Elizabeth Olds

Elizabeth Olds
Olds in 1937 (Archives of American Art)
Born	(1896-12-10)December 10, 1896 Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Died	1991 (aged 94–95) Sarasota, Florida, USA
Nationality	American
Education	University of Minnesota, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Art Students League of New York
Known for	Printmaking, silkscreen, woodcut, lithography, illustrations, children's books
Movement	Social Realism
Awards	Guggenheim Fellowship

Elizabeth Olds (December 10, 1896 – 1991) was an American artist known for her work in developing silkscreen as a fine arts medium. She was a painter and illustrator, but is primarily known as a printmaker, using silkscreen, woodcut, lithography processes. In 1926, she became the first female honored with the Guggenheim Fellowship. She studied under George Luks, was a Social Realist, and worked for the Public Works of Art Project and Federal Art Project during the Great Depression. In her later career, Olds wrote and illustrated six children's books.

Olds was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to a middle-class family. Olds's mother was an art historian, and her mother exposed Olds and her sister, Eleanor, to art through visits to the Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Olds's art was first documented in her high school yearbook, featuring a cartoon sketch of a goose at tea. She studied Home Economics and Architectural Drawing at the University of Minnesota from 1916-1918, and received a scholarship to study at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design from 1918-1921. In 1921, Olds received another scholarship to study at the Art Students League of New York where she studied under George Luks.