Home > Katz's Unofficial Index to Antebellum New York City Newspapers > Katz's Notes on Antebellum New York City Newspapers > Home Journal

Home Journal

Home Journal

Nov 21 1846 Prospectus signed by Morris and Willis address circle around the family table, divert their cares, develop their tastes and feeling, give you something to talk to dad/husb when he returns from work, so summary of worthwhile news of world’s going on, must know the news, as well as entertaining anecdote poetry etc, multitude of newspapers, HJ selects arranges condenses the cream and substance. realize sacredness of sanctuary where we seek to be made welcome

Nov 28 1846 The Fine Arts: “Notions” about art: have more and more reason to be proud of our artists, private letter fr amateur in Paris, old masters have been surpassed by modern, German school is best now existing. French school v curious, poorest of the age, no hi aim, no soaring after truly sublime, but miserable mockery of beauties of nature and straining after quaint and curious effects. Most prominent artists deal with bloodshed and murder, silly horrors of supernatural, to feed appetites of the multitude. Historical ptrs nothing but anecdote. Vanderlyn’s pic v fair example, there is only one thing to paint in it, a sublime conception fo a man, of Columbus, but all he has done is clothe hero in red stuffs and bright lights, but an anecdote after all. (preferred Inman’s?). Our friend R sent me some notices of NAD in National Press, best I have ever read, nonsense that an artist should not criticize. Page best portrait painter, head of Thayer by Elliott not surpassed. Mount, Cole and Curand far ahead. happy to see young stars eclipsing lazy old dignitaries of Acad. Turner beaut but rankest nonsense.

            Editor agrees we have brilliant examples, Allston West Inman, Weir Sully Page Vanderlyn Cole Durand Mount. we just need study and diligence, public encouragement, to elevate standard of native art, need patronage, gmen instead of littering their walls with refuse of lumber rooms of pic dealers abroad, buy American. But still tendency to foreign patronage, so artists live abroad, and then lose their freshness and originality, mannerists who imitate Claude or Teniers instead of gneuine national char and new thought and expression. Cropsey better than Claude, basedon lines by Rogers, it is our ideal of lscape ptg. Nor can Dutch excel Bargaining for a Horse in NY Gall.

Nov 28 1846 The Fine Arts, letter fr Paris fr intellig amateur there six months, modern artists surpassed old masters, German school best, French curious, no high aim, miserable mockery of nature, feed appetites of multitude, Vanderlyn a v fair ex of hist ptrs of present day here, only one thing in sucha  pic a sublime conception of Columbus, a man, but all he has done is clothe him in red stuffs and bright lights, turn him into an anecdote. Pleased with NAD reviews in National Press, best ever read, nonsense an artist shld not crit works of his contemporaries. No man living who can paint better ports than Page, not a head in Paris that pproached Elliott, Mount has no equal and Cole and Durand are ahead. Tire of looking for beauty among the wrinkles of an old woman (old ptrs in the Louvre). Delightful back in NY to see the young men putting to the blush the lazy old dignitaries of the Acad. Met Turner, beaut but rankest nonsense.

            editor adds we need patronage, don’t buy refuse of lumber rooms of pic dealers abroad, buy american. Expatriate artists lose freshness and originality, becmae mannerist imitators of Euro artists, not genuine nat char and newness of thought. Cropsey ex of good artist, Mount better than Dutch masters

 

APS Dec 5 1846 The Fine Arts: praises infant Art Union, diffuse taste and improve prospects, encourages works of imagination and study. By the Assoc, a standard value, so far as such a thing can be defined in the Arts, is estab, and gd pics find ready purchasers, superiority of collections ea year over preceding one, latent talent nourished, people love it more and become more critical, artist must keep pace. Lscape ptrs esp no longer sufficient to arrange by rule on the canvas requisite wood, water, earth and sky, without any regard to their being found in nature or incongruity of samne foliage on every variety of tree, or autumn clouds in a summer sky or other absurdities, like old lady’s recipe for pudding. Must study nature by actual observation, truth appreciated by most uncultivated intellects

 

Dec 19 1846 Fine Arts: letter fr V on Olden Art, cites Herald? on superiority of modern art, would not exchange scores of pics in Louvre for Leutze Columbus in chains, blind devotion to old masters is hypocritical cant. V deplores calling into q opinions estab and sanctioned by centuries etc wants govt patronage as in France.

 

Dec 26 1846 covers AU distribution.

Jan 30 1847 Yankee Doodle amusing, Foster retired fr Trib to do this full time. Like Dancing nymph in rooms of Launitz.

Feb 6 1847 Willis writes fr Washington, likes Rossiter’s Ruth and Naomi in one of vacant plafonds of Rotunda, gets admirers, touched feelings of the many, a poet, truthful, minutely finished, exquis conceptions fo women, faithful ages in their hands, some say atmosphere too yellow, but I have seen it in the East. Rossiter our poet-painter. Vanderlyn’s Columbus would cut into half a dozen v artistic pieces, but is a combined failure. Legs fr stack of rails in a thudergust, no hero or gman or gd actor ever planted himself in the attitiude of Columbus. Vanderlyn is glorious ptr of a single figure, a little ultra crepidem, the Ariadne should have been his last, in a panel picture. And Weir’s noble pic needs varnishing. A Fine pic by Powell in library worth praise being given to it. Greenough’s statue has come out as genius does, benefits fr lightat top, imposing grandeur of conception, highest finish worthy of the subj, agree with Everett, classic ideal, should have been put first where it is now.

 

Feb 13 1847 is advertising, 20th ad gives plan of how it works. Mar 6 it and NAD advertise, Fine Arts a Michelangelo found in lumber of old picture dealers room in Florence, Art Union pleasant hour saw Leutze Henry 8th, Deas, Gignoux, Cropsey, Ives. Apr 3 1847 NAD opening has stripped AU gallery of its ornaments

May 8 1847 Fine Arts: principal attraction of NAD is Rothermel illus of passage fr Prescott on Cortes, haranging his followers, not to return. Also attractive Leutze Henry 8th, Matteson Landing of Pilgrims, Gignoux Cropsey, Ranney’s Washington. Of 70 portraits only 6 or 7 of interest, ex Gov Bouck in fashionable toggery, very imposing, some lit characters Miss Lynch Tuckerman, Mapes, Whitehorne’s ports attract attn

Jun 19 excellent institution. Fine Huntington ptg engraved. Weir praised. Advertise pretty much weekly, as does Am Inst fair in fall Sept 11 1847 Praise Forrest Nov 6 1847 puffs AU Dec 18 1847 puffs Banvard, have pub bio of artist, hist of his ptg, amiable meritorious, extraordinary

 

Jan 1 1848 3:3 Merl Moore, Greek Slave came here rheralded in England and Italy, but encountered here unworthy opposition of a jealous rivalry, and cold neglect even of the body of our artists, but still succeeded, creditable to public opinion. Kellogg not attending to his own interest by exposing his own ptgs, but advise his friends to see them.

May 6 1848, Amateur letter to ed re coll of pics at Lyceum bldg in Broadway, skeptics re originality of pictures, but shld attract attn of guardians of morals, Carracci, Brill, Honthorst, Poussin, rubens, Murillo, Raphael, Guido, Parmigianino, Velazquez etc prodigies.

 

May 20 1848 loves Darley. Cole’s pics, advertising, alleg most prominent, Italian wonderful, fallen greatness, ruin and desolation. Fisher Irish artist of Dublin’s Blind Pilgrim at NAD v attractive, Healy, Dubourjal, superb head of Brown the sculptor by Huntington, Brown in atelier in Rotunda fine bust of Durand and Bryant, doing a colossal Hope, and basso relievos Pleaiades, great skill and lightness. Fine Arts, letter re visit to Gray’s studio, portrait, his best head, faithful study of Venetian masters, AA

Jun 10 1848, competition for Goddess of Liberty to replace portraits of king in public places, no premium but ea artist given $2 a day up til finish. best artists declined mechanical task, but 5-600 amateurs tried, profaned  her, alleg symbols and forms out did even caricature, most ptrs of these monstorities doing first essay in art fot  the stipend, like inexperienced republicans, perhaps the great men of tomorrow

Jul 15 1848 A New Gallery of Art, parallels pop of arts with Gothic architecture, art is humanity’s gentler lineage and patrician property, partake of divine. our character wanting in repose, art will do this, politics our only amusement, propose a great pub gallery filled with good copies of all the best productions of all the truly excellent past ptrs. Cant get good originals, injurious to buy fakes. Estimation attached to orig pics is not rational, founded on idea they bring us into direct communication with the hand of the artist, the autographs of genius, but good copies serve as well as the orig. Gallery in gothic style, numerous hi compartnments, so show great church pieces. Hire promising young Am artists to do the copies, this would be loftier step than Art Unions

 

Jul 22 1848 Panel Picture fr Demo Rev: appointment of so young a man gave offense to many partisans of older and more pretending candidates, his Columbus before Salamanca at NAD shows his ability to design and execute. Columbus has merit of telling the story, compos full of meaning. Powell fr Cinti, the west, selected De Soto pertinent to interests of whole of great valley, this pic also tells its story, he gazes with prophetic eye on vast country, Indians propitiate, point, look gloomily, eagle hovers watchfully, pregnant with suggestion. Party with  him in panoply, Jesuits consecrate, stolid astonishment, full of action and emotion, plant the cross symbol of possession.

