Maria Richards Oakey Dewing (1845 – 1927): A Florist’s Vision of Impressionism Maria Richards Oakey Dewing, born October 27, 1845 in New York City, was a prominent American painter celebrated for her exquisite depictions of flowers and her pivotal role in establishing the Art Students League. Her artistic journey began at seventeen when she enrolled at Cooper Union School of Design, immersing herself in studies under luminaries like William Rimmer, Edwin Forbes, Robert Swain Gifford, and George Edmund Butler—artists who championed a bold new approach to artmaking. Helena de Kay, a fellow art…