L Richter - Theorems

Most eighteenth-century academies and seminaries for young females prepared their students for domestic life by concentrating on the decorative arts. Academics served as ancillary curriculum, if at all. Needlework, being both useful and aesthetic, was the most important of the decorative arts. By the early 1800s drawing and painting joined it on the curriculum. Theorems, defined as paintings on velvet rendered with the use of stencils, were produced in many female academies between about 1800 and 1840.

In China, paintings had been done on velvet for centuries, but the art of stenciling on velvet likely came to America from England where it was very popular. In 1830, in New York, Matthew Finn published a book with the lengthy title of "Theoremetrical System of Painting, or Modern Plan, fully explained in Six Lessons; and Illustrated with Eight Engravings, by which a child of tender years can be taught the sublime art in one week." In his introduction, Finn noted that the “pleasing amusement of painting will be always admired… particularly by females, whose leisure hours may be so happily devoted to the contemplation and copying of nature.”

Finn used the word “theorem” to describe the technique, but today, the term refers more to the holistic design of the finished artwork and less to the process of creating the work. Theorem painting was a complex, time-consuming undertaking that required not only skill, but also persistence and patience. A theorem was considered to be a series of separate parts, positioned together to create a stylized whole. The goal for the student was to produce distinctive shapes with precise edges.

Instruction booklets and ready-made stencils became increasingly popular. Early velvet enhanced the impression of depth, making it the most popular medium for theorems, but paper, linen, silk, satin, cotton and board were also used.