Della Dayton Gall (American, 1881-1957), Western New York painter primarily known for her landscape and still life paintings in oil, as well as painted china. Della Kate (née Dayton) Gall was born, June 7, 1881 to Arthur Brooks Dayton (1857-1917) and Kate Gertrude (née Rand) Dayton (1859-1936) in Madison Lake, Ohio. Her family moved to Buffalo, NY around 1887. During her early years she worked professionally in the circulating department of the Buffalo Public Library.
She took up landscape painting in 1925 at the age of forty-four and studied with noted landscape painter John Rummell (American, 1861-1942) at his summer outdoor painting classes in Buffalo, NY. Before she started formal art studies, she had taught classes in china painting. As a member of the Buffalo Society of Artists she exhibited regularly in annual exhibitions as well as ‘Thumb Box’ shows. Gall was awarded the Jeffrey-Fell Prize for Best Landscape for the painting “Coming Storm” in their 40th Annual Spring Show, 1934. She also exhibited with the Town Club of Buffalo, the Western New York Branch of the League of American Pen Women, and the Guild of Allied Arts, Buffalo, NY.
Her first marriage was to Harry Mortimer Dixon (1879-1938) April 30, 1903. They had two daughters, Katharine “Kate” Elizabeth Dixon (Mrs. Ernest Johann Tauch, 1908-1995) and Janet Dayton Dixon (Mrs. James E. Shaw, c.1912-1996). Della later remarried physiotherapist, ophthalmologist and artist Dr. William Thomas Wrentmore Gall (1883-1960). Della and her husband frequently traveled to Colorado and throughout the New England area including New Hampshire and Massachusetts, where they sketched and painted. William painted under his middle name of ‘Thomas/Tom Wrentmore’. She is often listed as ‘D.D. Gall’ and sometimes misidentified as ‘Delia Dayton Gall’. Residences for her included 44 Greenfield Street, 172 St. James Place, and 176 Crescent Avenue in Buffalo, NY, as well as Lotus Bay Road, Irving, NY. Della passed away on April 27, 1957 and was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery (Section 26), Buffalo, NY.
Chronology:
1881- Born, June 7, to Arthur Brooks Dayton (1857-1917) and Kate Gertrude (née Rand) Dayton (1859-1936), Madison Lake, Ohio.
Circa 1887- Della’s family moved to Buffalo, NY.
1900- March 1, Della passed the examination for employment in the Buffalo Public Library and began working there shortly afterward in their circulating department, Buffalo, NY.
1903- April 30, Della married Harry M. Dixon, at the home of her parents at 44 Greenfield Street, with the ceremony performed by Rev. Charles E. Rhodes.
1908- February 1, their daughter Katharine Elizabeth Dixon was born, Buffalo, NY.
Circa 1912- Their daughter Janet Dayton Dixon-Shaw was born, Buffalo, NY.
1917- October 21, Della’s father Arthur B. Dayton died following an operation at the Homeopathic Hospital and he was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, NY.
1925- She took up landscape painting.
1945- Della’s husband William retired from twenty years of medical practice, Buffalo, NY.
1928- November 17-December 17, exhibited, group show, 21st Annual Thumb Box Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1929- February 2-?, exhibited, group show, 35th Annual Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. July 6, Della took a trip to join the Nantucket Art Colony under the direction of well known landscape artist Frank Swift Chase (American, 1886-1959), Nantucket, MA. November 17-?, exhibited, group show, 22nd Annual Thumb Box Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists, Albright Art Gallery, Gallery IV, Buffalo, NY.
1930- January 18-?, exhibited, group show, Annual Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists, Buffalo, NY. February 7-March 1, exhibited, 37th Annual Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists, Della’s painting “Mt. Holyoke” was included, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. November 15-December 14, exhibited, group show, 23rd Annual Thumb Box Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists, three paintings shown by Della including “Chicory”, “Dancing Leaves” and “October Snow, 1930”, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1931- December 12-13, exhibited, group show, Guild of Allied Artists guild rooms, 334 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY.
1932- February 20, their daughter Katharine Elizabeth Dixon married Ernest J. Tauch (1904-1999), Philadelphia, PA. February 28-March 21, exhibited, group show, Annual Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. Summer-October 21, exhibited, group show, two landscape paintings “Under the Maples” and “Tees”, Town Club of Buffalo, NY. November 28, exhibited, group exhibition, to benefit fellow artists during the depression. Sponsored by the Albright Art Gallery this helped from the sale of not only their own works but also from 50% of sales of other works donated, and held in three rooms on the 18th floor of the Hotel Statler, Buffalo, NY. December 3-4, exhibited, group show, under the auspices of the Guild of Allied Arts, Inc., at the International Institute, 334 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY.
1933- August 26, their daughter Janet Dayton Dixon was married to Mr. James E. Shaw at their family residence at 172 St. James Place, Buffalo, NY, with the Rev. Norman J. Irving or Orchard Park, NY, officiating. October, exhibited, group show, Annual Fall Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. October 22, Della won the Grand Prize by Lum & Adner for a national radio contest, winning a brand new Ford V-8 Sedan (Which replaced her 1930 Ford Model A) with her 50-word statement on, “Why I would buy a Ford V-8 car.” She stated about winning the prize, “My family has always been Ford enthusiasts. We have owned four successive Fords and I, personally, have driven more than 100,000 of Ford miles. Of course, I am enthusiastic about this handsome prize because it takes the place of my 1930 Model A Ford, which has given me such faithful service.” Della received delivery of her new car through the Ford Motor Sales Company located at 1790 Main Street, Buffalo, NY.
