As cooler temperatures roll in, I am already feeling nostalgic for summer. This moody etching by Beatrice S. Levy captures some of the longing and freedom of the season. Born in Chicago and educated at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Levy quickly distinguished herself in both painting and printmaking. In 1915, Song of Summer was selected for exhibition at the prestigious Panama Pacific International Exhibition, where it won an honorable mention. There, it caught the eye of Portlander Charles Francis Adams, who purchased Levy’s prize-winning etching, as well as many other prints that were gifted to the Portland Art Museum in 1989.
—Mary Weaver Chapin, Curator of Prints and Drawings
Beatrice S. Levy (American, 1892–1974), Song of Summer, 1914. Color etching on cream, medium-thick, moderately textured wove paper. Gift of Heirs of Charles Francis Adams Collection: Peter F. Adams, Mrs. Sandra Adams Beebe, and Charles Anthony Adams, 89.20.118
