Mary Lee Tate
Mary Lee Tate (1893–1939), was an American visual artist and teacher. She was known for her landscape and decorative paintings, which exhibited nationally. Tate was African American, and had also worked as an art teacher at local Black schools in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Also recorded as Mary L. Tate
Mary Lee Tate
- Name
- Mary Lee Tate
- Born
- September 16, 1893
- Birthplace
- Maysville, Kentucky, United States
- Died
- 15 July 1939
- Place of death
- Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
- Education
- University of Cincinnati (BA), Cincinnati Art Academy, University of Chicago
- Occupation
- Visual artist, teacher
- Known for
- Painting
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Mary Lee Tate • Born — September 16, 1893 • Birthplace — Maysville, Kentucky, United States • Died — 15 July 1939 • Place of death — Cincinnati, Ohio, United States • Burial Place — Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States • Education — University of Cincinnati (BA), Cincinnati Art Academy, University of Chicago • Occupation — Visual artist, teacher • Known for — Painting
Early life and education
Early life and education
Mary Lee Tate was born on September 16, 1893, in Maysville, Kentucky into an African American family, her parents were Anna (née Ramey) and Harry Tate. Some sources have her date of birth as 1890. Tate graduated from Walnut Hills High School. She attended the University of Cincinnati, and graduated with a BA degree in 1911; she continued her studies at the Cincinnati Art Academy (now Art Academy of Cincinnati), and at the University of Chicago. The entire family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio by 1920.
Career
Career
After graduation in 1911, Tate worked as a public school art teacher at the Fredrick Douglass School (formerly the Douglas School for Negro Children) in Cincinnati. She and another teacher at the Douglas School were sued by a student in 1918, for allegations of a physical assault. In the 1930s, Tate taught art classes at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Junior High School (also known as the Harriet Beecher Stowe School, or the Stowe School) in Cincinnati. Tate exhibited her artwork at the New York Public Library, in 1921; with the Harmon Foundation, between 1928 and 1931; and with the Smithsonian Institution, in 1930. Her notable works include Summer; Twilight; A Mountain Trail; In the Canyon; and Morning Mist.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Maysville.
Birth place
Cincinnati.
Death place
Death and legacy
She died in Cincinnati on July 15, 1939, in a car accident. The driver that hit Tate's car was convicted after the incident of second degree manslaughter, and by May 1940, the driver was on probation. She has work that is part of the Thomas J. Watson Library, the main research library of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her profile was included in the books Negro Artists: an Illustrated Review of their Achievements, by the Harmon Foundation (1991 reprint edition); and Afro-American Artists. A Bio-bibliographical Directory (1973), authored and edited by Theresa Dickson Cederholm.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Mary Lee Tate, revision 1219994043 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Harley Jr., Ralph L. Checklist of Afro-American Art and Artists. The Serif. Kent State University Press. December 1970.
- 2.Beasley, Delilah L. Negro Artists Lauded. Oakland Tribune. 43. 1930-11-20.
- 3.University of Kentucky Libraries. Tate, Mary Lee. Notable Kentucky African Americans Database. May 30, 2023.
- 4.Harmon Foundation at the Art Center. Exhibition of the Work of Negro Artists presented by the Harmon Foundation at the Art Center, February 16–28, 1931. 46. 1931.
- 5.Mary Lee Tate, Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953. FamilySearch.org. July 18, 1939.
- 6.The Cincinnatian [1911]. Cincinnati and Hamilton Public Library. 1911.
- 7.Applause Greeted: Dr. Dabney, At Commencement Exercises in Music Hall When He Made a Strong Plea For the University. The Cincinnati Enquirer. 17. June 4, 1911.
- 8.Sound View Press. Who Was Who in American Art, 1564–1975: 400 Years of Artists in America. 3252. 1999. 978-0-932087-55-3.
- 9.Cost of the Public Schools. The Cincinnati Enquirer. 2. July 3, 1915.
- 10.Negro Child Sues Teachers. The Cincinnati Enquirer. 8. June 4, 1918.
- 11.Cedarholm, Theresa Dickson. Afro–American Artists, a Bio–bibliographical Dictionary. Trustees of the Boston Public Library. 10. 276. 1973. 9780890730072.
- 12.Harmon Art Exhibit Is Carried To The South. The St. Louis Argus. 13. 1930-10-17.
- 13.Two Men, Indicted in Killing. The Cincinnati Enquirer. 22. September 9, 1939.
- 14.Probation Is Granted. The Cincinnati Enquirer. 15. May 29, 1940.
- 15.Tate, Mary Lee. (b. KY; active Cincinnati, OH, 1931). African American Visual Artists Database (AAVAD).
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 27 August 2026.
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