1934- April 3-17, exhibited, group show (Jeffrey-Fell Prize for Best landscape), 40th Annual Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists, for the painting “Coming Storm”, Hotel Statler, Buffalo, NY. December 1-?, exhibited, group show, 27th Annual Thumb Box Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. December, exhibited, group show, at the Town Club of Buffalo, NY.
1935- January 26, exhibited, group show, First Annual Masked Ball of the Buffalo Society of Artists, to help raise funds to provide new quarters for the Society, Della’s painting was awarded as a prize (along with twelve other artists’ works), Hotel Statler, Buffalo, NY. April 6-21, exhibited, group show, 41st Annual Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists, Della was also on the jury of selection for paintings, Statler Hotel, Buffalo, NY. April 26-May ?, exhibited, solo show & talk, landscapes and still lifes in oil in the ‘little art gallery’ of the Town Club, Buffalo, NY. Took summer painting classes along with her husband with noted landscape painter John Rummell (American, 1861-1942) in Buffalo, NY. Exhibited, The Town Club of Buffalo, NY.
1936- April 12-18, exhibited, juried group show, Tenth Annual Exhibition of the League of American Pen Women: Biennial, with nine members from the Western New York branch represented, two paintings “Coming Storm” (other unknown), Jelleff Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. May 17, Della’s mother Kate G. Dayton died and is also buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, NY.
1938- March 12, Della’s first husband Harry M. Dixon (1879-1938) died of a heart attack, Rochester, NY, and he was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, NY. April 30-May 9, exhibited, group show, 44th Annual Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists, Hotel Statler, Buffalo, NY.
1939- March 3-31, exhibited, group show, Western New York Branch of The National League of American Pen Women, in the Little Gallery of the Town Club, Buffalo, NY.
1940- April 5-?, exhibited, group show, Annual Exhibition of the Western New York Branch of The National League of American Pen Women, in the Little Gallery of the Town Club, Buffalo, NY.
1941- April 10, Della was a guest speaker on WGR radio for the Western New York Branch of the National League of America Pen Women for the talk titled “Sketching a Trail from Buffalo to Colorado.”, Buffalo, NY.
1942- November 22-28, exhibited, group show, Minute Women at War Week, in Buffalo theaters and used in the campaign to boost sales of WWII Savings Bonds and Stamps. Paintings were auctioned at the end of the display to lucky recipients who purchased a bond at one of the participating theaters. Della contributed a painting titled “Seneca, Bear Lake, Rockies” which was for the highest Bond Sale of $10,000, Buffalo NY.
1948- April 6, exhibited group show, Exhibition by Members of the Western New York Branch of the League of American Pen Women, Town Club of Buffalo, NY.
From 1949 on- Della and her husband made their summer home in Lotus Bay, Irving, NY, their permanent residence.
1954- Spring, Evans National Bank acquired one of Della’s paintings “Autumn Comes to Grandview”, which was hung in the lobby, Evans, NY. December, exhibited, two-person show, Evans National Bank, with her husband, Evans, NY.
1955- May 1-8, exhibited, group show, Annual Art Exhibition of the Western New York Branch of the League of American Pen Women, two autumn landscapes, held in the Junior League Clubrooms, 595 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY.
1957- April 27, Della passed away, the funeral held at the home of her daughter, Janet Shaw 762 Parkside Avenue in Buffalo on Monday April 29. She was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery (Section 26), Buffalo, NY.
1960- December 14, Della’s second husband William T.W. Gall passed away in Buffalo General Hospital, Buffalo, NY, and is also buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery (Section 26), Buffalo, NY.
1995- November 30, their daughter Katharine Elizabeth Dixon-Tauch died, Jacksonville, FL.
Awards/Honors: Won the Grand Prize by Lum & Adner for a national radio contest, winning a brand new Ford V-8 Sedan with her 50-word statement on “Why I would buy a Ford V-8 car.” And received delivery of her new car through the Ford Motor Sales Company located at 1790 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, October 22, 1933; and won the Jeffrey-Fell Prize for Best Landscape “Coming Storm”, at the “40th Annual Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists”, Buffalo, NY, 1934.
Memberships/Associations: Buffalo Society of Artists, Buffalo, NY; Town Club of Buffalo, NY; Western New York Branch of the League of American Pen Women, Buffalo, NY; Guild of Allied Arts, Buffalo, NY; and the Nantucket Art Colony, Nantucket, MA.
Collections: Evans National Bank, for a landscape painting “Autumn Comes to Grandview”, which was hung in their lobby, Evans-Angola, NY (1954).
(Written & compiled by Mark Strong of Meibohm Fine Arts, East Aurora, NY, 14052, meibohmfinearts.com. Sources: Too long to list here and are furnished upon request.)
