Clara Soule (American/Dayton, Ohio, active 1856- 1863), "Portrait of Mrs. Cornelia Dewey Hawley', oil on canvas, signed and dated "1858' en verso, original ornate gilt frame, 27.25in. x 22in. E1000-1500 Note: Clara Soule was a member of the Soule family of Dayton, Ohio, a family of painters headed by her father, Charles Soule 1809-1869 The family was active in Dayton for almost a full century and painted portraits of a great number of the important citizens of that city. The Soules and these portraits were the subject of an exhibition at the Dayton Art Institute in March, 196 1 The portrait was sold at auction on May 14, 1945 by J.W. Young Galleries in Chicago. The following catalogue note accompanied the painting. It is curious that a connection to New Orleans was mentioned because none has ever been substantiated. In addition to Dayton, Clara Soule is known to have worked in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia and Lexington, Kentucky. "Miss Soule was a distinguished painter in New Orleans and painted portraits for a great many distinguished families of the South in the '40s and '50s. The subject of this picture was Miss Cornelia Dewey Hawley. I secured the picture from her niece who gave me the following letter regarding it. 'The subject of the portrait is Mrs. Cornelia Dewey Hawley, wife of Major William D. Hawley of the United States Army. The portrait was painted by Miss C. Soule in the year 1858 Mrs. Hawley died at an Army post a number of years ago when her first child was born. A fatality seemed to be attached to the name Cornelia, as my mother named her favorite daughter after this aunt and she died when her first child was born. Mrs. Hawley's mother (my grandmother) was a Lee-cousin of General Robert E. Lee, was born in Virginia and her first husband was Charles Dewey, Mrs. Hawley's father Charles Dewey was a close relative of Admiral Dewey. This portrait hung in our Lagrange home for many years and was greatly admired and familiarly known by friends as "Aunt Cornelia....... Ref. Elam, Charles H., "The Soules of Dayton", The Dayton Art Institute Bulletin, Vol. 19, No. 5, March 1961