Jul 29 1848 Statuary in America, classic art versus Christian art, ancient and modern, but do we have a modern sculpture, one capable of addressing the spiritual rather than imitation, when it depends on the figure, yes in Greenough and Powers, real objects but impression is ideal and moral, physical lost in mental sympathy with thought, then gives Willis long description of Slave

Aug 12 1848 WEB praises Jewitt’s Juliet at AU at length.

Sept 9 1848 still likes Forrest

Sept 16 1848 Art Unions: liable to objections, but valuable, this is taken from some other paper, says never a word re fairdealing of managers of NY AU. Oct 7 1848 love the Art Union,German ptg on quarreling couple there Oct 21 1848 those who know David, wonder if Delaroche’s Nap will preserve the heroic, triumphant, still omnipotent. Praise AU and Goupil. Visited Weir, noble designs, rossiter historical ptg great merit tho deemed extrav and melodramatic, dove to ark, eastern beauty, will be popular. Mrs Perley academy. Oct 28 1848 Nat Monuments, cornerstone for Wash. designs for one in NY exhib at Art Union, but no enthus. Obelisk ok, hope won’t use Robert Mills’ cog wheel for a nat gallery around it. Prefer Pantheon to obelisk, like one designed by Frazee for monument in NY

Oct 7 1848 went with Forrest to visit his country seat building on Hudson, good to retire before enmeshed in contact with what belittles all that is venerable. glorious views, castellated and octagonal but not pretentious for republican states, Font hill, his wife will grace it. Rossiter finished Dove.

Oct 14 1848 like Poe, Tuckerman, Magoon Oct 21 1848: Fine Arts, like Delaroche’s Napleon, maintains his omnipotence versus tea trap copies of David’s version, Weir should do relig ptgs, visit his studio, Rossiter in Lyceum large ptg of Noah’s dove, should be popular Oct 28 1848: Fine arts, women should be educated in drdawing not piano, music sensual not intellectual, unlike ptg which raises sentiments into ideas, as form is allied with highest faculties. what she learns will appear in dress, manner and deportment, will not engender fiery, impatient and impetuous enthusiasm for the ideal the way music does.  Nov 4 1848 MSS from Phila. Poem by Julius to Miss Anna Freeman, daughter of artist, on her port at AU

 

Nov 11 1848 Fine Arts: AmAU exhib: we all will get an engraving, line steel by Burt fr Huntington’s beaut Lady Jane Grey, one of best by one of our best, also will be distrib. Darley’s six large outline drwgs of Rip, have seen proofs, and admire them. Medals of Allston and Stuart in bronze, beaut, pleasing. Bought 250 ptgs, catalogued in order of purchase:

            Leutze mission of the Jews, large pic, one off most valuable and costly, ptd in Duss, Torquemada’s entry from Prescott, loves all the varied feeling very legible, rich color, pleasing compos. FW Edmonds strolling musician, of Wilkie school, alw happy, peasants after evening meal listening to wandering organ player, child and fantastic tricks of monkey, worthy son of Labor tamborining it on a plate, cheerful. Durand Village Church and Dover Plain, latter is one of the best by him, simple and effective, fresh and balmy air of country, solace in city captivity.Chapman’s Washington’s retreat, agreeable lscape with figs, his others are attractive. Hinckley extreme finish, hardness and littleness. Huntington Trout Brook, sweet, his Jane Grey  and Ital lscapes more impt. Wenzler Catskills, large, truthful, but subj doesn’t merit labor, tone too lifeless for pop taste, should have intro a figure. JT Peale birdnesting, a gem for any parlor, little girl sweetest, boy admirable. Peale’s others fine, Lamb in NAD. Doesn’t discuss Waugh and Hamilton. Oddie pleasing, has 7 or 8 others, some desirable. SS Osgood Christ is best of his, but Drawing Lots and M? are excellent too. Walter Libby Traveller better than his three others. Gifford all of his much merit, about 6, Lake George maybe his best. Boutelle has 5 pics, of some interest, all but one. TA Richards summer shower, was at NAD, gives long description, has 5 other lscapes. Kensett has 5, Anio is largest and best, was in NAD. Church scene fr pilgrim’s progress, like him. VG Audubon two pics, carefully and truthfully done but moonlight too blue and black. John Morton view fr west point, don’t fancy this style of painting, too much care and finish. Cole’s series Voyage of Life, masterworks. J Talbot View on Juniatta R, large lscape, one of his best, and view of Camel’s Hump, are his only pics in exhib, his own fault, hope he’ll put in more.

            -has a Metta V Fuller story on the Living Statue

 

Nov 18 1848 “Fine Arts” Am AU second notice, Gignoux snow scene excellent, Edw White at NAD, admired, Fair Student and others, Print seller by FR Spencer half length of boy, excellently told composition, W Hart agreeable, Birchnot good, Andrews faulty, JW Glass, sent work fr eEngl, fine pts.  HP Gray interesting, Doughty admirable, Miss Clarke deserving. Free gallery thronged.

            -excerpts Eve Post on Forrest’s roofing celebration at Fonthill

Nov 25 1848 Fine Arts, Am AU, 3rd notice: GA Baker truth and power, Edw May Luther coveted, Chas lanman agreeable, graceful; W Ranney holly chaps, homely, b’hoy dancing gayly, admirable. Havel, Leonore, Watersotn, Boardman fair, MacLeod pleasant CP Cranch wonderful, Hubbard advances, Mercy’s dream by Carter unsuited, Bonfield, Colyer fine, Burr agreeable, Jewitt Lover’s Walk his best, TS Officer beaut, Duggan careful, Cropsey small, Inness improved but prefer Peace and War, Bingham Stump Orator striking, attracts notice, Chas Deas peculiar happy class of subj, Falconer poetic , Brent effective, GS Brown Falls of Terni, some indiff works in room, diff task to aid merit and please fastidious, deserve highest praise

 

Dec 2 1848: promotes Intl AU, art not a subject for nationality of prejudice or exclusiveness, shut in Am genius fr foreign competitio, praise Goupil gallery, copy publishers program, would be good to graft French art on Am school. Am AU advertising, as is Cummings school,  Delaroche, Boisseau, Macready, Wms and Stevens, NY in slices, Godey’s HW Hewt’s Excelsior and Illus Times, and Intl AU, Goupil’s Dec 16 supports joining Am AU

            The Fine Arts: intended full description of charming Mount Sportsman at the Well, no time, admirable ptg by Hubner at Art Union of a Peasant, Dusseldorf school

 

Jan 1 and 6 1849 long bio of Delaroche

 

NYPL misc Home Journal, March 10, 1849. No entertainment is so cheap as reading; nor any pleasure so lasting, Lady Montague, $2/yr, Morris and Willis, 107 Fulton st.

            -hope Webb will get the Madrid mission.

 

Mar 17 1849 Am AU gallery open, praise it for fostering hist and lscap ptg and sculp, managers correct a vicious taste, public instruction, notice young artists who march over moral Alps to hist ptg. The Apple of Discord, v fine voluptous female, contrast with low toned but too brawny fig in backgrd effective, Jack the Giant Killer, support eliminating vulgarities. Devil’s portrait painful subj, no excellence in exec will atone for bad taste in composition. No names, as praise and censure char the flippant and inconsid style of critics, not easy to analyze, flippancy is not criticism, nor judgment by comparison, need great susceptibiliy of soul. Am AU worthy of trust. New era, stimulate apathy, counter portrait ptg. Apr 7 1849 like WE West. TMN writes that crowds at AU few capable of forming correct judgment, need a pamphlet by a connoisseur with crit and remarks, minute to bring vividly to reader beauty and defect, improve art, new edition ea month, sell at door. Newspaper crits are v well in their way but not comprehensive.

