Home of Maybelle Stamper

On the land to the west of the Print House once stood the home of artist and long-time Captiva resident Maybelle Stamper. In her early life, Stamper studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Art Student’s League in New York. She moved to Captiva in 1947 and was best known for her “Songs,” as she called her signature work that often took years to complete. The pieces consisted of multi-layered lithographs with hand coloring, often incorporating diary-like inscriptions and poems under swirling abstracted figures and natural forms. Rauschenberg held her in high regard. Beginning in 1985, through a trust agreement similar to a reverse mortgage, Stamper’s ownership of her property was transferred to Rauschenberg in exchange for a monthly payment throughout her lifetime. He paid her bills and medical expenses and his staff cared for her until her death in 1995. The home was demolished due to its dilapidated state in 2008.

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Maybelle Stamper at her home, undated. Photo: Courtesy Captiva Island Historical Society