Artist: Susan Merrill Ketcham (1841 – 1930)

Susan Ketcham Merrill. Photo courtesy of the Indiana Historical Society.

The granddaughter of Indiana’s first state treasurer, Samuel Merrill, Susan received her early art education at the Indiana School of Art under John Washington Love (buried in Crown Hill Cemetery). After studying music and art in Europe, she moved to New York and continued her education at the Art Students’ League; she would later serve as vice president of the League. Her interest in interpreting and painting seascapes led to the establishment of her own summer studio in Ogunquit, Maine, and she became internationally known as a marine and portrait painter.

She was a founding member of the Art Association of Indianapolis in 1883. This organization was founded through the efforts of local artists and civic leaders like May Wright Sewall, Albert Fletcher, William Talbott, and Anna Dunlop (all buried in Crown Hill Cemetery). Its mission was to promote and study art in Indianapolis through exhibits, an art school, and a permanent museum. Ketcham was active in the day-to-day operations of the group, and when the Association finally established a school, Ketcham selected the faculty and taught at the school.

“At Low Tide” painted by Susan Merrill Ketcham. Photo courtesy of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields.
Susan Merrill Ketcham is buried in Section 7, Lot 54 (39.8213183, -86.1752695).