All images from the collection of the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.
Selma and Theodore in the living room, circa 1910.
in all walls and the cookstove occupying most of the floor. Selma secured Bill Quick to build open shelves and hang strips of wood for utensils. A closet door was reset to open kitchen-side for dishes and linens. Adjoining the kitchen were small bedrooms and dressing rooms. A screened eastside porch was used as a dining room. The screens caught the wind, giving the house its name: The House of the Singing Winds.
In a collection of old Gaelic tales that Selma had given Theodore for a birthday gift was the passage:“ Every morning I take off my hat to the Beauty of the World.” Gustave Baumann, a leading artist in wood-block printing, carved this salutation over the Steeles’ fireplace— his only stone carving.
Selma opened their door to the curious who wanted to see the“ under-the-house cellar,” kitchen cupboard, open fireplace, screened-in porches, and ventilated outhouse. Selma’ s paisley shawl collection, the player piano, stuffed peacock, and endless shelves of books were exotic to behold. Adult men and women got down on all fours to feel and see up close the oriental rug in the great room.
Passionate for landscaping and gardening, Selma secured wagonloads
of manure and leaf litter to build the soil. Agricultural bulletins given to neighbors were used as fire starters or padding for their rag rugs. The formal garden and hillsides of daffodils inspired Theodore to paint garden and floral subjects.
At first, Theodore’ s portrait painting made wintering in Indianapolis a logical pattern. But their hearts were with their Brown County hilltop. A neighboring farm was purchased, and additions made to the house.
The perfect studio was realized: a barnlike building with a gambrel roof and wall of north facing windows. Opened free to the public, Selma welcomed all visitors, as Theodore painted early in the morning.
Tragedy brought darkness to the Steeles in 1924. Selma’ s sister Edith joined the household after several family deaths. Then an autumn fire spread across the hillside, threatening buildings and the house, prompting Selma to ban picnics.
Theodore died two years later on July 24, 1926, after a time of declining health.
During the Great Depression, Edith and Selma grew much of their own food and raised chickens. They charged 25 cents for studio tours and rented cabins to tourists. Selma sold six paintings to Indiana University in 1931.
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Selma and Theodore in a field of irises, by Frank Hohenberger.
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