43

Group of art and papers from the career of Adah Clifford Murphy.

Various places, 1887-1954
10 items, various sizes and conditions.

  • Notes: Ada Clifford Murphy (1859-1949) was raised in Hudson, NY, and studied at Cooper Union under Douglas Volk. In 1883 she married John Francis Murphy (1853-1921). She exhibited widely as a landscape painter during her lifetime, although her reputation was overshadowed by her yet more successful artist husband. They lived in New York City and had a studio at Arkville in the Catskill Mountains. This lot includes:

    Adah C. Murphy. Pen and ink sketch titled "By the Canal," 6¼ x 8 inches, on Bristolboard, signed "A.C. Murphy." Inked stamp of collector Charles Kurtz. This is a sketch of her painting shown at the 62nd exhibition of the National Academy of Design, as drawn for the exhibition catalogue (not included). It appears on page 92 of the catalogue, which states that the original is 11 x 16 inches, and depicts "a late afternoon effect in summer, in an old French village on a canal." "Look at Adah C. Murphy's 'By a Canal,' for instance; a charming little thing, with an unhappy, though hardly perceptible, slant in the building; but broad, bright, and filled with the larger truths of form and color. She will sell it for $45" (Brooklyn Eagle, 3 April 1887). Provenance: online purchase, 2006.

    Painting of stream. Oil on panel, 6¼x 4½, signed on verso "by Adah C. Murphy," in period Arts & Craft oak frame. Provenance: acquired circa 1990s by the consignor at the Locust Grove Antique Show in Louisville, KY, along with the following items, from a vendor who said they came from a former Murphy servant who retired to the Louisville area.

    "Paintings and Drawings by J. Francis Murphy," American Art Association memorial auction catalogue, 151, [3] pages; worn with front wrapper detached. With the auction's bidding slip laid in, inscribed "Sincerely, Mrs. J. Francis Murphy." New York, 26 November 1926. 

    Three small personal photographs circa 1900: two three-quarter length portraits of Adah Clifford Murphy (one identified on verso) and one of her mother Pauline Woodworth Smith (1833-1906).

    Autograph Letter Signed by Hulda Gregerson (1888-1974, who is named in Adah Murphy's will), to Ella Cowan Persons (1882-1970) of Schenectady, a.k.a. Mrs. Vernor E. Persons. The letter does not mention Adah Murphy. New York, 23 April 1950. 

    Three clippings relating to the Murphys, 1918-1954. Her 1949 obituary notes that "her companion Miss Hulda Gregersen has accompanied Mrs. Murphy faithfully for more than 36 years." Gregersen is also shown in a 1954 article on a Francis Murphy exhibition, described as "former companion to the artist's wife." 
  • Condition:
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November 20, 2025 10:30 AM EST
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