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Susie and Leonard, Jr., by Florence Riefle Bahr, dated July 1944. Pastel. Interior matte dimension: 6 1/2" x 10". Private collection.
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Peace, by Florence Riefle Bahr, 1968. Color woodcut. 44" x 21." Private Collection.
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German doll with red cape, by Florence Riefle Bahr, 1975. Watercolor. Signed "Florence R. Bahr" and dated 1975. Paper size is 11 1/4" x 15 1/2." Private collection.
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Medium/Discipline: Mixed Media, Painting, Works on Paper
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland
Place of Death: Elkridge, Maryland
Maryland Affiliation: Born here, Depicts Maryland subjects, Active while in residence
Prominent Theme: Historical Subjects; Maryland History
Gender: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Biography: Florence Elizabeth Riefle Bahr was born in Baltimore in 1909, and moved to Elkridge, Maryland in 1947 where she lived for the rest of her life. She was a successful professional artist who depicted in her work subjects and events of significance to national and Maryland history. "Artist, feminist, environmentalist, consummate social activist - Florence Bahr gave her all to make the world a better place," writes biographer Carolyn Stegman (Women of Achievement in Maryland History, p. 281).
In 1927-28, Florence Bahr attended Dickinson College, but by 1929 forward she was enrolled in both day, night and summer school classes at the Maryland Institute in Baltimore, receiving a diploma in Costume Design in 1930, a diploma of Fine Arts instruction and the James Young Memorial Prize Award in 1931 which sent her to Europe, and a diploma for post-graduate studies in Fine Arts the following year. By 1962, she returned to what is now the Maryland Institute College of Art, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in art history and in 1967 a Master of Fine Arts in printmaking.
In 1929 while studying at the Institute, Florence Riefle befriended an older student and assistant teacher in figure composition, Leonard Marion Bahr; she modeled for some of his portrait classes during their early relationship. They were married in 1934, and by 1947 had three children. Florence and Leonard aspired to promote their strengths as a married couple, namely their mutual artistic and creative acumen and devotion to their Christian faith, which manifested particularly in Florence's art and activism.
Bahr employed wide use of varied media, working in watercolor, ink, pastel, oil, etching and lithography, woodcuts, linocuts and textiles. Her techniques ranged from designing, sewing, weaving, assemblage and collage to book illustration, experimental printmaking and sculpture. Over the years her commissions included murals for the Harriet Lane Home for Invalid Children, design illustrations for the Baltimore City Health Department and posters and representations for various Baltimore churches and missionary societies. She was also commissioned to design greeting cards, paper dolls, invitations, announcements and bookplates, as well as portraits of children and pets. Never without employment despite her many personal responsibilities, Florence Bahr taught art classes at Wroxeter-on-Severn School (1953-54) and private art classes (1955-69). For years, she was an both an antiques dealer and a curator of her "Humpty-Dumpty Doll Museum," in Ellicott City (1990s); she completed portraits of hundreds of dolls from her extensive doll collection.
Throughout her life, Florence Bahr was rarely without a sketch book in hand. She documented city transitions, such as rowhouse removal for inner city redevelopment. She also sketched civil rights marches, sit-ins, demonstrations and trials, including the trial of former Governor Marvin Mandel. She attended public anti-war gatherings, jotting down the speeches and facial expressions of participants. Her artwork effectively documented a time of national upheaval. Bahr illustrated local pamphlets for The Baltimore Interfaith Peace Mission, and became acquainted with the missions of the Catonsville Nine, Jonah House, the American Friends Service Committee and Koininia, a spiritual retreat. She wrote quantities of letters questioning or praising the stances of politicians and administrations.
Throughout the 1960s, Bahr's social activism and art intertwined as her support leaned towards civil, women's and prisoner's rights, children's development and education, improved low-income housing and pro-peace alternatives. Following the assassination of Florence Bahr's hero, Martin Luther King, and the ensuing riots in Baltimore City neighborhoods, she produced Homage to Martin Luther King (1968). This collage is owned by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) headquarters in Baltimore. Bahr served at the breakfast programs initiated by the Black Panthers for low-income children. She was also host in two exchange programs, one for an inner-city child to live a summer in the country, and another for a cultural exchange student from Japan.
Since creativity was a continual means of expressing a range of concerns and interests, Bahr produced much in her lifetime. The Maryland State Archives hold over 300 of her sketchbooks and other works, revealing the many interests and causes she felt necessary to address.
