Rhoda Carleton Holmes Nicholls

Rhoda Holmes Nicholls (March 28, 1854 – September 7, 1930) was an English-American watercolor and oil painter, born in Coventry, England. She studied art in England and Italy, and her work was viewed and praised at the time by the queens of both countries. A body of work was created in South Africa by Nicholls of Port Elizabeth area's scenery, wildlife and architecture. She lived there on her brothers' 25,000-acre ostrich farm for one year.

Her watercolor paintings and illustrations were published in journals, and her oil paintings won awards in the United States and Europe. Nicholls was a successful artist, writer and art instructor. She was actively involved in many art organizations as a member and leader.

Early life Rhoda Carleton Marian Holmes, the daughter of Rev. William Grome Holmes and Marion Cooke Holmes, annually for three years and an additional £10 directly from Queen Victoria's personal budget "in token of high approval" of her work.

South Africa

She and her mother spent one year near Port Elizabeth in South Africa on the 25,000-acre ostrich farm owned by her two brothers. "Enchanted" with the Karoo desert and mountainous scenery, fauna, wildlife, and architecture, Holmes made many paintings during her stay. She also hunted and rode horseback with her brothers. and sailed for the United States

In 1893, the couple lived in a "cosey" home and both had studios on the top floor. By 1896, Nicholls and her husband were living in a West 50th Street mansion in New York City. They had a daughter, Rhoda Olive, and a son, Arundel Holmes Nicholls,

The couple's marriage became contentious when one of Holmes Nicholls works was accepted by the Paris Salon for exhibition, but her husband's work was rejected. The couple divorced and "newspapers widely warned women about the dangers of success and its potential influence on marital and domestic bliss." She received awards in Europe and the United States, including the Chicago World's Fair, a silver medal in Boston in 1885 for Venetian Sunlight, and a gold medal at the American Art Association of New York for Those Evening Bells.

Her paintings were shown at the MacDowell Club, which was established by women to exhibit and promote their works. She was a member of the Woman's Art Club of New York. Nicholls was made vice-president of the New York Water Color Club and belonged to the American Society of Miniature Painters and the American Water Color Society. Nicholls served as co-editor of Palette and Bench. at the Art Students League of New York, William Merritt Chase's Shinnecock School of Art on Long Island, and in towns in the eastern United States.

Death Nichols died on September 7, 1930, in Stamford, Connecticut, as the result of the osteoarthritis that had made her an invalid for the last 10 years of her life.

Collections Boston Art Club, Massachusetts