Portrait of a cat, by Hannah Brown Skeele (1829-1901), oil on canvas, 16.5"l x 14.5"w (framed).
Gift of the Estate of Edith C. Barry, c. 1972. Brick Store Museum Collection, 80.I.85.

This painting of a cat is one of five in the museum's collections by American artist Hannah Brown Skeele. The work bears her signature (H.B. Skeele) in the lower left corner. Born in 1829 in Cape Porpoise, Maine, she resided in St. Louis from approximately 1858 until 1871, when she returned to Maine and lived in Portland. Little is known about Skeele's artistic training, and it is surmised that she was largely self-taught. She was known for her detailed still lifes and portraits of animals. Records indicate that she first began to exhibit her work while in St. Louis and won many awards. It is speculated that she may have received instruction from artist Sarah Miriam Peale, who was in St. Louis at the same time. Skeele's works are in private collections nationwide and in other museums, such as the St. Louis Art Museum.

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