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Painting 2016.302.1
Watercolor of Mt. Carmel Convent School and San Miguel Mission Church
Painting 2016.302.1

Watercolor of Mt. Carmel Convent School and San Miguel Mission Church

Dateca. 1915
Maker Teresa Cabeza de Baca (1889-1995)
OriginAmerica, New Mexico, Socorro
MediumWatercolor on wove paper
DimensionsOverall (Framed): 21 1/4 x 33 1/2in. (54 x 85.1cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number2016.302.1,A&B
DescriptionWatercolor scene of a street in Socorro, New Mexico, that shows the Mt. Carmel Convent School and neighboring San Miguel Mission Church. (A) watercolor; (B) frame
Label TextThis watercolor may have been done by Teresa de Baca while she was a student at the Mt. Carmel Convent School of Socorro, New Mexico. The Catholic school had been established in 1879 by the Sisters of Loretto of Kentucky. Although originally all girls, by the time Teresa attended it had grown to serve both genders. The relatively new, and fashionably ornate main school building, stood in contrast to the ca. 1821 mission church, which was built on the foundations of the much earlier, 17th century house of worship. Teresa frames them together against the blue of the Magdalena Mountains. The young artist's family were residents of Bernalillo, about 80 miles north of the school, so she was likely a boarding student. The school was more than a place of education: it was her home.