Aurora (New York Aurora)
NY Aurora, two cents, 111 Nassau st, Herrick & Ropes, also publish weekly Atlas and Dollar Weekly. Pro Tyler for president, not Van Buren (in 1843), but Democratic all in all. ad for Edward White’s daguerrian rooms on Broadway, fitted up for portraits, colored or not. Critical of the Plebeian. Likes Willis and Griswold, and the Cynosure. Aig 22, 1843 p. 2 notices Sully is abt to remove from Phila, hope will add genius to NY. Likes Graham’s and Godey’s (pub at Astor hse?), former has most beaut engrav ever pub in US, fr burin of Dick, My First Love, and Poe’s able critique of Halleck. don’t like So Lit Msgr. Favor admission of TX. Weird daily column on the military.
Aug 26 1843 p.2 notes that Wier’s new ptg of Embarcation of the Pilgrims is on exhib at Faneuil Hall
Aug 30 1843 p. 2 puffs regular advertiser Ed White, portraits more the rage than ever, attn to coloring, superb drawing rooms, thronged with manly and beaut., likenesses affection is proud to recognize
Sun yesterday had an article on Crawford’s Statue of Orpheus, eloquent and admirable, censuring apathy re this immortal work of art.
Demo Review is invaluable and powerful. portrait of Senator Allen of OH.
Sept 4 1843 Talbot Watts was arrested on a charge of libel, having posted on Longworth’s store Nassau st, that WJ Longworth is a rogue, liar and coward. Had been in the book business together.
Sept 11 1843 supports an int’l copyright law, Amer lit and fine arts will benefit fr distance fr emasculating European diletantteism, avoid servile imitation of their licentiousness p. 2
note that judging by puffs in Boston papers, Wier’s grt ptg of departure of Pilgrims is little patronized there
Sept 13 Recommend only style for Washington Monument in NY is classic, anything else wld be barbarian and Gothic. Another puff for White’s daguerrian rooms, now fitted up for groups, atmosphere in a portrait is everything Robinson, 124 Fulton st, ludicrous litho of Mr Bennett’s reception by Mr O’Connell, some excellent hits in it
Likes Mitchell’s Olympic. Critical of Bro Jonathan. Likes Mike Walsh well enough, tho he supports Calhoun. Sees Plebeian as allied with Sun (Beach has bought it out? Slamm, the ed, formerly at New Era). Has to solve problem of what Webster is doing in Cabinet if Tyler is truly a democrat. Likes Macready.
Oct 14 1843 notes new transcendentalist mag, The Present (has also followed expansion of Associationism, likes it pretty well, worried abt ia link to other modern isms, like Hunkerism and Mormonism), and the New Mirror’s port of Wash Allston v lifelike and spirited.
Oct 19 another notice of Amer Inst Fair, mentions White’s triumph in dagerrotype section, perfection and beauty, vs nearby Mr Morand’s inferior performances, foil to his exquisite delineations. Burgess on Nassau? also has some superb ones, as does Guerney on Broadway, accuracy and delicacy of light and shadow.
likes a Dick portrait in the Rover.
Notes Wier’s ptg of Pilgrims is going to Phila.
Aurora for 1844
April 3 Likes Palmo’s Italian opera. Dislikes Chas King’s NY American. Likes Hamblin. Ad for Plumbe’s daguerrian gallery 251 Broadway notes won first prize for colored photo at Amer Inst, and cites praise fr Ledger, True Sun, NY Herald. Notice for subscriptions to found a Gallery of the Fine Arts in New York, free admission for life for a dollar, basis for which is to be purchase of LUman Reed’s coll, to be governed by a Board of Trustees, focus is on works by Amer artists and a collection of casts of celeb sculptures. Then gives a list of proposed Board: Wm Appleton, Wm C Bryant, Thom S Cummings, Peter Cooper, Orville Dewey, Francis Edmonds, Chas Leupp, Robt Lockwood, Robt Minturn, Jon Sturges, Wm L Stone, Benj Silliman, Chas Stetson etc
May 3 notice in N Orleans proposing a statue of Franklin by Hiram Powers for a church. Notice approving of efforts of those who bought Reed Coll to start a gallery here
June 27, p.2, ok with Balzac and school of French lit that pictures things as we find them--the fanatic and puritan depicts life artificial, whereas the realist (me) are more salutary to morals. Only mawkish read them wrong. we can’t appreciate utility of hiding nature and substituting a hideous imitation in her stead. the best way to make one look at a scandalous design in painting or statuary is to cover it with a canvass and label it indecent
Then jump to Dec 11, when new ed, Thomas Dunn English, takes over, two cents, still Demo politics,
Dollar Weekly July 23 1842, $1 year, Herrick and Ropes. It’s the weekly version of the Aurora? NYPL misc reel
Clay papers too violently assaulting Tyler, but they support Clay