Frances M. Maguire—“Frannie,” as she was known to friends and family—saw beauty in the world. She transferred her vision into paintings, sculptures, and jewelry. With fellow members of the Wissahickon Garden Club, she invented the “jewelry from nature” category of the Philadelphia Flower Show. Maguire’s prizewinning entries to this category included this stately golden necklace with acorns enameled in a surprising, delightful blue.
Maguire was a passionate artist and arts advocate. She began painting in the late 1960s, while her children were still young, and then pursued art full-time in the 1970s, studying at Woodmere and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Maguire and her husband, James, have also been vital stewards of Philadelphia’s artistic heritage through their philanthropy. The James J. and Frances M. Maguire Foundation has supported schools and colleges, churches, organizations that serve the homeless, and art institutions. Their generosity has transformed Woodmere.