            Apr 21 1849 Intl Art Union, approve Goupil, as private business, should have rules to guaranty agst abuse Apr 28 1849 Intl AU, true knowl and art advanced by free AU in last few months than in any other exhibs, infallible taste, elevated tone, signed eds of HJ, then letter fr Cousin Kate, loves white satin dress, bouquets, Scheffer, sublimity, promotes

            NAD opened, equal to previous years, variety, gems fr favoriets, liked JB Flagg’s measure for Measure, Church’s Plague, W Walcutt’s Molly Pitcher, Leutze Escape of Puritans, Havell, Carlin, others, but a long communication has come in which will do better than our notes

 

Apr 14 1849, letter fr NWA to editors on Nationality of Taste: we lack it, are servile imitators of rotten and decanying nations and their obsolete notions of rank and precedence, capricious and arbitrary standards of taste. Our social destiny yet undeveloped, need Am school of taste and social polity surpassing Greece

 

April 28 1849 NAD in large saloon, note full length of Bishop Hughes, too much of a likeness. Gray capital, Inness lscape, Talbot large pic fr Bunyan perhaps equal to past labors, has a better one, Huntington, several, White’s only is Romeo, Mr Spencer spirited, Mooney excellent fine 11 by Durand like Mtn Stream, Shegogue agreeable, Church Plague not as good as New Haven, Richards, JB Flagg chief attractions, Page, Rossiter’s Titian, happy Turning Leaf by Mount, more gems fr Ingham, Kensett, Mounts heads by Elliott, GH Baker, May, poetical by May, odd by Deas, Oddie Doughty Gignoux and Wotherspoon, Stearns Pocahontas, Leutze, Durand, Shumway Officer Hite, Dubourjal, Colyer Cheney, Duggan Gifford, Mosier, Mount of Elliott, Brown bust of Durand,

 

            May 5 1849 Dusseldorf gall, follows on revelations of Goupil, whole school, strking excellence, group portraiture suggests fine brotherhood Jun 9 1849, notices Crawford positively. Am AU advertising steadily. Sept 22 1849 has letter fr minister in France presenting pictures to Goupil, hope Am artists not afraid of competition fr abroad, ptgs selected by professionals not amateurs, know exact value of pictures. * signs note in same issue on value of Am AU. Herald says govt appointments of Rufus Dawes, poet and Swedenborgian, Charles Fenno Hoffman, Chas Lanman, Fitzgerald Tasistro, not surprised if Bryant, Halleck, willis, Morris and Greeley too

 

May 12 1849 The Macready Riot: b’hoys versus Upper Ten, injustice to say that forrest contrived cabal, doesn’t employ others in his hostilities, tho he defies social and intellectual laws fr resentment of his own supposed inferiorities in station or education. Macready ought to have been nicer to Forrest in England, used his influence.

 

May 26 1849: Sidewalk gossip: Dusseldorf gallery flooded with brilliant throng, not many of our readers live in NY. Baron Regis de Trobriand who we have transl on the Fine arts and Opera fr his letters in the Courrier, going to be ed here.

 

June 2 1849 1: 6 and 7, Merl Moore, excerpts foreign corresp of Trib on Florence, admire Story and Mozier, latter's Pocahontas not an Indian head sweet and strong. Greenough's group in spirit is pendant to Cooper's novels, not real noble Indian, this is only the man of the woods not Metamora or Uncas, but whole should be instructive. Disapproves of enthusiasm for Slave, sweet beauty, but not transcendent, his busts better as just to indiv character, not artistic for his ideal expression. Likes Crawford's model for Washington, not inspidi allegorical air, simple composition, Liberty cap on the angel connects him to fame, balance, really promotes Crawford and idea of a group not a Marcus Aurelius type, need to indicate occasion. Living in Italy not cheap for artists, gives prices.

 

Jul 28 1849 The Fine Arts: exhib in Boston of Greek Slave, Fisher boy, Genl Jackson, Prosrpine, Fisher Boy attitude perfectly graceful, beaut adolescence, mouth invites the kiss, chaste, minute workmanship, delicious to explore modeling of breast, back hair eyes ears palms. Proserpine lovley bosom seems to grow fr exquis leaves, winsome richness. Jackson effective, ocrrugated muscles, indomitable purpose. CG Thompson busy in Boston, Swedenboriang cleryman bust.

            Powers advertises when it gets to NYC

 

            Oct 13 1849: The Two Art Unions by NPW, have given in one year 5 columns of support to AU, no fault finding, rejected those who wanted us to publish severe criticisms, choice of pictrues, struggles of true genius, injury to NAD, doubtful benefit, right of committee to give suppers, but AU doesn’t want us to praise Intl AU, even though its pictures won’t appeal to same audience, a more sophist taste, so AU withdrew its $1 advertisement. We regard AU as Employment Society, good in sending industrious mediocrity where pics would otherwise not go, so compromised our taste by our unexceptional praises of its purchases. But it is wrong to attack excellence of Intl AU. Of 3000 AU purchased, 2500 are bad, were finished in haste to get the money and charitably purchased. Paid for misconceptions of art, intellig foreigners scorned, Goupil buys only excellence wherever it is. So we differ fr great republican policy of AU, greatest happiness of greatest number, and serve true and few alone. Violent attacks on AU in daily papers fr same quill, one we know paid 25 cents a line for the insertion, as communications are frequently paid for. Intl AU a better investment for your $5. NPW says his column is not paid for, and gives Goupil’s defense in Trib. Holden’s advertises

            Oct 20 1849 AU Controversy, Willis only answered with personal abuse Oct 27 1849 AU Weapons: Committee personal abuse in widely circulated papers, also in their Bulletin, wrote letter to Tribune, copy it here, Greeley a personal friend, denies that he likes prints of naked women or is a profligate, defends goupil selling a nude in Paris they wouldn’t sell here, defends the bacchante as not improper, and if AU would get rid of all nudes could respect their standard but they are negotiating to buy Greek Slave who stands consciously exposed in a market place versus woman in solitude of wilderness, unconscious of gaze

            All Manner of things: puffs Cummings, HP Gray just doing portraits now, regret it (by C?)

            Oct 27 1849 Crushing of the NAD and True Art by the Amateur Merchants of the AU: managers using vast monied influence to put down enterprises advance true Art ony, and Artists themselves, best ones, think its whole tendency is to diesourage good and give hope to mediocre, grand scheme for personal influ. Managers could not get signatures of one third the well known artists to their certification fo promoting true art, not 3 of 20 best artists who don't see it as perversion and damper. Engravings not worth what they say they are. Every artist but Doughty a member of NAD. AU fell into hands of business men, became enriched, NAD impoverished, HP Gray must paint portraits only, higher walks of art only for mediocre artists in AU gall.  Insiders buy ptgs fr lottery winners who don’t know their value, don't give commissions, artists paint no better than necessary, as in falling off of Huntington. 2 or 3 uneduc tradesmen who have turned it intoa  hobby, ought to be better managed

 

Nov 3 1849: How Am AU belies its charter: lottery of shawls. substitution of dry goods merchants for artists, encouragement for shawls of genuine quality, monopoly of demand for shawls, Stewert and Beck at first delighted, Committee’s offer of Pocket handkerchiefs and Shawl prizes, Wax of Connoisseur Vanity, accommodations for new Digdealers in the True Article, ? of the Spurious trade by patronage, parties aggrieved, proposal of Stewart and Beck.

            to show how AU injures artists, let us replace pics with shawls, and assume they are of Am manufacture, and let us call the shawl-sellers Stewart Beck Seaman and Muir instead of Durand Weir Page and Gray. Committee offers for subscription a certain handkerchief and a chance for a shawl. Money comes in, want fancy committee room and galleries and annual supper, spend a third of income on this, and in order to not reduce the number of shawls, buy cheaper less quality ones. Disguised by borrowing splendid shawls for display. Bad shawl makers prosper, good or expensive ones don't, only ones who go along with cheaper prices. Names President Wetmore. English system is better.

            Quispian in the Trib in a “paid for” article says Willis is abusing Am AU because they withdrew their $1/wk ad, before then he praised them; Willis explains that these praising articles were inserted at the request of the Committee and Willis never wrote them. And AU still advertises.

