Portrait

Painting

-

Vermont Historical Society

Name/Title

Portrait

Entry/Object ID

2024.16.63

Description

Portrait of Gertrude Croker. Croker has short, slightly curled grey/silver hair, glasses, send is smiling at someone outside the frame of the image. She wears a gold necklace and watch, a floral v-neck blouse and periwinkle skirt. She sits in a pale blue chair holding a sketchbook, all in front of a multicolored pastel background. The painting resides in a simple gold frame with carved corded outer border.

Type of Painting

Easel

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil

Subject Person

Croker, Gertrude (1881-1994)

Context

Though born in Iowa, Gertrude Croker moved to Newfane, Vermont when she was 6 months old. Her family traced their roots back generations to southeast Vermont. She attended school in Newfane and graduated from Brattleboro High School in 1900. She decided to become a teacher of the deaf due to her own hearing impairment (tone deafness). She attended the Clarke School in Northhampton, Massachusetts for a year and then started teaching at the Lexington School for the Deaf in New York City. In 1912 she moved to the Manhattan School for the Deaf where she taught until her retirement in 1946. In 1914 she wrote a series of books and workbooks for teaching language skills. These works were translated into a number of languages and can still be purchased today. Upon her retirement, she moved back to Brattleboro, where she became involved with the Austine School for the Deaf. She lived a remarkably long life, passing away at the age of 113. At the time of her death she was believed to be the oldest Vermont resident. This portrait of her hung at the Austine School for the Deaf until its closure.

Acquisition

Accession

2024.16

Source or Donor

Austine School for the Deaf

Acquisition Method

Transfer

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Painting

Nomenclature Class

Art

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Dimensions

Height

39-1/2 in

Width

27-1/2 in

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Austine School for the Deaf, Croker, Gertrude (1881-1994)