Edith (1874) and Mildred (1876) Cowles were the youngest children, born to the prominent Cowles family in Farmington, Connecticut. Their parents were James Lewis, an economist and writer, and Martha (Gwaltney) Cowles. Though Edith and Mildred’s parents were originally from the southern United States, they quickly established themselves as one of the prominent families of New England. Along with their older sisters, twins Maude and Genevieve (1871), Edith and Mildred were members of what was considered to be the artistic generation of Cowles (Armstrong 1900). The Cowles’ sister all worked with stained glass and easel painting, two were muralists, and three were illustrators. The artistic bunch was referred to as “the Misses Cowles” in an article for The Critic. The author describes the sisters in very charming and flattering ways. Throughout their careers the Cowles sister were always divided into two groups, the older and the younger.
“The two elder girls… have met substantial recognition…the two younger girls have shown a lightness and humor more distinct from the efforts of the older sisters. The pastoral sympathy and grace, the love and understanding of woodland things and their subtle relation to human beings, are all discernable in their work; the humanness of life,the pathos and the tread of wayfaring folk being also shared by all. If there be any appreciable divergence, it is the feeling that the younger girls stand nearer to the world and to a more realistic view of it,” (Armstrong, 1900, p.141).
The deep connection the younger sisters felt with the nature surrounding them is evident in their beautiful floral decorations for Friendship. Despite this promotional and ethereal portrayal of the Edith and Mildred, it was the elder twins whose work was most well-known. Sadly, only four years before Friendship was published Genevieve died at the age of 34. Within the next year or so Mildred had been sent to a mental asylum for repeated suicide attempts. Edith nursed her younger sister throughout her battle with mental illness, never leaving her side (Lystra 2004). Edith and Mildred Cowles were gifted but also tragically troubled.
“The two elder girls… have met substantial recognition…the two younger girls have shown a lightness and humor more distinct from the efforts of the older sisters. The pastoral sympathy and grace, the love and understanding of woodland things and their subtle relation to human beings, are all discernable in their work; the humanness of life,the pathos and the tread of wayfaring folk being also shared by all. If there be any appreciable divergence, it is the feeling that the younger girls stand nearer to the world and to a more realistic view of it,” (Armstrong, 1900, p.141).
The deep connection the younger sisters felt with the nature surrounding them is evident in their beautiful floral decorations for Friendship. Despite this promotional and ethereal portrayal of the Edith and Mildred, it was the elder twins whose work was most well-known. Sadly, only four years before Friendship was published Genevieve died at the age of 34. Within the next year or so Mildred had been sent to a mental asylum for repeated suicide attempts. Edith nursed her younger sister throughout her battle with mental illness, never leaving her side (Lystra 2004). Edith and Mildred Cowles were gifted but also tragically troubled.