sisters themselves, and Ellen’s own memories of trips with her aunts to buy art and tour Paris.
Within the appendixes are Claribel’s “Introductory Address to the Medical Class of the Woman’s Medical College” from 1896, a list of her published papers, several writings on their collection from American artist, Shelby Shackelford and John Hopkins Professor of Philosophy, George Boas.
The book is oversized, (an excellent coffee table book) and loaded with color reproductions of many of their pieces. A fascinating read that gives me further impetus to buy, buy, buy.. even if everyone thinks I’m crazy and monetarily wasteful.
Published on Women Writers net
May 21, 2012
i was inspired to read this after seeing the steins' collect exhibit at the met--and monica pointed out to me that the cone sisters are the hidden hand behind gertrude and leo stein's amassing of 20th century modern art. mostly interesting for those who want to read turn of century paris art scene and drool over what it was like to be rich as Creces and free to do whatever the hell you want.
October 8, 2011
A really accessible book about the two eccentric sisters who acquired one of the premier modern art collections in the country. I have toured the collection four times now and this book truly enhanced my experience. I also learned a lot more about Gertrude Stein.
January 13, 2019
A wonderful and detailed portrait of the two great Baltimore collector-sisters of the early twentieth century. There is an intimate warmth to the descriptions, written as they are by knowledgeable family members, who are art experts in their own right.
The color reproductions of notable pieces from the collection are a treat, as are the photographs of the sisters’ apartments, crammed full of wildly dynamic art and furniture. There are excerpts from letters, articles, speeches, essays and journals, everything from the snide snipes of Alice B. Toklas to reverential ruminations by rabbis. Together, all of these sources help form a lively and convivial picture of the lives and doings of Claribel and Etta, and the marvelous contributions which they made for us all to enjoy.
The color reproductions of notable pieces from the collection are a treat, as are the photographs of the sisters’ apartments, crammed full of wildly dynamic art and furniture. There are excerpts from letters, articles, speeches, essays and journals, everything from the snide snipes of Alice B. Toklas to reverential ruminations by rabbis. Together, all of these sources help form a lively and convivial picture of the lives and doings of Claribel and Etta, and the marvelous contributions which they made for us all to enjoy.
August 27, 2016
Born of Jewish immigrant parents from Germany with a history of hard work, success and generosity, this is the life and eccentricities of Etta and Dr. Claribel Cone, as told by their niece and great niece. Two “spinster” sisters who amassed such a staggering collection of art (from “radical, disreputable artists”) that when it was donated to Baltimore Museum of Art upon their deaths, it required its own wing to house it all.
Via their inheritance (and a substantial allowance from a successful brother’s textiles business), they start collecting art from, at the time, unappreciated artists such as Picasso, Degas, Matisse, Van Gogh, Renoir, Cezanne, and other, as yet, famous artists of the early 1900’s.
Most of the upper art echelons thought them crazy and monetarily wasteful, scoffing at their selections only to later grovel to acquire said collections for their own representative museums. The sisters bought whatever they liked, with little, if any, concern as to its future value.
Though extremely prim and proper themselves, they never shied away from provocative art, hanging several nudes prominently in their apartments, such as Matisse’s “Blue Nude”, which caused scandalous reviews and the burning of copies in effigy by Chicago art students.
Etta was first to travel to Paris, where she met Gertrude and Leo Stein, who subsequently introduced her to Picasso and Matisse. Binding friendships ensued and Etta began her collection with five paintings by Theodore Robinson in 1898. With Leo as her first and foremost advisor, Etta was soon snapping up art with aplomb, mostly to help financially strapped artists. Before long, nearly every available inch of the sister’s small, adjoining Marlborough building apartments in Baltimore was covered in works of all sizes, even the bathroom. (Imagine hanging a Matisse in your bathroom?)
Claribel was the more studious of the two, earning a degree in medicine and working as a physician at the Philadelphia Hospital for the Insane. She also studied Botany and became a lecturer and professor of pathology and pathological history while also working at the college’s hospital. She never took patients, but only taught. Etta, the youngest of the 11 children, was an accomplished pianist and her parent’s keeper until their deaths, hence her more timid and demure nature.
Via their friendships with the Steins, they were active in Women’s Suffrage, yet ironically, renowned for their eccentric attire, favoring long black skirts and white petticoats where a secret pocket kept their travel and art money. Their sexuality was often questioned, assuredly due to their friendship with Gertrude, but never an issue, (though Stein’s lover, Alice B. Toklas remained jealous of that friendship throughout.)
Claribel had died first, willing her portion of their collection to Etta, who later died in 1949. Prior to her death, Etta was courted relentlessly for the collection by national museums, but she wanted it to stay in their hometown. The Cone wing at the Baltimore Museum of Art now contains over 3000 works, 500 of which are by Matisse with an estimated value of one billion dollars.
Included with family history and personals are histories behind the art pieces they bought, excerpts from letters from Matisse, Gertrude Stein, and between the sisters themselves, as well as Ellen’s own memories of trips to Paris with her aunts to buy art.
Within the appendixes are Claribel’s “Introductory Address to the Medical Class of the Woman’s Medical College” from 1896, a list of her published papers, several writings on their collection from American artist, Shelby Shackelford and John Hopkins Professor of Philosophy, George Boas.
The book is oversized, (an excellent coffee table book) and amply filled with color reproductions of many of their pieces. A fascinating read that gives me further impetus to buy, buy, buy.. even if everyone thinks I’m crazy and monetarily wasteful.
May 14, 2009
The Cone sisters were certainly an intrepid and unusual pair, and their lady-like adventures make for a fascinating story. As close friends of Gertrude Stein, they were introduced to and began to collect Picasso, Matisse, and other noteable artists of the early 20th century The book is lovingly written by their niece and grand niece, both of whom are art historians. The thing that makes this book really top notch for me is the pictures. The book is liberally interspersed with pictures of the sisters, friends and family - and there are the pictures of their fabulous purchases, now a whole wing of the Baltimore Museum of Art. This is really a great story!
August 9, 2014
A delightful story of how two sisters acquired a truly amazing art collection. (Written by my college art history professor and her mother, the sisters' nieces.) After reading this book, seeing the Cone Collection at the Baltimore Museum of Art was an even more wonderful experience.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews