DeLand’s old Oakdale Cemetery sits just behind Stetson University and the historical society; a silent archive of the city’s resting, honored dead. Near its center, just next to her parents, lies the grave of a young woman who died in 1986 at the age of ninety-one. At ninty-one she will always remain young for me. One of the first academically trained artists in the area, she taught art and music in DeLand for over thirty years. When she wasn’t painting she taught music. In a sense she taught the city to sing. The DeLand Sun and the people of Volusia County called her Miss Wells.

Collecting Florida art is, for me, a passion, a love affair with the art and the artists. This is most true for me when it comes to Lillian Wells. I was first introduced to her about twenty years ago when I found one of her canvases in Lakeland. I was visiting my old friend antiques dealer Maurice Cheeks at his shop off Florida Blvd. in the historic

district. Cheeks, in his charming way showed me an oil on board, titled on the back, “The Shop, an original sketch on Dover Street, negro section, DeLand, Fla. Painted by Lillian Wells.” It was a sweet little sun drenched scene of three men, escaping the heat of the day on the porch of the shop, under old shaded oaks. In the distance two children and a cowboy with bandana, and possibly a Stetson, approach. With bold impressionistic brush strokes Lillian defined a quiet DeLand afternoon. It was an old painting, perhaps circa 1925, missing a small corner and needed cleaning. I purchased it for thirty-five dollars.

The painting was cleaned, framed, and hung in my home. I wondered about the artist but didn’t give her much thought until a few years later when, on my way to Mount Dora, I stopped at an antique shop in Groveland. The shop was full of neat old stuff but one painting, an iconic still life of Florida oranges, caught

Alfred R. Frankel, M.D.

Meet Lillian Wells

With my interest in Florida art pushing me to microfilm in libraries about the state, it was time to head for DeLand.

First I visited the historical society. Enquires there were met with shrugs except for one bearded old timer who remembered Miss Wells and how as a child he and his friends would occasionally stand outside her home and shout, “Miss Wells can we come in and sing for you?” He told me Wells was buried in a nearby cemetery, and after brief questions at the cemetery office, I found her. What is this strange passion that will drive an art collector-historian to find the grave of one of his favorite artists? Perhaps you will understand if you care about Emily Dickinson or Robert Frost.

Later it was off to the DeLand library. For every inch of film I found on Miss Lillian, I must have scanned through a mile of microfilm. Here’s what I found.

Lillian Wells entered Stetson University’s undergraduate Academy in 1912 and graduated in pianoforte

my eye. I turned the picture over and found the following:

Lillian Wells was born in 1896 in Luxora, Arkansas, moving with her family to DeLand, Florida in 1911. She attended and graduated from Stetson University with an AB degree, having majored in music and art. In early childhood it was evident she had ability in drawing and in later years, using water colors and oils. She captured the beautiful scenes in nature and the delicate details of portrait work. Miss Wells also taught voice and piano in her home.

Wow, I was getting to know her better. Now I wanted to know more.

Lillian Wells, a student at Stetsen Univ. Deland, 1918

“The Mecca”

in 1915. She continued on at the school, singing with Stetson’s Vesper’s Choir; serving as secretary of her junior class; and art editor of the school yearbook, Oshihiyi. Harry Fluhart, the first professor of art at Stetson, was her teacher. Cather ine Stockwel l , later a well-known Florida impressionist, was one of her classmates.

I visited the Stetson University library where a librarian presented me with the 1918 edition of Oshihiyi. I turned a few pages and there was a pretty, dark eyed coed in a lace dress, with bobbed hair, a serious, perhaps shy look, and her eyes avoiding a direct gaze. Here was Lillian Juanita Wells. Perhaps with Latin blood! The 1917 and 1918 editions of Oshihiyi are full of her humorous cartoons. She graduated with an A.B. from Stetson’s School of Music.

Wells spent some time in New York City, possibly at the Art Students League, before returning to DeLand as one of the first professional artists in Volusia County and head of the music department at the local Y.W.C.A.

One of her first exhibits was noted by the DeLand Sun News, December 22, 1932, “Wide spread interest in painting has been brought to light by the local display of art held by DeLand and guest artists, not in an austere gallery, but in a local store on West Indiana Avenue, in the heart of the city… Much interest has been shown in…the scenes of familiar places as executed by Miss Allen (Anna Allen), Mrs. Lawrence Stockwell, (Catherine Stockwell), Mrs. R. A. Worstall and Miss Lillian Wells.”

The Orlando Sunday Sentinel February 18, 1933, reporting on the Central Florida Exposition noted, “Miss Wells, one of the honorary exhibitors this year, represents Volusia County as its foremost

young native artist. She has studied both in Florida and New York City and has been awarded prizes at the Central Florida Exposition in previous years. At present, she has a gallery of approximately 100 of her paintings in Deland where she sponsors exhibits of her own work and that of other artists.” That year Wells was director of the DeLand Singing Ensemble.

“The Shop”

A Sunday After Church

We l l s i s f i r s t l i s t e d i n t h e D e L a n d C i t y D i r e c t o r y in 1924, with her home on North Clara Avenue. In 1926 she moved to 105½ West Indiana Avenue, and in 1944, next door to 111½ West Indiana. The Deland City Directory 1944 l i s ts , “L i l l ian Wells School of Music, Piano and Voice Instruction, P a i n t i n g Instruction and Paintings.”

The DeLand Sun News would o c c a s i o n a l l y repor t , “M iss Wells’ class of juniors give fine piano recital,” or “Miss Lillian Wells to present pupils in a rec i t a l . ” I n F e b r u a r y 1945 Miss Wells and her students presented a musical entertainment for the benefit of the Armed Services Club at DeLand High School. There is little note of her artistic accomplishments.

Wells lists in the Deland Directory as an artist until 1949, and thereafter as Lillian Wells School of Music. She retired in 1977 but is still listed in the Deland Directory in 1978.

I next met Lillian on eBay. Four of her canvases were listed. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Wow! Few people know about her work but my paranoia made the wait for the auction to end a nervous time. But the paintings were soon mine. One was a double picture, one side with a 1920’s pickup truck outside The Mecca, presumably an old theater in DeLand, another sun

drenched impressionistic scene. On the opposite side is what I like to think of as, A Sunday Morning After Church. There is Lillian, in a pretty

Sunday dress, a n d f l o w i n g ha t , under a palm thatched hut, about to purchase fruit or flowers. Nearby in Sunday best are a gentleman and his wife in quiet conversat ion . Lovely.

A n d t h e n there was the Wells painting auc t i oned a t the Burchard G a l l e r i e s i n St. Petersburg. Catalogued as the work of a Lillian Wells from Texas, it was a Florida scene, p o s s i b l y t h e

Tomoka River, by my old DeLand friend.

Lillian Wells painted forcefully, with moderate impasto, and a shimmering, Renoir like palette, that catches the color and brilliant light of Florida. Her landscapes and her picturesque, genre scenes of DeLand, are some of the best surviving impressionistic paintings of early Florida. There must be dozens of her paintings on the walls of DeLand homes. Let’s find her!

Well that’s Lillian Wells. I hope you liked meeting her. It was an honor for me to introduce you. Perhaps one day when you’re out antiquing you’ll meet her again.

Alfred Frankel has been working on a book, The Artists of Old Florida, 1840-1960, for over twenty-five years. He is hopeful that it may be published soon.

Florida Oranges