Florence Bahr's work has shown widely locally and in one-woman, traveling and group exhibitions. In 1996, a retrospective exhibition of her work was held at the Peabody Galleria Piccola. She was a member of the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors, the League of the American Pen Women and the Maryland Pen Women. In 1970, she received the "Peace and Freedom" Award from the Women's League for Peace and Freedom for her art and activism. She was also posthumously inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame in 1999 as the first artist to be given this honor. In 1994, Florence Bahr was interviewed for the program "Maryland, By George" on WJZ-TV Channel 13's Eyewitness News in conjunction with an exhibition of her dolls being shown at the Howard County Historical Society.
Tragically, Florence Riefle Bahr perished in a house fire in 1998, which destroyed many of her and Leonard's paintings that were the testaments of their prolific life. Her extensive book collection and family history were also largely destroyed. Mary Shafer Bahr, one of three children of Florence and Leonard, continues to manage the extensive personal archives and collections that survived.
Bahr's artwork is in private and corporate collections in the United States, Europe and Japan.
Education/Training: Dickinson College, 1927-28; M.F.A. Painting with Honors, Maryland Institute College of Art, 1931; post-graduate studies in Fine Arts instruction, MICA, 1932; Catonsville Community College, 1959-62; B.F.A. Art History, MICA, 1962; M.F.A. Printmaking, MICA, 1967.
Art-related Employment: art instructor; portraitist; printmaker
Selected References: Dawson, Jack. "A Family of Artists," The Sun Magazine, January 10, 1982.
Interview and Florence Bahr personal archive research with Mary Shafer Bahr, daughter of the artist, June 2005.
Maryland Women's Hall of Fame Florence Riefle Bahr Biography.
Stegman, Carolyn B. Women of Achievement in Maryland History. (Forestville, MD: Anaconda Press), 2002.
Maryland Institutions Holding Artworks: The Baltimore Museum of Art (drawing); Elkridge Heritage Society; Maryland State Archives;
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Baltimore, Maryland
Maryland Institutions Holding Autobiographical Resources, Archives, Personal Papers, Ephemera, or Other Primary Source Material: Maryland Historical Society "Bahr Family Collection 1928-2001" (6 oversize folders, 2 folders; Summary: The bulk of the Bahr Family Collection relates to Baltimore area artists); Maryland State Archives
Single-Artist Exhibitions: partial list:
Vagabond Theatre, 1955.
Dickinson College, 1958, 1981.
Parish Hall Gallery, Baltimore, 1964.
Cleveland Memorial Gallery, Baltimore, 1968.
Playhouse Theatre, 1968.
Fells Point Gallery, 1974.
Unicorn Gallery, 1977.
Rockland Arts Center, 1989.
Peabody Conservatory, Galleria Piccola, 1996.
Multiple-Artist Exhibitions: partial list:
Maryland Institute of Applied Arts
Nat. Assoc. Women Painters & Sculptors, New York City
Baltimore Museum of Art
Baltimore Watercolor Club, Inc.
Peale Museum
Catonsville High School
Howard Co. Public Library
Howard Co. Community College
League of American Pen Women, Baltimore and D.C.
Pennsylvania Acad. of the Arts / Detroit Inst. of Art Annual
Women's League for Peace and Freedom
Phoenix Gallery
Corner Theatre
Artists for Peace
One Charles Center
Jonade Gallery
Maryland State Arts Council
McDonogh School, Tuttle Gallery
Dept. of Education, Howard Co.
Maryland Artist's Today - 1968 State Tour
Maryland Institute Alumni Assoc.
Loyola College
Baltimore Women's Art Community
Vertical Gallery
Jewish Community Center
Awards: Thomas A. Young Award, Maryland Institute College of Art, 1928-32.
The Baltimore Museum of Art - Print Club Purchase Prize, 1936.
St. Timothy's Art Exhibition - 3 prizes.
The Baltimore Museum of Art - All Maryland Show, 1952.
Maryland Regional - Yellow Cab Company Prize, 1953.
Fells Point Festival - 1st Prize, Abstraction, 1967.
Maryland Institute Alumni Show, 1968.
Maryland State Arts Council Selection, 2nd Annual Maryland Artists Today, 1968.
Maryland Institute Alumni Show - F. Weber Award, 1968.
Loyola College - Baltimore Outdoor Show Purchase Prize, 1969.
Constellation Art Contest - 2nd Prize, Watercolor, 1971.
The Women's League of Peace and Freedom Award, 1994.
Woman of the Year - State of Maryland, 1999.
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