            Same issue has letter from “Justice”: asks why friends of the AU are hostile to Intl AU, to exclude foreigners is to lower art standard and prevent emulation among our own Artists. Plus Am AU is not strictly American, has purchased works of foreign Artists and not alw originals for distrib. Nor does it aid Am artists by purchasing from an estate Cole’s Voyage of Life, to attract subscribers. Who does the real estate and gallery of the AU belong to, which subscribers? Where are schools and benefit to portrait ptrs?

            elsewhere: praise portrait by T Buchanan Read, also like his Fanny Osgood. Isaac Pray one of our cleverest journalists

            from our correspondents: Justice asks if Am AU hasn’t purchased works of foreign artists, how did it benefit Am artists by buying Cole fr an estate, to whom does its real estate belong?

            -notices Holden’s which advertises, and Wm A Jones old writer for Lit World

 

Nov 10 1849 private opening of Intl AU, Town Gossip, only refined and cultivated there. Self comparison suggested to ladies by Greek Slave stimulated interest in gymnasiums, female one opened, advertises. Business Position of Artists: are at a disadvantage in selling their pics, President and 2-3 of Committee have entire control of concern, rest innocent, artists have signed a certificate, give extract of a letter fr artist complaining about treatment: pay large prices to favored few, insulting to the rest, cheapening work

            letter fr a member of NAD, Justice, on why it’s no friend of AU, hold a free exhib at the same time as the NAD

            Powell’s pic in Capitol, gman with good right to knowl, write up by Paris corresp of Phil Ledger, humorous types of Indians a la Cooper

            The Fine Arts: in reality, useless to think Louvre or Acad or AU or Opera Hse can have purely beneficial effect on mass, a Venus may attract connoisseurs, but lazzaroni gamble on its pedestal, pyramids rise cemented by blood of millions, Art is exclusive? Message Bird

 

Nov 17 1849 Wilhelm Heine, new artist, at Intl AU. Ives doing Tuckerman. Dec notice AU distrib, Intl AU acquisitions. 3:3 All manner of Things, takes fr Lit World that Greek Slave will go to Smithsonian

 

Jan 5 1850 Nudity in Art: good and bad influences of art surveyed, two extremes of error, NY Recorder Baptist copes fr Christian Advocate re Powers’ Greek Slave, indecent sculp to be purchased by Smithsonian, hope won’t be prostituted to this purpose, only hall worthy of it is no doors or windows. Sincere but prejudiced agst highest civilization and classic discrimination. By the laws of Art, woman conveys no offence to modesty unless indelicate sentiment being expressed. Otherwise in mind of him who sees it. Female may be copied in full truth of divine proportions, but by all laws of Art improper to represent male fig undisguised. License greatest in Italy, but no exception in public. NY permits outrage. whiteness of marble conveys purity, but bronze statuette of Brown’s naked Indian distrib by Am AU is copper, complete disgust undisguised nakedness, no gallery in Euro exhib indecency, should refuse it. Moveable tinfoil figleaf added, partial and easily dislodged. Have expressed admiration of Brown’s genius, but proportions faulty, and indelicate. Level of taste of powerful Art Union, vulgarity finds atmosphere to live. Committee had to remove sofas, parents forbid daughters to enter, cuts of pics by knife, shows class for this Art. Hostile to true interests of best Artists

            puff Lester’s Gallery of Illus Am

 

Jan 12 1850 enthus re Griswold’s poets and poetry of America, and Ik Marvel

Jan 19 1850 happy Bryant presided over distrib of Intl AU, show we welcome foreign immigrants, versus Am AU supper glorifying Wetmore and Poussin. Letter encouraging artists to copy old masters. Keese also involved.

 

Jan 26 1850 excerpts fr Trib on London’s Nat Acad exhib, just freeing itself fr country squire tastes and democratizing; notes CP Cranch, Huntington, Kellogg,, Ives, SS Osgood

 

Feb 2 1850 Huntington exhib, one of our first ptrs, advertises; on 9th finds it impressive.Feb 23 notices new weekly Bailey and Wallace, Two Worlds, of Am and Euro arts Mar 16 1850 Huntington gallery, secrets of beauty, true mmorale of Art, abundant beauties, pure sympathy with theme and soul of the work, its poetical and ideal character, exaltation of relig. Also supporting Catherine Sinclair, forrest’s wife, aligned with Star and Noah’s Messenger, I think  Mar 23 185o Intl AU closed under abuse, but Goupil still open

 

Mar 23 1850 Letters fr Paris, Powell’s chivalry and Indians face to face, overflowing admiration for Paris, inclu Count D’Orsay, Healy atelier, Signed Progress

 

Apr 6 1850, Forrest Testimony, commented on as to American standard of what is gentlemanlike, and treatment due a lady, long attack on Forrest for bringing kitchen and brothel against her, published in Herald. defends his brother. later a Lady writes in that no one regards testimony of the servants; May 25 1850 letter says how base to appeal to the vulgar prejudices of the penny-paper world as the tribunal to decide in a case involving the conventional proprieties of refined society

 

Apr 20 1850 Off-hand gossip, about the arts, etc: hope artists will add business tact without adding merchant usurpation, NAD open, first sight of an unpicked collection, where bad spoil the eye for the good, like choice wines tasted with poorere liquors, is necessarily confusing, first impression is average merit, best pictures diluted with the quality of the worst.

Apr 27 1850 Our artists, Leutze, Woodville, Hall Johnson Glass, Freeman Terry Brown lscape

 

May 11 1850 puff Goupil’s Am Port Gall, with portraits of Webster, Clay, Bryant and Mount

            A New Art Union, huge humbug, , favoritism, miserable character of pics, Buffalo paper

 

Jun 1 1850 Powers’Angel for a Cinti church arrived, elliott port of Dr Francis for AU of which he was formerly president, Ives, long praise of Weir, all fr Eve Post

Jun 8 1850 Am Au, letter, have heard complaints, inquired into history, indictable as a lottery, An Old Citizen. Fine Arts: Weir’s new picture, child at prayer at Wms and Stevens, still life Flemish style excellent, clas of pics fitted for mod drwg rms

Jun 29 1850 Mr Forrest’s Cowardly Assault, Willis includes his letter to the Trib, on how his vindication of wife (and himself and his brother) provoked Forrest

 

Jul 20 1850 APS Whitley advertises English and American lscape ptg, studied for last 30 years in England and US, traveled in US and Canada, portfolio of orig drawings, free and faithful, will endeavor to make it faultless, execution and price will recommend to patronage, well known among amateurs, pics among coll of our picture admirers and walls of public galleries, for hotels and public bldgs too, 298 Broadway and 162 east 21st st, continues to adv in August

 

Aug 10 1850 Fine Arts, Woodville’s Englishman, Elliott’s portraits of AU presidents. Calhoun statue, all fr Eve Post. Western Art Union advertising.

Aug 17 1850 signed with a star, Expatriation of artists, not natural or well, moral evils of absenteeism, ought only stay 3 years, need to be in relation with his countrymen, whether accord or antagonism. Art Unions show devt of taste, tho too trashy to sustain it

 

Sept 7 1850, White Street corresp re Art Union, Crayon in Eve Post has allegations agst directors, if they are deserved, action should be taken. Walking with artists who called attn to article no5 in Eve Post, serious charges, think he is right, directors buy pictures of great artists in disgraceful manner

 

Sept 14, Flagg; sept 21 more fr Eve post. Fine Arts: notes Lodge’s transl of Winckelmann, Muller a student of David D’Angers, his newly arrived Minstrel’s Curse

 

Sept 28 1850: Art and Artists, recommends for portraits of Jenny Lind Garbeille, Geo Flagg, admires her greatly. recommend for entry or dining room engraved portraits of disting people, better ornament than a fifty dollar painting, see Goupil and Vibert series of great men, Webster Clay Scott Bryant Mount, and Willis of this paper. Schaus is replacing Vibert, knowl and agreeable. Fagnani who came with Sir Henry Bulwer is here 515 Broadway

 

Oct 5 1850, domestic and Foreign items, the Artists and the Art Unions, mtg of artists to receive report on transactions of Am AU, report pub in Eve Post, shows tricks of trade of that institution, drummin system, publishing system that doesn’t get paid to artists and engravers. Secty of association of artists Mr Fisher, commend step, emancipate fr petty oligarchy. signed with a Star. Puffs Cummings. Oct 12 1850 Fine Arts, New panoby May and Kyle of Pilgrim’s Prog, pictque and poetical

