Reflections

Helen Maria Turner (November 13, 1858 – January 31, 1958) was an American painter and teacher known for her work in oils, watercolors and pastels in which she created miniatures, landscapes, still lifes and portraits, often in an Impressionist style.

Born in Louisiana 1858, Turner was largely raised by her uncle in New Orleans. Though she showed an early interest and talent in art, her family’s poor financial standing initially hampered her pursuits.

In her 20s, Turner was able to enroll in free art classes at Tulane University. Following her studies, she began teaching to earn money to enroll at the Art Students League in New York, which she successfully did in 1895. At the League, her teachers included Kenyon Cox, Douglas Volk, and Arthur Wesley Dow—she also studied under William Merritt Chase.

Turner spent nearly 20 years teaching at the New York YWCA, training women for careers in the arts. The Metropolitan Museum of Art purchased a portrait of Turner’s in 1914, an endorsement that opened the doors for participation in important exhibitions across the country, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In 1916 she became an Artist Life Member at our Club.

Much of Turner’s portrait work captured women at work and during leisure. Her work has been described as "unpretentious" and revealing, "unconsciously, a woman's point of view.” Turner died in early 1958, only several months shy of her 100th birthday.