“A unique sisterhood. Sisters Us”

This publication “Ainulaadne sõsarkond. Õed Meid” (“A unique sisterhood. Sisters Us”) from the archives of the Art Museum of Estonia presents the lives and work of artist sisters Kristine, Lydia, and Natalie Mei. The research began in 2016 when materials related to Lydia and Natalie Mei were added to the museum’s archives. With the support of relatives, researchers also gained access to materials held by Kristine Mei’s heirs.

The author, Kai Stahl, is a Finnish art historian of Estonian origin, specializing in the work of women artists. In her doctoral research at the University of Turku, she examines Natalie Mei’s art from the 1910s to 1930s through the lens of female agency and modernization.

The Mei sisters entered the Estonian art scene in the late 1910s, and in 1919 participated—uniquely as the only women and as a trio—in the Pallas spring exhibition. Kristine (1895–1969) studied sculpture but became known mainly as a calligrapher and book designer. Lydia (1896–1965) studied architecture but became an acclaimed watercolorist. Natalie (1900–1975), a graduate of the first class of the Pallas Art School, worked for decades as a costume and set designer in Estonian theatres and was a long-time professor and head of the textile and costume department at the State Art Institute of the Estonian SSR. Her free art stands out for its rare socially critical perspective and innovative representations of women. As versatile modernist creators, the sisters chose marginal and less appreciated techniques, expressing their times directly, often with a spark of humor.

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