 

Nov 2 1850 like WE West of modern English school, elab finish, and Ranney at AU

Nov 23 1850 Fine Arts: mtg of NAD, resolved to invite all artists in city to socialize first Weds of every month, Stearns duggan and Bogle a committee of arrangement. Ranney doing Marion, admirable, General Cummings academy, May and Kyle pano, Prudhomme. Vernet not the greatest artist, fr Eve Post

 

Nov 30 1850 Domestic items prepared for Home J: artists planning assoc for purchase and distrib of pics and statuary, true purposes of art and artists, met at rms of JH Fisher adopted constitution, Am Artists’ Assoc, officers Wm Walcutt, Hagen, Geo W Flagg, TD Jones

            Fine Arts (prepared for the Home J): Wm Walcut orig pic The Gambler, for  new Artists Assoc. Colman’s Sale, among several old ptgs bought by artist Whitley is a v remarkable portrait fr hands of a master, at his studio. Parke Godwin’s Vala illus by his artist’s friends. Likes Pilgrim’s prog pano. TD Jones v fine bust of Genl Scott. Earl’s coll. Powers Greek Slave at Western Art Union not purchased fr artist. Hamilton marines. English do lscape ptg better than Dusseldorf, painful application. Piatti beaut sculp.

            B letter Am AU, like to know how much were paid for ea pictures, affix a card.

 

Dec 7 1850 Fine Arts for HJ, Miss Lily Martin Spencer has a noble pic on her easel, will afford admirers evid of power and fertility of mind and pencil. Basham. Whitley fine copy fr famous pic by Beaumont. Flagg noble. Vanderlyn noble, doing Genl Taylor. Boutelle sweet lscape at AU, freedom, delicacy, gem, nature in emotional dress. Trib caustic on pics at AU, wonder at its freedom on Huntington and Durand, the Disputed Game is badly colored and flimsy, Bulletin of AU rivals Landseer. English lscapes highly prized, don’t allow picture starers to poke their noses into them, being remarkable for freedom withwhich Nature is ever impressed. Should paint more Cooper. Nat Assoc of Artists, a plan by TW Whitley, brief sketch for how to create esprit du corps, all artists pay fee, cities erect galleries at public expense for exhib and sale of art, public entry their recompense. Assoc of Artists send pics and proceeds of income divided among contrib artists, library, purchase wild land in western NY as a country residence and cemetery

 

Dec 14 1850 Fine Arts: Sleeping child statue sweet and masterly. Mrs Benton fine copy of Durand. Wag ptd Seward bearing Greeley fr Capitol at Washington. Glass and Leutze rival pics at AU leading to favor of Glass’ Death of Bayard. T Hicks busy. JK Fisher admires old Ital masters, NY Gall purchased his copy of Veronese’s Marriage at Cana. Hp Gray, exquisite. Praises John Mix Stanley. Mtg of artists at NAD, plan to memorialize Congress and legislature discussed by Duggan, Whitley, Edmonds and committee appointed. Report by JC Hagen, Need new institution for Am art, bad management, artists of NY assoc to purchase and distrib art, bring artists into closer communion, artists run it, all members of profession on equal terms, buy work fr each if worth $50, branches, Europe

 

Dec 21 1850: Art and Artists prepared for the Home J, Chas Nahl. Ranney orig, strict truth. TA Richards fine, one of few not aculterated with hot, suffocating tints in mass of imported trash “selected during a tour in Euro”. Clever pic in Knight’s store in Brooklyn of cave in Berkshires. 40 artists in new Assoc, rooms open soon. Lockwood of Newark promising. NJ Art Union new gallery, Durand, Cropsey, Whitley and others hanging. Baker like Gray and Hicks doing portraits. Martyrdom of Huss: Dusseldorf better in history, Americans in lscape, in Duss lscape all reminds you of the pains the artist took to produce his pic, while everything in Eng and Am school exhib power, freedom and abandon of artist. Mercy’s Dream is Huntington’s best. Humbug system of auctioning private gmen’s coll of ptgs fr tour in Euro, withering influ on Am art, charlatans, tea board ptgs cost 5-10 francs ea called oil ptgs, editorially puffed, discourage native art

 

Dec 28 1850 Art and Artists: Jarvis, Pauling. Talbot in Post’s bldgs, hope he is busy. Darley great. Exhib to benefit scene painters, oughgt to be done. Joseph Gale a collecotr. Inness’ scene fr hist of Am Rev v clever but found no favor with Art Union, at rms of New Society of artists, who number over 30. Wms and Stevens, John Mix Stanley. Art Union Bulletin re organiz of artists for protection agst alleged gross partiality of managers sneers they are mechanics and laborers.

 

Feb 8 1851 Art and Artists: Infant Bacchus by a young artist, neophyte’s powers don’t fit him for this, too mediocre a talent. Geo W Flagg fine portrait, sublimity of hist port, taste, charm. Baker portraits. Church archit advances in beauty, likes Gothic. Thomas Birch like Doughty repeated ideas, tones and handling. New England AU has most liberal plan so far, directors have no power over choice of winners. Everett, Longfellow, esteemed amateurs and pro artists, latter have balance of power. Don’t promise their engravings are worth $5.

 

Feb 15 1851 Art and Artists. Tait at Wms and Stevens. Bingham ptg for Geo Austin, his best so far, clever, mellowness new. Love Kensett. Ranney in NJ fens, great except for coloring. Church’s Deluge, new field, based on observations fr nature. Zadock Pratt print fr Endicott. Geo w Curtis lecturing on art at Stuyvesant, eminently qualified, brilliant. Last of mtgs held by artists of this city, large, ought to unite the artistic bodies now divided. Vanderlyn Falls of Niagara.

Gives letter fr correspondent Pan on comment by our pictorial critic: on Oddie, was pd some deserved compliments but charged with mannerism wrongly, working in same style is not mannerism, a forced or unnatural habit or peculiarity exhib at all times is a mannerism, such as giving one’s wife’s hair and eyes to all our figures. But Oddie’s selection of subjects and styles are not mannerism, as long as true to nature. If there is a fixed standard by which to judge a Lscape, what is it? execution? natural wonders? a lscape should make us feel that we should like to be there, smiling contentment, which is his influence, and they are eminently American.

 

Feb 22 1851: Wm Leggett portrait, West, Casilear sweet. critical of design for a pic fr Apocalypse, not rational. Shegogue clever portraits in Amity st. Godwin’s lecture on art at NAD followed Henry James, vindicated Flemish school fr Curtis’ remarks, endorsed James. Duggan next, brilliant. Cropsey noble, precision, handling the reverse of Dusseldorf and more pleasing and emotional, his foregrounds would puzzle Linnaeus. FW Edmonds sportive. second praise of enamel ptg.

            give a Beecher sermon on commerce they like, prefaced by saying they don’t sympathize with many of his high horse itudes, has the position of Adam laying down the law to the animals, as if he is the only intelligent one, monorighteousness

            Am book of beauty by Putnam, how will reps be chosen, Am women virtuous

 

Mar 1 1851 Art and Artists series of small items, notices Oddie gets bought after showing for just a few hours, Cypress Hills cemetery commission Whitley to do a view of the grounds, Frazee of Zadock Pratt, Fisher and Bird doing parlor mantels for Hamilton Fish, a miniature by Wandesforde, at Wms and Stevens; Durand to send a pic to recently formed Artists’ Assoc numbering about 40, artists of the first class, radical and reforming spirit, desirable to have them in solidarity. Boutelle view at Stoddart’s store, Chas Elliott port of Officer the mini ptr, of Tilden, and Mrs Clarke of Knick, hers is fascinating and lifelike, bland dignity and respose of mind. Hiram Powers abt to return, worked in museum in Cinti, admirable busts, “Thoughts on the Future,” v charming pic fr pencil of Miss Lily Martin Spencer all but finished, deserves a visit, very superior to anything yet fr accomplished artiste, she wrote a poem to accompny them, mom gazing on infant, drapery and accessories admirably contrived and colored to make Academicians sensible of their defects, mom’s anxieties re coming years. Carter’s Emigrant’s last look, do him credit. Port has silvery tone of Thom Hicks, saw in his studio, truthful and severe rather than flimsy and pretty style of some of his bro artists, vigorous mind embraces terror more than graces.

