Sarah James Eddy was a force in the Portsmouth community for over forty years, but her work was forgotten until recently. In 2017, Sarah was recognized during the 21st annual Historical Induction Convocation at the historic Bristol Statehouse and Courthouse, but many Rhode Islanders are still unaware of her accomplishments in the arts and in social causes.
Professionally trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Sarah Eddy was an artist well into her 90s, working as a painter, sculptor, and master photographer. Sarah was born in Boston, but resided in Providence for many years until she moved to Portsmouth. She was listed as a “painter of pictures” in the Providence census. As a pioneering woman photographer, Sarah exhibited in Paris and London as well as in major exhibits in the United States. Her images are in the collection of the Library of Congress. Her art was part of every cause she worked for – used for prizes, for fundraising, and as a way of bringing beauty into the world. She was also a master arts educator bringing artists to Bristol Ferry, and encouraging amateurs. Sarah and her students even went out painting in smocks and berets. Sarah never took any payment for her photos or paintings and delighted in photographing and painting her neighbors in Bristol Ferry.
Two of her most well-known paintings are portraits of Frederick Douglass (1883) and Susan B. Anthony (1902). The opportunity to paint both subjects came from her family associations with the abolition and suffrage movements. Sarah Eddy was a woman of many causes and she entertained frequently at her home. Once while Susan B. Anthony was visiting, one of the guests had just come from a Woman’s Christian Temperance Union Convention and another from the Anti-Vivisection Society.
Sarah’s concern for animal welfare was expressed in many ways. She founded the Rhode Island Humane Society and provided educational materials for children about properly caring for animals. Sarah wrote and illustrated books on animals such as Alexander and Some Other Cats(1929) and Friends and Helpers (1900).
Sarah paid for the construction of an addition to house an art gallery in the Portsmouth Free Public Library. The library has a lovely landscape in the reference room that is attributed to Sarah and several of her sculptures are on display in the children’s room.
Sarah never married and had no children of her own, but she established the Social Studio across the street from her home on Bristol Ferry Road as an art center for children. The Social Studio also became a cultural center for Portsmouth’s adults. For at least thirty years, Christmas celebrations, charity fundraisers, lectures, and musical performances took place in the Social Studio. In 1945, Sarah died at her Portsmouth home after many years of service to her community and to the wider world.
Biography and image provided by the Portsmouth Historical Society
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