Edgerton’s Mill, c.1950

This painting is a scene of a working sawmill, at one time a common sight throughout Vermont. Edgerton’s Mill was at the foot of Rupert Mountain. It is still possible to find sawmills in Vermont, although small local mills like the one Jackson painted have all but disappeared due to the high cost of meeting the strict regulations that are in place today.

Beatrice Jackson was married to artist David Humpreys, and they were both part of the Dorset Painters, a small group of local artists who began showing their work together in the early 1920s. Humphreys’ work is also included in The Orton Collection. Jackson was born in London to American parents, educated in Paris, and later studied in New York at the Art Students League. In fact, her first art show had been in Paris. Her work is sometimes cataloged under the name Jackson or sometimes with her married name, Humphreys.

Jackson survived her husband by more than twenty years and was an active committee and board member of the Southern Vermont Arts Center.