Notable Lewis Countians
May Hardman Gilruth
1885–1962
A painter and printmaker who exhibited with major arts organizations and at institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago. Gilruth was born in Jane Lew before studying and working principally in Chicago.
Lewis County connection
Gilruth was born in Jane Lew before studying and working principally in Chicago.
May Hardman Gilruth in her Chicago studio, about 1946.
Lewis County connection
Gilruth was born in Jane Lew before studying and working principally in Chicago.
Career and public significance
A painter and printmaker who exhibited with major arts organizations and at institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago.
Her paintings and serigraphs broaden the county's story beyond politics, war, and men's professional sports.
Reading the record carefully
Exhibition claims are grounded in catalogs and museum-oriented research; auction summaries are used only as leads, not sole authority.
Life and legacy
Timeline
1885
Born in Jane Lew.
Early 1900s
Studies and establishes an art career in Chicago.
1940s
Produces and exhibits paintings and serigraphs.
1962
Dies in Chicago.
Sources and further reading
How this profile was documented
- May H. Gilruth
Illinois Women Artists Project
Starting source for biographical dates, offices, achievements, and the Lewis County connection.
- May H. Gilruth media
Wikimedia Commons
Starting source for biographical dates, offices, achievements, and the Lewis County connection.
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