Harriet Elizabeth (née Price) Denbo (American, 1910-1986) Western New York artist and daughter of the well known artist, illustrator & writer Margaret Evans Price (American, 1888-1973) and father Irving L. Price (American, 1884-1976) who co-founded the Fisher-Price Toy Company located in East Aurora, NY. Harriet is primarily known for her landscapes, but was also known to do portraits and figurative works. She worked in acrylics, oils and watercolors.
Early in her career, she and her husband Marcus E. Denbo (American, 1914-1971) who was a machinist, moved to Alamo, Hidalgo County, Texas. Harriet studied oil painting with the artist & illustrator Roy C. Keister (American, 1886-1983) in South Texas. The west dominated her paintings for many years and she exhibited in several shows there, winning numerous awards in the process. They had three children; M. Lucy (Eddins), Denise (Hamby) and Peter M.
Harriet’s husband suddenly died in 1971, soon after Harriet moved back to the Western New York area and settled in East Aurora, NY. Circa the mid 1970’s, Harriet furthered her art studies with artist Albert George Handell (American, 1937-) in his workshops held in Woodstock, NY. Her work has hung in the Laguna Gloria Art Museum in Austin, TX. She had been represented by the Wonderland Galleries in San Antonio, TX, and her work can be found in many private and public collections.
Chronology:
1910- Born, January 13, to parents Irving L. Price (Co-founded the Fisher-Price Toy Company, East Aurora, NY, and former Mayor of the town, 1930), and Western New York artist Margaret (née Evans) Price (American, 1888-1973), and had two brothers; William Price (adopted 1913-), David Sutherland Price (b. 1919-).
1920- Moved with her family to East Aurora, NY.
1930- Harriet’s father Irving L. Price and Herman G. Fisher founded the Fisher-Price Toy Company. Her mother Margaret Evans Price was the first Art Director who designed push-pull toys for the opening line, based on characters from her children’s books (Fisher-Price is a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. since 1993). Harriet’s parents purchased the 1825 Millard Fillmore Honeymoon Cottage, and relocated the structure to its present site at 24 Shearer Avenue, East Aurora, NY. They restored the cottage along with adding a porch, and they also added a wing in the back (now the library) to accommodate her mother’s art studio. The cottage was purchased in 1975 by the Aurora Historical Society, returned to its 1825 appearance and is now a National Historic Landmark.
Circa sometime after 1930- Harriet and her husband Marcus E. Denbo (American, b. Aug. 7, 1914-d. Aug. 24, 1971) who was a machinist, moved to Alamo, Hidalgo County, Texas, where she studied oil painting with the artist & illustrator Roy C. Keister (American, 1886-1983) in South Texas. The west dominated her paintings for many years and she exhibited in several shows there, winning numerous awards in the process. She and her husband had three children; M. Lucy (Eddins), Denise (Hamby) and Peter M, and the family resided at ¼ Mile S. Tower Road in Alamo, TX.
Circa early 1970’s- Harriet moved back to the Western New York Area and settled in East Aurora, NY.
1973- November 20, her mother died after a long illness at their residence at 24 Shearer Avenue, East Aurora, NY.
Circa the mid 1970’s- Harriet furthered her art studies with the artist Albert George Handell (American, 1937-), in his workshops held in Woodstock, NY.
1976, November 23, Harriet's father Irving Price died.
1977- November 6-19, exhibited, three person show, “Harriet Denbo, Barbara Ebsary, Janet Ebsary”, oils, watercolors, graphics and enamels on copper were shown, Walter Meibohm Gallery (now Meibohm Fine Arts), 478 Main Street, East Aurora, NY.
1986- March 15, Harriet died at the age of seventy-six, East Aurora, NY. A private memorial service was held at the Kenneth Howe Funeral Home in East Aurora, NY.
For additional information on this artist or for other possible examples of her works, please visit the AskArt
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(Rewritten & compiled chronologically by Mark Strong of Meibohm Fine Arts, Inc., East Aurora, NY, meibohmfinearts.com, sources: Too long to list here and are furnished upon request.)
