
b. 1872 d. 1945
Site Affiliation: T.C. Steele State Historic Site
Selma Neubacher Steele (1872-1945), the painter’s second wife, was born to Austrian-American parents in Indianapolis and studied art at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York before returning home to teach art at the Herron School. Upon her marriage to Steele in 1907, Selma moved to rural Brown County, Indiana, where she taught herself to raise chickens, bees, flower gardens, and fruit orchards. She lived at the House of the Singing Winds until her death in 1945. Selma Steele was a graphic designer and stencil maker, and the natural world inspired her floral graphic designs. She collected textiles, and designed textiles for use in their home. Selma Steele turned to the design of their personal gardens as her primary creative outlet, as a support and a means to inspire her husband’s landscapes. In 1966, Selma co-wrote House of the Singing Winds, a recollection of her life with Steele.
Before her death, Mrs. Steele left everything that belonged to her as a memorial for her husband’s legacy through Deed of Gift: 350 paintings, 211-acres, all the buildings and their contents, to the people and the State of Indiana.
Primary Medium: Graphic design
HAHS Affiliations: Steele was married to American painter T. C. Steele.
Fun Fact: Selma Neubacher Steele was the daughter of upper middle class Austrian-American parents. She used her allowance money in the “junk shops” of Indianapolis as a child, paying for antiques on the installment plan, which horrified her mother. She began her collections of furniture, textiles, and pottery on a school girl’s allowance, and continued on an art teacher’s salary.
Recommended Publications: The House of the Singing Winds: The Life and Work of T.C. Steele by Selma N. Steele, Theodore L. Steele, and Wilbur Peat (1966)