 

Mar 8 1851 Art and Artists: puffs Cummings school, Boston Art Union plan, Prudhomme dags, HP Gray King Death, baleful melancholy, monstrous conceptions. Huntington lecture on xtian art, too sermon like, protested Godwin and James. next lecture by TW Whitley is Pleasures and Penalities which attend the Pursuit of Art

 

Mar 15 1851 Art and Artists: Boardman, Huntington, Piseco Mtn by Cafferty, cleverly executed, graceful compositions, his Morning Call v pretty, ought to be engraved. Waller & Kerps store. Wightman’s HW Beecher, forcible, air of defiance. Williamson views to gallery of Artists Assoc, also sketched ice cream stand near City Hall, clever, excess of coloring. Edw May in Paris

 

Mar 22 1851 Art and Artists: disting artist Kellogg completing Genl Scott, Osgood at Uni doing women, NAD open will have candid crit, NY Sketch Club Dallas design equal to Huss, Piatti monumental statuary. Doughty sick. Young artist of Baptism of Chirist, obnoxious, water green of stagnant pond, Christ a whipped sneaky deserter. Artists Assoc opening fete last week, Huntington, Hicks, Elliott, Gray Brent, Tait Walcott Burns spoke, also some press men. Brent v poetical. Stearns disting, Tecumseh

 

Mar 29 1851 Art and Artists: Shumway. Agree with Albion re Sattler. Miller’s City Hall lacks majesty of thought. TA Richards sought to express soul, sentiment, genius, not features of part of lake. Cinti AU to give money prizes, artists prefer it

 

Apr 5 1851 Art and Artists: Wright Washington, clever, moral. Pauling. Youth and Beauty v clever by a lady, young artist, desires anon. Chas Ingham sadly not in NAD. Duggan sublime. Galt, Hite, Wandesforde, Officer, Freeman. Notice a v vulgar pic, Aurora, lifeless ruddy fig, dingy, sombre, muddiness, malformed, lady disobliged, meretricious. Bingham good.

 

Apr 12 1851 Art and Artists: NAD open, rare treat, also has foreign artists, Weir Durand Hicks Gray Rossiter Elliott Cropsey Church Kensett Cranch Rothermel, sad no Ingham. rossiter alleg place of honor, dignity of thought. Lscapes imag not suffered to run riot in improving on nature, TA Richards and Boutelle rapid progress. Peculiarities of foreign school fill picture shops destitute of charms of orig, few Amer subj among hastily and hotly ptd canvas of this school of manufacture, citizens don’t admire nature so poor judges of art, rich have ptgs not admitted to London pot house. JT Peele sweet class of home themes, charm, spiritual influences; Shegogue imaginative, Bingham large work of Boone, pleasing composition and effect, Wotherspoon in Italy, Cummings school, Gifford winning, May in Paris

 

Apr 19 1851 Art and Artists, NAD: Lscapes rightly dominate, but among ports  Page, Elliot, Hicks, Rossiter, Gray Baker Flagg Freeman Osgood. Page and Hicks have Doric eleg and simplicity. In ports many succeed most who are least excellent. James E Freeman 359 study for angel promises sublime, conception superior. rossiter 367, JT Peele, Kellogg, beaut ideal subjects. Flagg Baker and Shegogue, long puff of Shegogue. Durand and Kensett, Casilear, most superior. Doughty, Boutelle Church Huntington prominent. But all agree Kensett great praise, 79 by Durand ensure him as much distinction as he can well hope to aspire to. Weir one pic. On hist ptg, Rothermel’s Murray’s Defence of toleration entitled to preeminence, exquisite performance, serentiy and calmness dignifies our common nature, firmness and permanency in color, not perishable varnish deceptions would be ptrs adopt, great delight. Rossiter’s great No 10, Carter’s Signing the Contract, Stearns’ Tecumseh and Harrison, Flagg’s Paul, and Church’s Deluge affford ample zeal. Mount Cropsey Cranch Cafferty Duggan Edmonds Gignoux Gifford Lang Ranney Richards Libby Wotherspoon and others. All agree Kellogg’s Genl Scott as below, moment when flag triumphs over oldest city on continent, simplicity and truthfulness, history and artistic effect, for city of NY

 

April 26, 1851: NAD, neither Lit world nor Albion in report of banquet noticed compliment pd to Artists’ Assoc by Parke Godwin, or modest reply of Wm Walcutt,its Pres, Lit worldonly mentioned the NY Gallery, so Durand, Sturges and Cozzens. Palmer of Albany only sculpture, bust v beaut, poetic. Pass over poor pics of Junior Class. Deluge by Church, all honor his genius, but not his pmasterpiece, everything to satisfy the vulgar not a critic, imagines what is not in nature. others are honest. duggan holy fam admirable, better than Overbeck next to it. Rossiter Expectation, as in all his delicacy and glow of Venetian, much easier to call them “thin and Frenchy” then prove them so, to dismiss Rothermel’s noble Murray’s Defence as merely having dramatic effect won’t be believed. Clonney Waking UP, v clever, follower of Mount. Wotherspoon Ital scenery creditable, undefined, emotions, genial. Rival claims of Page and Hicks decided by comparing S Willets to only one by Page, bijous of Hicks. Mount Grindstone and 205 by Edmonds, solid. Ranney retreat v clever, action with truth and effect. TW Whitley 108 View on Conn rive, heard several artists speak favorably, best of ones he contrib. David Johnson Old Mill, v clever, imitating Church, should look to nature. TA Richards, affected by style of day but full of promise. Mt Merino and lscapes by Gifford v beaut, not obtrusive. v Colyer a master. Gignoux.

 

may 3 1851 NAD by An Artist: Lang por of lady, please those who prefer woman to frosty impersonations of our cold water painters, countenance brimful of gd nature, intrusion fo curtain, should add a few inches to waist of lady rather than dominion of fashion and folly over her form. Boutelle Trout stream and shower, dashing performance, masterly vigor and sereneness, remind of Ruysdael too much perhaps. Cropsey Southern Italy 37 profited by transatlantic pilgrimage, v beaut, proof of devotion to lamented Cole, veracity of testimony to classic Italy, melancholy hue, desolation and silence, antique ruins. English pics are good. Carter signing the contract, v clever, delicacy and fidelity, admire illustrious author who supplies subj. Jerome Thompson NE Tgiving, credit, usu worry danger to for young artist to do history. Elliot seven ports in his best style. Whightman portraits esteemed by those who admire his style. Mrs LM Spencer sorry to not see her finest work, purchased by a gman who withdrew fr gaze of vulgar. No ptg by Oddie. Loop sweet. JT Peele Puck in the Dairy v clever. H Panton Sheep v gd. Portraits of Children, shld be treated more tenderness. HP Gray King death most successful ideal head. CP Cranch Pine Grove v beaut little crystal morceaus. Durand Katerskill clove, sky too hard, but all finer, yellowish green blended.

 

Home Journal “NAD” by an artist, May 10, 1851, 19

            Begins with Hicks portrait of Margaret Fuller, says Huntington is deteriorating

            Cafferty’s portriat of A Gman:  His style and eprson have an air of brusqueness, manliness that seems natural and was praised in Evening Post

            Noticed Flaggs, including Geo Flagg’s portraits of the Broughams as freely painted and full of spirit

 

May 17 1851 Art and Artists: depraved taste by booksellers, lascivious prints. Wms and Stevens. Chas Ingham. JT Peele v clever feeding rabbits to AU. Day Book v spirited article on Bulletin of Am AU protests agst defamation of JK Fisher, known for zeal in cause of art, scandalous. NY Sketch Club at Cafferty. Tobias and the Angel presumptuous. Visited studios of Hicks and Cropsey, White st, with Kensett Rossiter Huntington Walcott and Long prosecuting art. Boston AU on right plan.

 

May 31 1851 Art and Artists: Deas, Hicks and Rossiter, perfect Jewels. Hite, Rand port of Bryant. Stearns.

