Elfriede Abbe

Elfriede Martha Abbe (February 6, 1919 – December 31, 2012) was an American sculptor, wood engraver and botanical illustrator, often displaying nature and simple country living inspired by her Upstate New York home. A self-publisher, Abbe created numerous hand-printed books, which she printed on a printing press in her studio.

Early life and career
Elfriede Abbe was born in Washington, D.C. in 1919. Her statue "The Hunter" was featured at the 1939 New York World's Fair in New York. She graduated from Cornell University in 1940, earning a degree in architecture, and attended Syracuse University. From 1942 until her retirement in 1974 she was an illustrator at Cornell.

Later life
After retiring from Cornell, she lived and worked in Vermont. She lived in Manchester until her death in 2012. During her retirement, she published on art and natural history, continuing to produce artwork throughout her life.

Notable awards

 * Barrett-Colea Prize; National Sculpture Society
 * Elliot Liskin Award; Salmagundi Club
 * Gold; National Arts Club
 * Gold; Pen & Brush
 * Fellowship; The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation

Notable collections

 * Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
 * Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
 * Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
 * National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
 * New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York
 * Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts
 * Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

Published works

 * Abbe, Elfriede. The Plants of Virgil's Georgics: Commentary and Woodcuts By Elfriede Abbe. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1965. ISBN 0-8014-0001-5
 * Abbe, Elfriede. Seven Irish Tales. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1957.
 * Abbe, Elfriede. Mushrooms: Wood Engravings in Color. Elfriede Abbe, 1970.
 * Abbe, Elfriede. How Prints Are Made. Manchester, Vt.: South Vermont Art Center Press, 1971.
 * Abbe, Elfriede. An Introduction to Hand-made Paper. Manchester, Vt.: Southern Vermont Art Center Press, 1972.
 * Abbe, Elfriede. The Fern Herbal: Including the Ferns, the Horsetails, and the Club Mosses. Ithaca: Comstock, 1981.