On October 11, 2018, for our series Voices on Art, Art This Week Productions, in collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, recorded this talk by author and historian Betty Trapp Chapman. She discusses the life of Annette Finnigan.
From the MFAH website–“Annette Finnigan—an energetic suffrage leader, astute businesswoman, and visionary philanthropist—was involved in many aspects of Houston’s development. Her contributions made a significant impact on the city, yet few Houstonians are familiar with her name.
Finnigan (1871–1940) was active in the suffrage movement in Houston and throughout Texas. After a serious illness in 1916, she adopted a less-strenuous lifestyle and became interested in world travel and in collecting works of art, rare books, and antiques. In 1931, she began donating gifts to the MFAH and Houston Public Library. Among the many works of art she donated to the Museum is a Hellenistic myrtle wreath, one of the rarest objects in the collection. Her gifts of ancient art are the foundation for the Museum’s collection of antiquities.
In this talk, Betty Trapp Chapman explores Finnigan’s life and contributions toward building a more-enlightened Houston community—a legacy continued by patrons of the arts, scholars engaged in research, and women in roles of leadership.”
This lecture (one of three) is part of the Tales of Houston Women collaboration, a two-month retrospective and celebration by several of our community’s organizations displaying the many ways Houston’s women have, are, and will put their mark on history. We are celebrating through art, lectures, science, movies, dance, and more. Learn more at www.talesofhoustonwomen.org.
Thanks to Betty Trapp Chapman, and the MFAH for allowing us to film the talk. Thanks also to MFAH staff, especially Trey Ferguson, for their help in recording this talk.
ATW info: Twitter: @artthisweek – Facebook: facebook.com/artthisweek
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