Catherine Tharp Altvater (1907–1984) was an American oil painter and watercolorist.
Altvater was the first woman to hold office in the American Watercolor Society.
Altvater was best known for her colorful floral still-life paintings (White Lilies in the Rain, Hymn to the Sun), landscapes (Golden Dawn), and architectural scenes.
Her paintings were included in the American Watercolor Society's traveling exhibitions.
[4] She founded the Mid-Southern Watercolorists in Little Rock in 1970, with artists Doris Williamson Mapes, Bruce R. Anderson, Josephine Graham, and Edwin C. Brewer.