EVELYN RUMSEY CARY (1855-1924) PAN AMERICAN EXPOSITION / NIAGARA / BUFFALO. 1901. 48x25 inches, 122x63 1/2 cm. Gies & Co., Buffalo. Condition B: extensive repaired tears from edges into text and image; repaired tears, creases and losses in margins; restoration and staining in margins and image. Mounted on board. Although unsigned, this classic American Art Nouveau poster is based on the painting Spirit of Niagara by Evelyn Rumsey Cary. A prominent member of Buffalo society, Cary's paintings and portraits were regularly exhibited at the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy and at annual exhibitions held by the Buffalo Society of Artists. For this, her most famous painting, she depicts "the great waterfall of Niagara set against the skyline of Buffalo . . . Niagara is an allegorical female nude with her arms outstretched and her ethereal body delicately veiled by the blue and white foam of cascading waters. Undoubtedly, Cary intended to create an image that served to elevate the figure of Niagara from that of local legend to the level of academe. The seductive promotional symbol was used to create a poster lithograph in nine colors . . . While the poster itself was used as a means of attracting visitors to Buffalo, it was also reproduced in many of the sixty-seven pamphlets and other items issued by the Pan-American Exposition's publicity bureau" (Illuminations-Revisiting the Buffalo Pan American Exhibition, University at Buffalo Libraries). DFP-I 545, Keay p. 112.
