See other bills
under the
same topic
PRINTER'S NO. 1946
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
369
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY RAPP, BARRAR, BIZZARRO, BURNS, CALTAGIRONE,
CAUSER, COX, SCHLEGEL CULVER, DiGIROLAMO, EVERETT, FREEMAN,
HAHN, HENNESSEY, HILL-EVANS, JOHNSON-HARRELL, KAUFFMAN,
KORTZ, LONGIETTI, MACKENZIE, MILLARD, B. MILLER, MOUL,
NEILSON, OBERLANDER, PICKETT, PYLE, READSHAW, RYAN, SONNEY,
YOUNGBLOOD AND ZIMMERMAN, JUNE 3, 2019
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
JUNE 3, 2019
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 145th birthday of Violet Oakley and her
important artistic contributions to this Commonwealth.
WHEREAS, Violet Oakley was born on June 10, 1874, in Bergen
Heights, New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, After studying art in England and France, Ms. Oakley
returned to the United States in 1896 and continued her artistic
education at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and
Drexel Institute in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Oakley became renowned as the first prominent
female artist in mural decoration, a field of expression that
had been exclusively practiced by men up until that time in the
United States; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Oakley excelled at murals and stained glass
designs that addressed themes from history and literature in
Renaissance-revival styles; and
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
WHEREAS, At the 1904 Saint Louis International Exposition,
Ms. Oakley won the gold medal in illustration for watercolor and
the silver medal in mural decoration for her murals at All
Angels' Church; and
WHEREAS, In 1905, Ms. Oakley became the first woman to
receive the Gold Medal of Honor from the Pennsylvania Academy of
Fine Arts; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Oakley painted a series of 43 murals in the
Pennsylvania State Capitol Building, specifically for the Senate
Chamber, the Governor's Grand Reception Room and the Supreme
Court Chamber; and
WHEREAS, The project for the Senate and Supreme Court
Chambers took 16 years; and
WHEREAS, In 1915, Ms. Oakley was awarded the Medal of Honor
in the painting category at the 1915 Panama-Pacific
International Exposition in San Francisco; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Oakley died on February 25, 1961, and was buried
in her family's plot at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New
York; and
WHEREAS, All but one of Ms. Oakley's commissions for artistic
projects were located in Pennsylvania and her most famous
commission was for the Pennsylvania State Capitol; therefore be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
145th birthday of Violet Oakley and her important artistic
contributions to this Commonwealth.
20190HR0369PN1946 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26