Mary Martha Himler, American, 1888–1982, Early on the First Day of Deer Season, 1941, Oil on panel, 30 1/2 x 35 1/2 in., Saint Vincent College Collection. Photo: Richard Stoner.
As in many of Mary Martha Himler’s works, Early on the First Day of Deer Season images the rhythm of life marked by the seasonal highpoints of her community. In a scene shortly preceding America’s involvement in the Second World War, dawn quietly illumines a cloud filled sky above the rolling hills of the Laurel Highlands. Families have gathered to admire the results of a fruitful outing. Himler frequently drew inspiration from her neighborhood in Latrobe, as well as the seventy-acre farm established by her grandparents who relocated north of nearby Ligonier from Bavaria in 1841. In addition to her prolific regionalist work, Himler had a tremendous impact on generations of area youth teaching art in Latrobe Public Schools for forty years.
For many families in the area, visits to Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Institute (now the Carnegie Museum of Art) were not financially feasible in the wake of the Great Depression. Determined to provide her students with examples of quality original work, Himler borrowed pieces assembled as a part of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh annual exhibition and displayed them at Latrobe High School, where she served as head of the Art Department. At the encouragement of James R. Beatty, a social studies teacher and fellow artist, the school’s Student Council voted for their favorite pieces and raised funds to purchase them in 1936; thereby initiating the oldest collection of art in the United States completely selected and largely purchased by students. Thanks to Himler and Beatty, the high school’s holdings now number over 200 works; collectively indicative of the evolution of artistic trends from the previous eight decades.
For many families in the area, visits to Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Institute (now the Carnegie Museum of Art) were not financially feasible in the wake of the Great Depression. Determined to provide her students with examples of quality original work, Himler borrowed pieces assembled as a part of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh annual exhibition and displayed them at Latrobe High School, where she served as head of the Art Department. At the encouragement of James R. Beatty, a social studies teacher and fellow artist, the school’s Student Council voted for their favorite pieces and raised funds to purchase them in 1936; thereby initiating the oldest collection of art in the United States completely selected and largely purchased by students. Thanks to Himler and Beatty, the high school’s holdings now number over 200 works; collectively indicative of the evolution of artistic trends from the previous eight decades.
Learn more about the Greater Latrobe School District Art Conservation Trust.