The Pointer, Adelia Armstrong Lutz (American, 1859-1931), late-19th century, tempera, gift of Irving S. Saxton, 1945.4.1.
A native of Knoxville, Adelia Armstrong Lutz organized some of the most distinguished art circles in the East Tennessee region. As Director of the Knoxville Art Club and co-organizer of the Nicholson Art League, her work has been exhibited across the American South and subject to permanent display at the Knoxville Museum of Art. Several of her works still hang in her home, Westwood, as part of the city’s historic preservation project.
Lutz attended the East Tennessee Female Institute in Knoxville during the 1870s and later continued her art education at the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Located in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Academy was the first art school established in the United States by renowned American painter and scientist, Charles Willson Peale and sculptor, William Rush. Many of the finest American artists such as, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Cecilia Beaux, Thomas Eakins, and Robert Henri were trained at the Academy. Her image of a White Spotted Pointer, shown here, showcases her artistic style with its slightly out of focus background and detailed rendering of the subject.