 

Jun 5 1851 Art and Artists: Danl Webster print. Wms and Stevens. Courtship in Elysian Fields, tyro on road to ruin, heavy, muddy. Agreement betw diff writers on merits of pic in NAD which disappointed artist’s friends (Rossiter), admonish history painters, grasp at beaut phantoms, enthusiasm of old masters, we are less devout, so less exalted in conceptions. Some 80 artists of West formed association, hq and gallery in Cinti, dissatisfied with Western AU, new institu is corrective. Western AU clothes board of directors with unltd and irresp power over subscriptions, indulges in grossest partiality, as here. Several artists in single year got $3000, 10-15 works purchased, others nothing. Assoc of artists petitioning legislature of Ohio, AB Durand signed it. Books of the art union show higher prices pd here than abroad for gd pics, but result of partiality, might not have been purchased at all, as rich don’t want Am subjects, don’t spend time in nature even in sports, those of Rev Bethune class won’t go, only a few poets in Hoboken. “most famous weekly literary review pub in city” twits its readers for wanting national taste, but in last number had 15 articles fr authors alien to the manor and hostile to lit and art of the country. Fine pic by Cropsey or poem by Bryant on Am theme won’t get published.

 

Jun 21 1851 Art and Artists: IK Fisher valuable articles on art to Journal of Art, formerly the Message Bird. Shegogue new studio. Richards and Cropsey left. Elliot, his port of CE Lester freedom and vigor of artist and subj, boldly and obtrusively ptd. Hicks on Scripture. Humorous sketch of Greeley fr Figaro. N Eng AU shld be supported. Clever sketch by D Tinto of City Fathers in 6th Ward, Mayor and Common Council walk over mtns of filth preceded by stout negroes scattering lime, disting citizens flanking them. Long letter fr Doughty, recovering, can’t paint pictures of equal excellence, esp if has to paint a great many potboilers.

 

Jul 5 1851 Art and Artists: Prepared for the HJ by an Artist: Mount, bro v clever pics, Rossiter great Hebrews in captivity, Long on a little pic, Autumn on the Tiber and v spirited oils of Am scenery by Whitley on exhib at store of Johnsons, removed studio 380 Fourth ave, invites gmen to call, we have a few of his clever “pencillings” at office, industrious, clever, zealous. Anelli v beaut pic of little girl at play. Stearns Mt Vernon with servants at work, should receive 1000 in advance, be engr.  Signor Piatti just done bust of Bayard Taylor, great modesty, but air of Apollo Belvedere. watercolors at Wandesforde, charm, admired by connoisseurs, marine views by artist of Phila at store of JP Ridner, some time since noticed pic fr young artist Libby, unqual admiration from a tyro, clever pic by this Am Murillo, a boy who loaf on streets, worthy any amateur, at Wms and Stevens, with many beaut others esp by Oddie. A Lost soul omit name of artist temerity to paint what eye hath not seen, no person of taste can regard with satisfaction, trickery and dramatic effort affects vulgar minds, contempt for scramblings after sublime untruths, imposition. Cropsey view of battery is v beaut, present for Jenny Lind who spent hour in his studio shared with Hicks, gave Whitley a picture too. Hist ptg: Rothermel preeminent, Murray’s defense of toleration, serentiy and calmness, no varnish deceptions, also his 10, Carter 308, Stearns Tecumseh, Flagg’s Paul, Church’s Deluge great zeal. Misc pics by Mount, Cropsey, Cranch, Cafferty, Duggan, Edmonds, Gignoux, Gifford, Lang, Ranney, Richards, Libby Wotherspoon. Then gives long excerpt fr another critic of Kellogg’s Scott entering Nat Pal of city of Mexico, flag flying over oldest city of American Continent

 

July 12 1851 Art and Artists:  Baker at Wms and Stevens, Rossiter great Hebrews in Captivity cutting out more work for critics, artists of Cinti have a monthly paper, prosily written, but gd intent. Cafferty and Kyle doing genre. Church and Cropsey famous pics hung near Rothermel’s great ptg, ea have lightning, Cropsey more intensely and poetically, Church a lamentable failure despite his masterly skies, as remarkable as Doughty in their own lines. NAD closed, unprofitable season, as long as leading artist paint as instructed by managers of AU, and throw open a bad free gallery, NAD will be bad. Letter fr eminent artists abroad, baleful influ of AU, repressive and chilly. Pics being bought fr dealers, not NAD, which has too many portraits and common place performances, here humans of all classes wish vile portraits, repulsive resemblances of every booby too senseless to hide his vulgar pretensions, NAD will become mother of a spurious race of artists unless her sons reject AU. Doughty letter on beauties of lscape.

 

Aug 9 1851 Art and Artists: our visits to studios of lscape artists too often engaged on composition, signs of which are gigantic blue and purple mtns violently opposed by tall and massive trees, remind one of no where, so lack associations and don’t sell. Should paint our country, our streets, wharves, market, as if pencil of Nature too commonplace, English school better in this. Expensive furniture indicates wealth but cold and constrained, no comfort and ease, as where art is. Brown, the sculptor, just completed model of Indian standing over crouching panther, Eve Post notice, will rank among v  best works. John P Ridner store. Hite. Oddie at Wms and Stevens, general sameness of char, graceful undulating outlines, massive congeries of mtns, wish he would steal a few cows fr Durand. Ranney’s Marion v ambitious, undefined distance. Pastoral by Cafferty, great credit, genius and judgment, not imitative, clever and versatile. legislature no charter to Artists Assoc, hope they will amend constitution to estab money prize system. Carpenter of Syracuse.

 

Aug 16 1851 Art and Artists: Wm Walcutt of Cinti won Henry Clay medal design. Stearns. Attack on Titian Peale for some reason? Noble river sketches excellent. NJ AU v satisf, impartial, free gallery

 

Aug 23, 1851 Art and Artists: Lady amateur Warwick Castle. Carter At her toilet. Emigrants v fine at Art Union by Beard of Cinti, sombre coloring, cold, not sunny West r South, fidelity of reputable artist not overwrought, accuracy of his perception, so unlike Am artists generally has pre eminence, ranks with Peele. TW Whitley ptg Roslyn, Bryant’s residence, for exhib at Boston AU. Brown at Roslyn, Richards, Kyle. Doughty here exquis lscapes, better aerial than elab ones of contemporaries. Waiting by artist of domestic scenes, but not Edmonds or Mount, woman looks out window at stormy night, satisfy callow mankind, drawing better than coloring, will be popular with grandmothers and nurses

            National Glory and the Arts: most valuable patronage is fr the state, right moral character, connected with civil duties, Capitol ought to have statues of every celebrity of Revolution, every state capitol too, as Virginia did with Houdon and Crawford. In NY on a pillar visible widely over the waters a fig announce abt to tread land of Washington

 

Aug 30 1851 Sculpture in Rome, series of letters signed *** fr a traveller well known in lit, lots on Crawford

 

Sept 6 1851 Art and Artists: Page, Gray, Huntington and Duggan in Euro, Mooney to go to Dusseldorf. Elliott broke leg. Sad re death of Launtz. TR Peale, apologizes. Elopement by Germ artist clever, why angel in back? Men not monsters in love. Corimencke pic in AU, v gd, Am lscape, neat but not overwrought. Williamson Lovers Walk in AU, love of color, theatrical contrast, not poetical greys but good conception. Thom Hicks Wagoner sketchy but beaut, orig and daring. Lockwood’s Great Day of Judgment, ambitious and reputable, visited his studio with artists, immense, bold, conception of design faultless but may be hard to paint to preserve its dignity

 

Sept 27 1851 Fine Arts, Ives, Chapman Brown and Freeman, Richd Greenough, Crawford in Italy. long praise from a German paper of Leutze’s GW, forward, invincibly forward. Domestic Items: Am AU exhib gives universal satisfaction,

 

Oct 4 1851, editorial notice of his new rms 499 Broadway, teach lscape ptg, T TH, his rooms open 9-4 every day except those for purchase, sale and exchange of pictures. Also notices Fagnani back from Paris, a Miss Barker teaching art too, all items from Eve Post?

Nov 8 1851 Fine Arts: Leutze’s pic universally admired, vital action, moral power, hi estimate of artist (GW). Powers Greek Slave: writer in Fraser’s asks in what respect is it Greek, is manacle only meas of expressing sorrow and anguish of slavery, no meaning whatever in the face, and if head and manacles lopt off, rest would be v beaut. full of grace fr shoulders down, but artist failed to convey anything more. HJ comments the insensibility to the spiritual and moral in this paragraph hardly paralleled, how he calls attn to his own deficiency. Bring back remarks written by us when Gr Slave first brought here 5 yrs ago, not conceived controversially, first shock of delight at her beauty, then enchained by profound and lofty interest of countenance, dignity, rebuke, contempt. confident in unassailable moral safety, no material subjugation can harm the soul, not absed or degraded by outrage. No shame, not responsible, instinctive gesture of self protection trib to natural delicacy of her character. Whole being absorbed into consciousness of spiritual existence, dwells in composure, soul of woman embodied, admirably shown how virtue can chastise her oppressors. Contrast betw humiliating circumstances and mental elevation, feels infinite superiority, appears to blush for the degradation of her race. Chiefly admire the moderation in working out this conception, the degree in which a temporary feeling prevails over habitual repose of the figures, only interupts serne beauty enough to wake emotion in observer. It is the bondage of that essence identified with Attica, that supremacy of mind which Greece first taught.

