Written by: FHC Volunteer Pat Lavin
Welcome to the world of Miss Margaret M. Kendall. You may know her as the master of pen and ink drawings, and sketches of local historic landmarks. But she is so, so much more!
Margaret attended grammar school in Framingham in the early 1900’s and graduated from Miss McClintock’s School in Boston in 1923. After receiving her four-year diploma from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in 1927, she became a freelance artist in Framingham and Boston.
In 1930, Margaret joined the staff of the George Walter Vincent Smith Gallery in Springfield, MA. During her 12 years at the Smith Gallery, she organized and ran art education programs for children and adults. At the same time, she broadened and developed her own artistic skills. She joined and exhibited at the Springfield Art League and the Springfield Guild of Artists. These exhibitions and those at the Smith Gallery included Margaret’s watercolors; and her pen sketches, some of which were enhanced with vibrant strokes of a simple crayon.
Margaret returned to Framingham to care for her ill mother in 1942. A devoted daughter, she became her mother’s caretaker and companion. She was also able to continue her professional artwork in Framingham and became well known as a Framingham community volunteer. Throughout World War II, she helped as a member of the Arts and Skills Corps of the American Red Cross at Cushing Army Hospital in Framingham and was a valued volunteer at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Her connection to the Framingham History Center is great, as she both volunteered at the Framingham Historical Society, and was named as the Curator there and remained as curator for more than 30 years!
True satisfaction for Margaret came from her drawing, painting and gardening. She joyfully shared her works of art and nature in local exhibitions, and with the Copley Society of Boston in 1948. In Rockport, Massachusetts she studied under Aldro Hibbard, an American plein air painter known for landscapes, particularly his snowscapes. While studying there, she created many scrapbooks and some woodcuts of the Rockport area.
Margaret’s notoriety in Massachusetts and beyond continued to grow. Two one-woman shows were presented at the Cinema Theater at Shoppers World, in Framingham, in 1956 and 1963. The first show featured Margaret’s oils and watercolors and the second depicted her more familiar pen and ink sketches.
Margaret designed drawings found in publications, reports and asinteresting borders for maps. Her picturesque greeting cards often traveled by mail across the country. She vividly captured Boston in her many sketches of the city including streets, parks, Beacon Hill, Old Ironsides and the charming and beloved Swan Boats.
An accomplished artist, Margaret’s works of art included the use of watercolors, oils, pastels, wood blocks and the potential of an ordinary crayon and pencil. Detailed journals, diaries and notebooks kept by Margaret shed light on her artwork, everyday life, and inner being. The Margaret M. Kendall Collection is her legacy to the Framingham History Center. Her work is part of the FHC archives and is our treasure that we are delighted to share with you!