Rare Maude Butler workson show atannual exhibition

Maude K. Butler, mother of well known Congresswoman Julia Butler Hansen, was an accomplished watercolor artist in her own right who painted her memories of life on the Lower Columbia in sketches and watercolor paintings.

The fourth annual Maude Butler Art Show will open on Thanksgiving weekend featuring paintings of seascapes and beaches at the Julia Butler Hansen Heritage Center at 60 Main Street in Cathlamet.

Paintings by Butler given to Redmen Hall in Skamokawa by her grandson David will also be on display. Not seen by the public for many years, these paintings feature scenes of Skamokawa in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Born in 1880, Butler was a lover of Oregon Territory history. She studied history, became a teacher at age 16 in 1896 and was County Superintendent of Schools for much of her life. She was also a writer; her Christmas story, "The First Christmas on the Elochoman 1882," will be on sale at the art show.

After the death of her husband County Sheriff D.C. Butler, she raised three children; her oldest child Julia became a nationally recognized Congresswoman in 1960 after being a State Representative for many years.

Butler's original paintings are not for sale but prints can be ordered during the show with delivery guaranteed by Christmas.

The show will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and will be followed by the lighting of the Christmas Tree at the County Courthouse at 5 p.m. when Santa will arrive. For more information, contact the Center at 360-795-8805. Butler's paintings can be seen online in the art gallery at http://www.wahki-akumfoundation.org.