A Studio of Her Own: Women Artists in Boston 1870-1940
Complementing a Boston Museum of Fine Arts exhibit of the same  name, Hirshler's book chronicles the birth and evolution of  women artists who trained or were centered in Boston. The John  Moors Cabot curator of American painting at the Museum of Fine  Arts, Hirshler found her niche rediscovering lesser-known  artists with her previous work, Dennis Miller Bunker: American  Impressionist. She hits her stride with this new study,  providing a standard for regional treatments of women artists.  The book not only surveys artists grouped together solely by  gender or artistic medium but also establishes the intertwining  and harmonious relationships among several Bostonian  generations. In addition, the original research generates fresh  interest in a largely forgotten or unknown aesthetic stratum of  New England. Hirshler delves into challenges specific to female  artists, thus marrying art history with social history and  appealing to a wider audience. Abundant illustrations, artists'  biographies, and extensive footnotes make this essential for  academic libraries specializing in art history. Rebecca  Tolley-Stokes, East Tennessee State Univ., Johnson CityCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.