Catherine Ann Drinker
| Catherine A. Janvier | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Catherine Ann Drinker May 1, 1841 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | July 19, 1922 (aged 81) Merion, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts |
| Spouse(s) | Thomas Allibone Janvier |
| Awards | |
Catherine Ann Janvier née Drinker (May 1, 1841 – July 19, 1922) was an American artist, author, and translator. Before she married, she had an established career as an artist and teacher under the name Catherine Ann Drinker.
Catherine Ann Drinker was born on May 1, 1841 in Philadelphia to (Henry) Sandwith Drinker and Susannah Budd Drinker (née Shober). Her father commanded ships involved in East India trade and then established a partnership called James and Drinker in Hong Kong and Macao. He was a merchant or adjacents-ports agent for organizations in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. Janvier was the oldest of four children. She had a sister and two brothers. Her brother Robert was born in 1845, Henry was born in 1850, and Elizabeth in 1953.
Sandwith Drinker lived in Hong Kong by 1845 and the rest of the family was there about 1849. Janvier was a friend and correspondent of student Townsend Harris, who became the first Minister to Japan for the United States. Janvier studied oriental arts, the French and Latin languages, literature, and mathematics. She was also interested in horse-back riding and dancing. At ten or fifteen years of age, one of her father's business associates and a powerful merchant, Hukwa, tried unsuccessfully to arrange a marriage between Janvier and his son.
The Drinkers were living in the orient during the Opium Wars when the relationships between foreign traders and the Chinese was difficult. The Drinkers lived in Macao by 1857. In January 1857, Sandwith Drinker was poisoned and died of dysentery, believed to be the result of a politically motivated mass poisoning of bread at a bakery. About 400 foreigners "suffered great impairment of health" due to arsenic poisoning.
Susannah Drinker sailed with her children from China to Baltimore. During the trip, when the captain was drunk, Janvier navigated the ship because the First Officer did not have the sufficient ability to read the charts. Her mother established Mrs. Drinker's Academy for Young Ladies in Baltimore. She had a tumor in her uterus and died in March 1860. Janvier kept the school open for a time, and then closed it to pursue a career in art. She took the responsibility for providing for the family, also included her grandmother.
Janvier, who studied and worked under the name Catherine Ann Drinker, studied art at the Maryland Institute with Adolf van der Whelan. In 1865, Janvier and the other Drinker children moved to their cousin Ann Elmslie's house in Philadelphia at 1906 Pine Street. Cathrine Drinker took classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where she studied under Thomas Eakins. A life drawing class was established for women at the school in 1868. Ida Waugh and Emily Sartain were among her fellow students. Janvier taught art at Miss Sanford's School in 1870 and through private lessons. One of her private students was Cecilia Beaux, with whom she had much in common and became good friends. Cecilia's sister, Aimée Ernesta Beaux, married Henry Sturgis Drinker, Janvier's brother.
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