Mary Lee Tate

American artist (1893–1939)

Mary Lee Tate

Born| September 16, 1893

Maysville, Kentucky, United States[1]

Died| July 15, 1939(1939-07-15) (aged 45)

Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

Burial place| Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States[1]
Education| University of Cincinnati (BA),
Cincinnati Art Academy,
University of Chicago[1]
Occupation(s)| Visual artist, teacher
Known for| Painting

Mary Lee Tate (1893–1939), was an American visual artist and teacher.[2] She was known for her landscape and decorative paintings,[3] which exhibited nationally. Tate was African American, and had also worked as an art teacher at local Black schools in Cincinnati, Ohio.

## Early life and education[edit]

Mary Lee Tate was born in September 16, 1893, in Maysville, Kentucky into an African American family, her parents were Anna (née Ramey) and Harry Tate.[1][4][5] Some sources have her date of birth as 1890.[1]

She attended the University of Cincinnati, graduating with a BA degree in 1911;[6] and continued her studies at the Cincinnati Art Academy (now Art Academy of Cincinnati), and at the University of Chicago.[7] The entire family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio by 1920.[1]

## Career[edit]

After graduation in 1911, Tate worked as a public school art teacher at the Fredrick Douglass School (formerly the Douglas School for Negro Children) in Cincinnati.[1][8] She and another teacher at the Douglas School were sued by a student in 1918, for allegations of a physical assault.[9] In the 1930s, Tate taught art classes at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Junior High School (also known as the Harriet Beecher Stowe School, or the Stowe School) in Cincinnati.[1]

Tate exhibited her artwork at the New York Public Library, in 1921; with the Harmon Foundation, between 1928 to 1931; and with the Smithsonian Institution, in 1930.[10][11] Her notable works include Summer; Twilight; A Mountain Trail; In the Canyon; and Morning Mist.[10]

## Death and legacy[edit]

She died in Cincinnati on July 15, 1939, in a car accident.[1][12] The driver that hit Tate's car was convicted after the incident of second degree manslaughter, and by May 1940, the driver was on probation.[12][13]

She has work that is part of the Thomas J. Watson Library, the main research library of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her profile was included in the books Negro Artists: an Illustrated Review of their Achievements, by the Harmon Foundation (1991 reprint edition); and Afro-American Artists. A Bio-bibliographical Directory (1973), authored and edited by Theresa Dickson Cederholm.[1][14]

## See also[edit]

* List of African-American visual artists

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Tate, Mary Lee". Notable Kentucky African Americans Database. University of Kentucky Libraries. May 30, 2023. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
2. ^ Harley Jr., Ralph L. (December 1970). "Checklist of Afro-American Art and Artists". The Serif. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press.
3. ^ Beasley, Delilah L. (1930-11-20). "Negro Artists Lauded". Oakland Tribune. p. 43. Retrieved 2024-04-16 - via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ Exhibition of the Work of Negro Artists presented by the Harmon Foundation at the Art Center, February 16–28, 1931. Harmon Foundation at the Art Center. 1931. p. 46.
5. ^ "Mary Lee Tate, Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953". FamilySearch.org. Genealogical Society of Utah. July 18, 1939.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: others (link)
6. ^ "Applause Greeted: Dr. Dabney, At Commencement Exercises in Music Hall When He Made a Strong Plea For the University". The Cincinnati Enquirer. June 4, 1911. p. 17. Retrieved 2024-04-16 - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ Falk, Peter H., ed. (1999). "Tate, Mary Lee". Who Was Who in American Art, 1564–1975: 400 Years of Artists in America. Madison, CT: Sound View Press. p. 3252\. ISBN 978-0-932087-55-3 - via Internet Archive.
8. ^ "Cost of the Public Schools". The Cincinnati Enquirer. July 3, 1915. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-04-16 - via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ "Negro Child Sues Teachers". The Cincinnati Enquirer. June 4, 1918. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-04-16 - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ a b Cedarholm, Theresa Dickson (1973). "Tate, Mary Lee". In Cedarholm, Theresa Dickson (ed.). Afro–American Artists, a Bio–bibliographical Dictionary (PDF). Vol. 10\. Boston, MA: Trustees of the Boston Public Library. p. 276\. ISBN 9780890730072 - via Internet Archive.
11. ^ "Harmon Art Exhibit Is Carried To The South". The St. Louis Argus. 1930-10-17. p. 13. Retrieved 2024-04-16 - via Newspapers.com.
12. ^ a b "Two Men, Indicted in Killing". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 9, 1939. p. 22. Retrieved 2024-04-16 - via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ "Probation Is Granted". The Cincinnati Enquirer. May 29, 1940. p. 15. Retrieved 2024-04-16 - via Newspapers.com.
14. ^ "Tate, Mary Lee. (b. KY; active Cincinnati, OH, 1931)". African American Visual Artists Database (AAVAD). Archived from the original on March 6, 2021.