Oregon Historical Quarterly

Abstract:

Grace Russell Fountain and Mabel Russell Lowther were among a handful of women artists in the Pacific Northwest who moved into the professional sphere at the turn of the twentieth century, and whose work contributed to the promotion and protection of Crater Lake. Fountain and Russell both sought opportunities with Southern Pacific Railroad, which promoted tourist destinations along their new rail corridors with landscape art of the American West. “During their lifetimes, the artwork of Grace Russell Fountain and Mable Russell Lowther made their names almost synonymous with Crater Lake.” Their artistry “shaped public perceptions of Crater Lake and played an important visual role in promoting [its] scenic beautyand designation as a national park.”