View source for Bertha E. Jaques

'''Bertha E. Jaques''' (1863-1941) was an American etcher and a member of the [[American Theosophical Society]].

== Personal life ==

Bertha Evelyn Clauson was born on [[October 24]], 1863 in Covington, Ohio to John William Clauson and Charolotte Ann Wilde Clauson. She completed high school, but did not attend college. Bertha engaged in secretarial work and in writing for magazines. On November 28, 1889, she married William  Kilburn Jaques (1859-1945), who "was not only a surgeon but an active inventor of mechanical appliances, descended from a long line of inventors."<ref>[https://www.illinoisart.org/no-39-bertha-evelyn-jaques Artists of Chicago Past and Present: No. 39 Bertha Evelyn Jaques] by C. J. Bulliet in the Illinois Historical Art Project.</ref> The service was conducted by well-known Unitarian minister Augusta Jane Chapin, who was one of the few women speakers at the [[World's Parliament of Religions (1893)|1893 Parliament of the World's Religions]].<ref>"Bertha E. Clauson" ''Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine'' 90 no. 11 (November, 1956): 915.</ref> A daughter, Jeanette, was born in 1892 but died within a week.<ref>Jeanette Jaques, Cook County, Illinois, Birth Certificates Index, 1871-1922.</ref>

Mrs. Jaques passed away on [[March 30]], 1941.<ref>"Mrs. Bertha E. Jaques" ''The American Theosophist'' 29 no.5 (May, 1941): 119.</ref>

== Artistic career ==

John Lienhard gave an account of how her interest in etching developed:
<blockquote>
She liked to paint. Then, when she was thirty, something happened. She saw an exhibition of the new French etchings at the Chicago Columbian Exposition [of 1893].

It was an important moment. Jaques went home to try this new medium.She bought a copper plate at the hardware store. She found  wax, pitch,and nitric acid. She wrapped a paint roller with leather and located an old dentist's drill. 

She was transfixed as the nitric acid carved out her first picture. She let it destroy the image
completely. But her learning curve was fast. Her second etching is on museum display today. She improvised, failed, and succeeded. Her husband helped her fashion etching equipment from surgical tools.

She got a press from Milwaukee. Then, in 1897, she gave us the first etchings in the Midwest. She eventually left over 400 prints. And they occupy a peculiar place in American art.

The prints are lovely -- really lovely. Most are scenes -- locations. They are places in reality, but they're also places in her mind. They romanticize reality, yet they show an almost classic order and discipline. Jaques makes powerful use of perspective. She wields space with an engineer's eye.<ref>[https://www.kuhf.org/programaudio/engines/eng547_64k.mp3 No. 547: Bertha E. Jaques] by John H. Lienhard in ''The Engines of Our Ingenuity'' website.</ref>
</blockquote>

Mrs. Jaques was a founder of the '''Chicago Society of Etchers''', and served for 27 years as Executive Secretary and Treasurer. In 1936 the Society donated "630 fine prints, representing 220 artists, to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C."<ref>"Theosophy in Action" ''The American Theosophist'' 24 no.3 (March, 1936): 71.</ref>

Mrs. Jaques served as a mentor to generations of etchers. She corresponded with print makers like Birger Sanzén of Kansas, and joined his '''Prairie Print Makers''' for exhibitions and lectures:
<blockquote>
[In 1928] he invited Jaques to give lectures on etching at Bethany College in Lindsborg and at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, where he was a visiting professor. Jaques’ etching Three Fishers, Venice included in this 2020 exhibition is inscribed: “To Birger Sandzén—who saw it printed Apr. 25, 1929.” Jaques was known for demonstrating the etching process during her talks and must have printed this impression from her 1912 plate during that
1929 visit. Sandzén invited Jaques to join the Prairie Print Makers early on, and she exhibited with the group by the second season of traveling exhibitions in 1933, continuing to be an active member and submitting her etchings each year until her
death in 1941.<ref>Cory Sherman North, [https://sandzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2020-Sandzen-Gallery-Prairie-Print-Maker-WEB-CATALOG.pdf ''In the Center of It All: 90 Years of the prairie Print Makers''] exhibition catalog. Exhibition November 8, 2020 - January 3, 2021at Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery</ref> 
</blockquote>

She was also the author of several books on etching and other subjects."<ref>"Mrs. Bertha E. Jaques" ''The American Theosophist'' 29 no.5 (May, 1941): 119.</ref>

== Theosophical Society involvement ==

She belonged to the Herakles Lodge in Chicago. In 1934 she donated a lovely etching called '''''Buddha Serenity''''' to the headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]]. 

== Writings ==

Mrs. Jaques wrote several articles and books on etching and other subjects.

== Additional resources ==


=== Audio ===

* [https://www.kuhf.org/programaudio/engines/eng547_64k.mp3 No. 547: Bertha E. Jaques] by John H. Lienhard in ''The Engines of Our Ingenuity'' website. 

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Artists|Jaques, Bertha]]
[[Category:Poets|Jaques, Bertha]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Jaques, Bertha]]
[[Category:TS Adyar|Jaques, Bertha]]
[[Category:People|Jaques, Bertha]]