Emma Eilers

Emma Eilers (September 12, 1870 – March 27, 1951) was an American painter from Sea Cliff, New York, who, despite her uncontrollable shakes, was recognized regionally for her work.

Emma Eilers (September 12, 1870 – March 27, 1951) was an American painter from Sea Cliff, New York, who, despite her uncontrollable shakes, was recognized regionally for her work. ==Early years== Emma Eilers was born to parents Anton Eilers and Elizabeth (Emrich) Eilers September 12, 1870, in the town of Morrisania (now a neighborhood of the Bronx), becoming the 5th of 6 siblings. Census records suggest that during her first 10 years she spent most of her life in Morrisania, growing up amongst her family and German- American relatives who lived nearby. Sometime between 1878 and 1881, her parents moved to Denver, Colorado, for a few years during which Anton became a successful mining engineer and smelter entrepreneur in the region, specifically in Leadville and Pueblo, Colorado. In the span of just a few years, she would see her family's life alter dramatically as the Eilers family accumulated great financial gains that allowed them to purchase multiple homes, travel more easily between New York and Colorado, and now travel between Germany and the US. Unlike her oldest sister Else, who would graduate from Denver High School in 1883 or her brother Karl who graduated from the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute in 1884, Emma joined her three sisters (Louise, Anna & Meta) whom all graduated from the Packer Collegiate Institute, with Emma obtaining her diploma on June 12, 1889. From the 1890s through the 1920s she and three of her sisters lived, unmarried, with their father and mother, splitting time between homes in Brooklyn, NY, and Sea Cliff, NY. Music was a big part of the family's life, with her oldest sister Else a 'fine' pianist, according to several new articles and her sister Meta an excellent violinist. By 1898, the 'Misses Eilers' would host every Monday afternoon Sight Reading Class of 20 women, which the Brooklyn Eagle described as 'the latest novelty in the Hill society'. At least some of this love of music likely was the result of Emma's brother Karl Eilers marrying Leonie Wurlitzer, daughter of the founder of the Wurlitzer Company, Rudolph Wurlitzer. Whether Emma played any instruments or actively participated in music with her sisters is unknown. Between 1918 and 1921, both Emma's mother and father, along with sisters Louise and Meta, would die, though Emma still had her oldest sister Else living at Sea Cliff along with her brother, Karl, and his wife and 3 kids nearby. It's unknown how early Emma developed physical shakes that the family called her 'palsy', but several first-hand accounts describe how her brush would shake right up to the point where brush met canvas and then, suddenly, smooth strokes would appear. Dinner time was also a slightly unusual experience for visitors as Emma's 'shakes' would cause the table to shake at times, rattling silverware, plates and glasses. While Emma's work is not generally well known, she did paint regularly in her large studio at Sea Cliff until her death on March 27, 1951. Her studio has since been converted into a house and still exists. Emma was the last of her 6 siblings to die, dying at her Sea Cliff home that was the Eilers family home for more than 5 decades. At the time of her death, relatives report that her studio was full of paints of various sizes, "they were laying everywhere". Some of her paintings passed down to relatives, some have recently appeared at auction, but most appear to have been destroyed.

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1376119258 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.