Lawrence C. Earle has just completed a portrait of the late
Mrs. Carrie Williams Putnam, which will be placed in the new YWCA
building when the structure is finished.
Mrs. Putnam left a large
legacy to the YWCA and she herself made provision for the painting of
portraits for herself and her daughter, Miss Belle Putnam, who died many
years ago, to be placed in the YWCA building.
Mr. Earle was given the commission and he is now at work on the
portrait of the daughter. In the portrait of Mrs. Putnam the artist has
caught the character, individuality and likeness of the subject. He has
toned the picture in a high key, using light tones of blues and violets in
the gown and draperies, the background being in rich soft color effects.
Mr. Earle has been especially successful in the painting of
character types among older persons and earlier in his career he painted
some celebrated character studies and prized figure work which rated high
among the products of America's artists.
He has encountered some difficulty in painting the Putnam
portraits, as he has been obliged to work from photographs and his own
memory of Mrs. Putnam, consequently the satisfactory result which has been
acclaimed by many of Mrs. Putnam's oldest friends is a triumph for the
artist. The portraits will be placed in vaults of the Michigan Trust until
they are unveiled in the permanent location.
GRAND RAPIDS HERALD. TUESDAY, JULY 13, 1920
