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Paist, Henrietta Barclay (1870–1930)

Paist, Henrietta Barclay (1870–1930)

Creator:
Source: Minnesota History 57, no. 7 (Fall 2001): Inside Front
Henrietta Barclay Paist
Henrietta Barclay Paist between 1910 and 1915.

Multi-talented artist, designer, teacher, and author Henrietta Barclay Paist is perhaps best known for her china painting, a popular turn-of-the-century pastime. Born in Red Wing in 1870, she studied ceramics in Germany, watercolor painting in Minneapolis, and design in Chicago before settling in the Twin Cities, where she also found time to marry and raise a family.

Internationally recognized, Paist won the gold medal in 1896 at Chicago's National Exhibition of Ceramic Workers for a collection of painted porcelain and garnered an award for a portrait on porcelain at the 1900 Paris Exposition. Over her long career, she exhibited work in the Twin Cities, Chicago, New York, and Detroit. Her nineteenth-century pieces, typical of the popular Realistic style, focused on flora and fauna, while her twentieth-century work rendered many of the same subjects in the more stylized manner of the Arts and Crafts movement.

The busy artist also taught at the St. Paul Institute of Arts and Sciences (forerunner of the Science Museum of Minnesota), published watercolor studies and designs for pitchers, vases, and plate borders, and served as a porcelain judge at the Minnesota State Fair for more than twenty years. A member of the Twin City Keramic Club, she was also a frequent contributor and assistant editor of the national magazine for china painters, Keramic Studio. Paist died on February 11, 1930, in Ramsey County.
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Minnesota Historical Society. "Paist, Henrietta Barclay (1870–1930)." MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society. https://www3.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/person/paist-henrietta-barclay-1870-1930
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First Published: June 30, 2011
Last Modified: April 10, 2025

Related Resources

Primary

Paist, Henrietta Barclay. Design and the Decoration of Porcelain. Syracuse, NY: Keramic Studio Publishing Co., [1916].

P1771
William and Herbert Paist Papers, 1849–1932
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: Collection contains material related to Henrietta Barclay Paist, wife of Soo Line employee Herbert Paist.

Secondary

"Curator's Choice." Minnesota History 57, no. 7 (Fall 2001): Inside Front.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/57/v57i07front.pdf

Related Images

Henrietta Barclay Paist
Henrietta Barclay Paist between 1910 and 1915.
Henrietta Barclay Paist
Henrietta Barclay Paist, ca. 1895–1899.
Henrietta Barclay Paist in her studio, Minneapolis
Henrietta Barclay Paist in her studio in Minneapolis, c.1905.
Henrietta Paist trade sign
Henrietta Barclay Paist trade sign, created between 1900 and 1925.
Henrietta Paist and others posed outdoors with a bicycle
Henrietta Barclay Paist and others posed outside with a bicycle, c.1905.
Girl in Blue Dress
Girl in a Blue Dress, c.1920. Painted by Henrietta Barclay Paist.
Two Girls in Green
Description: Two Girls in Green, c.1920. Painted by Henrietta Barclay Paist.
Hand-painted pendant art original
Hand-painted pendant made by Henrietta Barclay Paist between 1920 and 1929.
Rookwood counter/advertising sign
Rookwood tile owned by Henrietta Barclay Paist and used in her studio in St. Paul.
Henrietta Barclay Paist

Henrietta Barclay Paist

Henrietta Barclay Paist between 1910 and 1915.

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Minnesota Historical Society

Articles

More Information

Henrietta Barclay Paist

Henrietta Barclay Paist

Henrietta Barclay Paist, ca. 1895–1899.

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society

Articles

More Information

Henrietta Barclay Paist in her studio, Minneapolis

Henrietta Barclay Paist in her studio, Minneapolis

Henrietta Barclay Paist in her studio in Minneapolis, c.1905.

Public domain

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society

Articles

More Information

Henrietta Paist trade sign

Henrietta Paist trade sign

Henrietta Barclay Paist trade sign, created between 1900 and 1925.

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society

Articles

More Information

Henrietta Paist and others posed outdoors with a bicycle

Henrietta Paist and others posed outdoors with a bicycle

Henrietta Barclay Paist and others posed outside with a bicycle, c.1905.

Public domain

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society

Articles

More Information

Girl in Blue Dress

Girl in Blue Dress

Girl in a Blue Dress, c.1920. Painted by Henrietta Barclay Paist.

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society

Articles

More Information

Two Girls in Green

Two Girls in Green

Description: Two Girls in Green, c.1920. Painted by Henrietta Barclay Paist.

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society

Articles

More Information

Hand-painted pendant art original

Hand-painted pendant art original

Hand-painted pendant made by Henrietta Barclay Paist between 1920 and 1929.
© Minnesota Historical Society Press    

All rights reserved

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society

Articles

More Information

Rookwood counter/advertising sign

Rookwood counter/advertising sign

Rookwood tile owned by Henrietta Barclay Paist and used in her studio in St. Paul.
© Minnesota Historical Society    

All rights reserved

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society

Articles

More Information

Related Articles

Turning Point

Henrietta Barclay Paist gains international recognition for the quality of her china painting when she is given an award at the Paris Exposition of 1900.

Chronology

1870
Henrietta Barclay Paist is born in Red Wing.
1896
Paist wins the gold medal at Chicago's National Exhibition of Ceramic Workers for a collection of painted porcelain.
1900
She receives an award for a portrait on porcelain at the Paris Exposition.
1930
Paist dies on February 11 in Ramsey County.

Related Resources

Primary

Paist, Henrietta Barclay. Design and the Decoration of Porcelain. Syracuse, NY: Keramic Studio Publishing Co., [1916].

P1771
William and Herbert Paist Papers, 1849–1932
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: Collection contains material related to Henrietta Barclay Paist, wife of Soo Line employee Herbert Paist.

Secondary

"Curator's Choice." Minnesota History 57, no. 7 (Fall 2001): Inside Front.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/57/v57i07front.pdf