HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (TENNESSEE VALLEY LIVING) - In many ways, Maria Howard Weeden was a woman ahead of her time.
She worked for a living in the 19th century and financially supported her household. As an artist, she featured minorities in many of her paintings in a respectful way, which was uncommon for the time. After visiting the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, she saw that Black people were depicted mostly as caricatures, rather than real people. So, when she returned home to Huntsville she began painting highly realistic portraits of formerly enslaved Huntsvillians.
She also wrote poetry and published multiple books under the name of Howard Weeden. She also used the pseudonym Flake White, named after a paint color. Despite being legally blind, she sold decorated cards and invitations.
You can visit her home now in downtown Huntsville, located at 300 Gates Ave SE, Huntsville, AL 35801, which is now a museum.
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