Philadelphia artist Violet Oakley was a faculty member at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. The painting above is in the PAFA permanent collection.

There are 43 murals by Oakley in the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg. She was commissioned in 1902 by Joseph Miller Huston, the architect of the capitol, to paint murals for the Governors Grand Reception Room. She completed this series in 1906.

In 1911 after Edwin Austin Abbey died, leaving two rooms of work unfinished at the capitol, Violet was given another contract by the state. This work was for the Senate and Supreme Court room paintings which she completed in 1927. Her works in the Senate are featured on the Pennsylvania Legislature web page: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/vc/visitor_info/blue/senate.htm
and on the Supreme Court page:
http://www.courts.state.pa.us/Index/Supreme/photogallery7.asp.

The Capitol Preservation Committee recently purchased and restored 10 other works by Oakley. Information about the purchase and restoration can be found at http://cpc.state.pa.us.

More information and other works can also be found at these web sites:

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/oakley_violet.html

http://www.afriendofthearts.com/voakleypaint.html

http://citypaper.net/articles/2003-11-06/artpicks4.shtml

Many thanks to Ruthann Hubbert-Kemper, Executive Director Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee, for taking the time to send corrected information about Violet Oakley's work in the Capitol.