Lydia May Ames

Ames was born in Cleveland in 1863, in what was then Newburgh, to a livery service provider by the name of Ashley Ames.[1][2] She had one sister, who became a librarian in Cleveland.[2] Her painting career began around 1885.[1] In 1900 she graduated from the Cleveland School of Art with pictorial art as her major.[3] Following her graduation, she continued to teach there for 27 years.[2] She continued to study art at the Rhode Island School of Design.[1] Following retirement from teaching, she opened her own art studio and continued to give lessons.[3] Her last work occurred approximately in 1940.[1] Never married, she died in Cleveland on October 1, 1946.[1][2]

Noted as one of the earliest female artists from Cleveland, Ames' gained national recognition in the United States for her impressionistic oil paintings of landscapes.[2][3] These landscapes were typically done as miniatures, the product smaller than a postcard in size.[3] In addition to her oil miniatures she also painted murals.[1] Most of her productive time was spent in Cleveland, although she took trips for sketching purposes to both New England and the Mediterranean.[1]

Ames is sometimes recognized as "Cleveland's first impressionist painter".[2] Her favorite subject was Garfield Park in Cleveland, which was near her home on Miles Avenue.[2]

At one point in Ames career, she was the only woman member of the New York Art Club.[2]

Her teaching focused on anatomy and art history and development, the latter in which she became a noted expert.[1][2]

• Louis M. Sealand Gallery, Cleveland, 1900[1]
• Society of Independent Artists, New York, 1917[1]
• Society of Independent Artists, New York, 1921[1]
• Lindner Store, Cleveland, August 1925[2]