Julia Homer Wilson (1910-2001) was born and raised in Griffin, Georgia, she, and her mother moved to Charleston in the 1940s shortly after her father’s death. Wilson was a trained artist, attending the Cochran School of Art in Washington, D. C., the Slade School of Art in London, the Academy of Fine Art in Perugia, Italy, and she later studied under some of the most talented artist of the time, including Oscar Kokoschka and Robert Brachman. Mrs. Wilson returned to Charleston and lived in the city for many years.
Mrs. Wilson was rarely seen without her sketchbook as the buildings of Charleston served as inspiration for her work, as her keen interest in the city’s architecture allowed her to portray numerous Charleston streetscapes with accurate and intricate detail. In addition to documenting Charleston’s most significant architectural resources Miss Wilson would sometimes go against convention and depict abandoned buildings or ones threatened by demolition as she recognized the importance of maintaining the streetscape no matter the style or condition of the buildings.
Through Miss Wilson died in 2001, her drawings remain as her legacy of twentieth century Charleston architecture and streetscape. These prints were a part of Miss Wilson’s personal collection at the time of her death.