Rebecca Salsbury James, Born in London in 1891, was the daughter of American parents who were performers touring with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. In 1902, she returned to New York, and later became involved with the avant-garde art scene upon meeting her first husband, the photographer Paul Strand. James was a self-taught painter, but was surrounded by artists in the Stieglitz circle. She was close friends with Marsden Hartley and Georgia O’Keeffe, both of whom were influences on her work and supportive of her career.
She had a strong connection to Taos, New Mexico. Rebecca Salsbury James first traveled to Taos with Strand in 1926, and returned in 1929 alongside O’Keeffe, staying with Mabel Dodge Luhan. While in Luhan’s company, James befriended Dorothy Brett and Frieda Lawrence. Mabel Dodge Luhan, was a wealthy patron of the arts, and was instrumental in building the artistic community in Taos.
James was immediately drawn to the region’s rugged beauty and the unique artistic vantage point and cultural traditions of the local Native American and Hispanic communities. Following her divorce from Strand in 1933, she relocated to Taos permanently. She lived in a small adobe house near Taos Plaza, which she used as a studio and a gathering place for other artists.
James was friends with many of the other artists who lived in Taos at the time, including Georgia O’Keeffe, Marsden Hartley, and John Marin. She was also close to the local Native American community, and was known for her vivid and sympathetic portrayals of their daily lives and traditional ceremonies.
In New Mexico, james found personal happiness and fulfillment as an artist. Her life was dramatic and colorful. She successfully exhibited her unusual folk-art-inspired reverse oil paintings on glass and colcha embroideries throughout the United States. In these works of art, James fused European and American theories, traditions and subjects into what one critic called a “union of the strange and familiar.” James’ accomplishments are best considered within the wider context of early twentieth-century American modernist art.
reverse oil on glass
19 ½ x 15 ½ in
Where to Find James’ Work Today?
Rebecca Salsbury James’ artwork can be found in several museums and private collections across the United States. Collections include:
The Harwood Museum, NM
The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, NM
The Harvard Art Museum
The Baltimore Museum of Art
The Philbrook Museum