Minerva Teichert model ‘Queen Esther’ speaks

Betty Stokes grew up on same street as the beloved artist

By Ryan Morgenegg,

Church news staff writer

Oct 22, 2011 2 a.m. EDT

Minerva Teichert model ‘Queen Esther’ speaks

Betty Stokes grew up on same street as the beloved artist

By Ryan Morgenegg,

Church news staff writer

Oct 22, 2011 2 a.m. EDT

Click here for companion video story.

Betty Curtis Stokes, at 92 years of age, exudes grace and nobility as she stands in front of a large portrait of Queen Esther hanging in her dining room. There's a striking resemblance to the biblical heroine in the painting hanging on the wall and for good reason. Growing up in Cokeville, Wyo., Betty Curtis and her family lived a few doors down from Minerva Teichert, a well-known Latter-day Saint artist. Sister Teichert would often use people from her community as models for her paintings. In 1939 at age 19, Betty Curtis was the model for Minerva Teichert's "Queen Esther."

Betty Stokes stands by a painting at her home in Salt Lake City Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011. Minerva T

Minerva Teichert stands in front of her painting of the Savior.

Sister Stokes first met Minerva Teichert and her husband, Herman, when her family moved to Cokeville, during The Great Depression. "My father was a sheep rancher near Cokeville," said Sister Stokes. "My dad lost the ranch during the Depression, so we moved into town onto the same street as the Teicherts."

Because both families lived in such close proximity and belonged to the same ward, they often ate, laughed and worked together. "Minerva was great friends with my mom," said Sister Stokes. "I often got the assignment to go over to the Teicherts to stand in as a model for one of Minerva's paintings. At that age, I would have preferred to be out riding my horse, but I appreciate those moments much more now."

During their painting sessions, Sister Teichert would often share bits and pieces of her life with Betty. For example, she told her she started painting as a young child when she was given a set of water colors as a gift. At 13 she traveled to San Francisco as a nursemaid for an Idaho family and took classes from the Mark Hopkins Art Institute. Sister Teichert graduated from high school at 16 and began teaching school to children. At age 19, she studied at the Chicago Art Institute under John Vanderpoel, a master at the school of painting. Sister Teichert told Betty he often criticized her work unmercifully while not doing the same to other students. One day she became so frustrated that she confronted him about it. Mr. Vanderpoel's response was "Miss Idaho, can it be possible you do not understand; they're not worth it, they will drop out, but you — ah, there is no end."

Using Betty Curtis Stokes as a model, Minerva Teichert painted "The Miracle of the Gulls."

When Betty finished high school in the 1930s, she had a strong desire to attend Brigham Young University. It was during the Great Depression and there was simply not enough money available to send her. One day Betty's mother was explaining the situation to Sister Teichert. "We'll paint for Betty," said Sister Teichert. With Betty standing in as the model, Sister Teichert painted "The Miracle of the Gulls" to pay for Betty's tuition. The painting features a young woman kneeling and looking to heaven with seagulls flying around her. Sister Stokes said, "Minerva did kind things for people all the time. For funerals of close friends, she would often paint pictures of flowers to give to their families. She not only painted to help young people attend college, but also for her own kids, BYU, the Church and other families in the community."

Regarding Sister Teichert's painting style, Sister Stokes remembers a few interesting peculiarities. Sister Teichert would look at her paintings through the opposite end of a pair of binoculars to gain perspective. She once told Betty during a painting session, "Go ahead and hold a smile but don't hold it too long, or you'll look like a sap."

Queen Esther portrait from BYU. This version has three women standing behind Queen Esther.

Queen Esther portrait owned by Betty Stokes.

Sister Stokes explained how much Sister Teichert loved the color red. She always hoped there would be red in heaven. She told her, " 'Betty you can have sagebrush colors, blues, grays and add a little red and wheeeee. ...' "

Sister Stokes also remembers she was a very quick painter, and often didn't detail certain aspects of her paintings. Once she was asked to paint several murals in the Manti Utah Temple that were expected to take years. Sister Teichert completed them in 23 days. Sister Stokes said, "I remember Minerva saying, 'A painting is finished when the story is told.' "

Betty Curtis returned home to Cokeville in the summer of 1939 before getting married to a young man she met at BYU. Sister Teichert asked her if she would be the model for a painting she wanted to do of Queen Esther. Betty agreed. The painting features a lovely woman (Queen Esther) with a large white scarf over her head and shoulders containing a beaded border. Queen Esther stands resolute in white clothing with a blue sash around her waist. Two women wearing fancier clothes and jewelry stand behind her. The painting also contains a painted border.

Betty Stokes' mother Mary was used as a model in a Teichert painting still at her home in Salt Lake

Minerva Teichert used Betty Stokes as a model to paint her Queen Esther painting.

"When I got married later that year, Minerva gave me the painting as a wedding gift," said Sister Stokes. "She painted a second that was donated to BYU. I called down one day to find out if I had the original or if the original was given to BYU. I was informed that the painting I have is the original. The only difference between the two paintings is the copy at BYU has three women standing behind Queen Esther. The original has only two."

Betty Stokes, age 92, at her home in Salt Lake City Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011.

Betty Stokes was used as a model in this Teichert painting and a print of it hangs in her home in Sa

In Sister Stokes' apartment there are canvases of colorful memories from the years she spent as Sister Teichert's neighbor. They had a wonderful friendship throughout the years filled with laughter and lessons about life. "As I look back, I must say it was a blessing to have known her," said Sister Stokes. "One of the things I will never forget growing up was a comment she made about all the time I was spending embroidering dish towels. " 'Betty,' " said Sister Teichert. " 'There's a lot more to life than embroidering dish towels.'

"She was right. I found out there is a lot more to life than dish towels."

rmorgenegg@desnews.com