Alma Thomas
A Washington, D.C. art teacher who, after retiring at 70, burst onto the scene with radiant, mosaic-like paintings that channeled the joy of light and color.
1891–1978 (age 87)·American painter·Birthday: September 22·The Lost Generation
Biography
For most of her life, Alma Thomas was an educator, shaping young minds at Shaw Junior High School in Washington, D.C. for 35 years. Her own artistic career, however, truly ignited in her retirement. Free from the classroom, she immersed herself in the Washington Color School movement, developing a singular, jubilant style. Inspired by the light filtering through her garden leaves and the patterns of space flight imagery, she created vibrant, rhythmic compositions of short, broken brushstrokes that seemed to vibrate with energy. These were not paintings of introspection but of celebration. In 1972, at the age of 80, she became the first Black woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, a stunning late-career recognition. Her work, bypassing the political anguish of some of her contemporaries, offered a powerful, affirmative vision—a testament to the creative spirit's ability to find beauty and order at any age.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Alma was born in 1891, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alma Was Born
The biggest hits of 1891
Alma's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1891Born
President: Benjamin Harrison
1896Started school
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
President: Grover Cleveland
1904Became a teenager
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1907Could drive
Financial panic grips Wall Street
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Could vote
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1912Turned 21
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1921Turned 30
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1931Turned 40
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1941Turned 50
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1951Turned 60
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1961Turned 70
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 80
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1978Died at 87
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
Key Achievements
- Became the first African American woman to mount a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1972.
- Her painting 'Resurrection' was acquired for the White House collection, a first for an African American woman artist.
- Had a major retrospective at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 2016, cementing her national legacy.
- Her work is held in permanent collections of major institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art.
Did You Know?
She was a graduate of Howard University, where she helped establish the university's art department.
She was a charter member of the 'Little Paris Group', a collective of Black artists in Washington, D.C. who studied under artist Lois Mailou Jones.
One of her paintings, 'The Eclipse', was inspired by the 1970 solar eclipse and was featured on a U.S. postage stamp in 2021.
“Through color, I have sought to concentrate on beauty and happiness, rather than on man's inhumanity to man.”