Nov 10 1851 Fine Arts, AU gallery and Wms and Stevens, Franzoni’s bust of Kossuth. Miss Augusta Browne for the Home J writes on Artistic Associations, both music and ptg profaned by conveying unholy sentiments, profane jargon of negro songs perverting tastes.

Dec 27 1851 JD Thompson great promise at Bleecker st and broadway, fr neighboring state, Cropsey noble War and Peace, true spirit of poetry, excellencies of Cole

 

LOC bound volume main reading room 1851-1852 very complete.

1852

Jan 10 admire Kossuth, p3 Sappho on the Mtns of Greece, vigorous and effective sketch by disting artist, presented to TW Whitley to acknowl his service to art and its claims on pub and priv munificence. Also mentions Carpenter at NY gall bldg. 17 p1 long excerpt on Weir fr Tuckerman 17 O’Brien writes them a letter. p3 deception in old ptgs v common, but sale of M  Thomas valid. Alice Carey. 24 address female readers as main audience. Rossiter should do Oakes Smith’s version of beaut witch of Endor p3 Doughty, Dallas and Kyle, Darley for the Lantern, Hite, Thos H Stephens is corresp secty for NJ  AU, had been posted to Sardinia, annual report gave satisf. Tupper.

Feb 1852 Browning. lots of excerpts fr Blackwoods. 21 Hosmer studied anat with McDowell in Cinti, where Powers and Clevenger did. Express praises Catherine Sinclair.

 

March 6 lots on Cooper testimonial, Hutchinsons, and Fine Arts: praises Church, lots on the Cranches, Whitley doing Bryant’s home for engr in mag, Stearns Anelli Boutelle, HP Gray really like, and unnamed artist who did Love Among the Roses is condemned violently, vile attempt by conceited artist who resists being confined to his proper sphere (copied into Express) [Fine arts: Cranch poetic, improving, his brodoing Falstaff, Williamson, port of Wm C Bryant’s residence at Wms and Stevens, Whitley might have added more color, to be engr for mag. Huntington, Gray. Boutelle. writer on fine arts says org of artists in this city could make $100,000. Who will show them the way? Church’s Natural Bridge, VA, he will do justice to it, can combine sublime and minute detail, for Cyrus Field. Piatti. Cinti AU in debt, fallen subscriptions, an Artists’ Assoc in that city on same principles as Am AU and has also alienated affections of artists and public. Anelli. Stearns on Wash surpasses previous. Gray noble, artful, purest taste, delicate, discrim, charm, portraits. Boutelle clever and popular.]

 13 Willis traveling. pro British aristo and southern plantation owners, not loafers.

Apr 3 Wm E Robinson lecture on Celts, all such distinctions subord to sublime and fundamental one of belonging to Family of Man, but then has paragraph fr Jefferson on diff betw black and white man 10 condemns pit of Bowery theater, unattended boys drinking. Fine Arts praises Brackett’s shipwrecked mother and child, a home production, not inferior to Greek Slave, a more difficult task in complicated position, Greek Slave has more char of a portrait than invention or creation, the idea entrances the spectator, tells whole story, meaning in the drapery, endorsed by G Greenwood and Greenough (letter to Dana, and to Home J), spectators  whisper. Phoebe Carey. Like Herbert/Fr Forester. 24 p2 disapprove of new plans to put names of big contrib on plaques at Wash mon in DC; NAD ports bear the palm. All who go to Brackett are charmed

 

May 1852 1 p2 more on Brackett fr writer Curiosus who visited Bowery pit, home of organ grinders, gives his bio, stint in Cinti as tomb and pattern cutter, 3 years in NYC at height of Harrison mania did a bust for a club and colossal group Satan Bound, elab and diff which was admirable in many respects, destroyed it, 1841 to Boston with letters of intro fr Bryant, Allston befriended him, Art union bought bust fr him at $200 less the real cost, 1848 started this group, grace Greenwood admired, exhib of plaster not profitable, got subscriptions fr Bostonians for marble, exhib here in NY more profitably thanks to good press

8 p2 Equestrian statue of Wash, colossal near Union Square, Greenough and Brown, gives details, mostly praise Greenough extensively. glad Greeley advoc for intl copyright. They like Henry James but Nat Intellig does not. NAD review: Durand’s gog is great, Terry’s jacob’s Dream a favorite, Cropsey head of school, Spirit of War and Peace have long description in catalog, superfluous, not ambiguous, often surpasses Cole in his trees eg Oak and the Maple, have already written on Peace and War as have others on sublime and beautiful. Edw White De Soto masterly, heads of priests and monks full of expression. Leutze alw capital, Huntington a courtly artist, his Trib oney not equal to some of his earlier works, villanous face of fellow interrog Redeemer, wish to cut it fr ungainly body, such physique shld be banished fr society, painter do penance at statue of Apollo, Savior appropriate, prefer his portraits.  Edmonds handsomely done, not his most polished, makes a Maine law joke, and a little critical of his lack of detail. Elliott several portraits, masterly and faultless, marvels. JT Peele Girl and Rabbits, accessories well ptd, rabbit deformed, backgrounds too emphasized. Hays bull dog, perfect in his vocation. Tait enamred with Landseer, charming, should keep to this genre. Latilla Christ and Lang copying, Latilla should stick to his genre. Ranney port of sons of artists, v clever, oak tree equal to any part of the pic. Wandesforde blends natural with ideal, at first missed its merits.

May 15 p2 like Walter Brackett too, Shipwrecked mom makes visitors whisper. Defend Sparks’ Washington. hint for Mount, A Group of laborers in a new bldg at dinner hour, see it every day, some smoking, others arguing, reading, asleep, capital pic—and a hit. NAD continues: lscapes not promising, disrespect for Am scenery, no reference to existing object, even Kensett fallen, Kensett’s old gray rocks are trite as virtues of Aristides. loves Carpenter’s portraits, David Leavitt, delicacy and purity, studied with Elliott and Thayer, fr the West, and like Powers, Elliott, Hite, Powell and Mrs Spencer had obstacles. Carter’s at the shrine, expressive, devotion of artist, like his illus of Goldsmith. Church home by the lake, wreck, vindicates academical character agst flippant crit of non-pros, deserve minute attn, char of reality, art and effect. E Terry orig and spirited. Rossiter, Just fr Town, he aspires to move to country Italianate mansion, Joshua Shaw delicacy and tenderness and rare power for virtuoso, Parsons capital, Jerome Thompson noon summer alm perfect, show what trees should not be. Casilear v sweet, felicitous compos and color. Geo A Baker Summer hrs, portraits better. Volmering clever and graceful, Colyer less perfect than last year, TA Richards all spirit and truthfulness. slams Whitley’s 232 picture of Roslyn, should thank hanging comm for favor in placing it where it can never be seen May 22 p 2 support cryst pal in NY, admires Stephenson’s sculp, habit of whittling has led to triumphs of Am sculp, life size, naked bu for girdle, wounded when adjusting bow, head droops, still holds arrow fr wound, muscular, refined lineaments of forest Indian not coarse prairie tribes, type of race passing away, moment characteristic of race, warlike, barbarian, locale, sea shell ornaments his lack of skill and taste, wonderful elab detail, suitable for NYHS. more on NAD: Mount doing more portraits, thinks generation that appreciated his pleasing style of composition is dead, the old gmen who loved Edmonds, Darley, Stearns, Weir, Matteson, new class can’t disting betw gilt gingerbread trash of mod foreign school and the Wilkies, Leslies, Dous of our own country. loves Hicks’ exGov Fish, impressive of all the full lengths, style has no rival, grandeur of compos, vigor and harmony of his color, severity of his drwg, ought never to depart fr principles, display of contempt for littleness of manner of others in Gov rm in city hall, few masterly storkes for accessories. Post finds fault with drapery, coarse, true. Gifford  134 v beaut, not so decided in manner as last year, more imitative of Durand and Church, as is Boutelle, who is charming but imitation Duss overwrought manner. JD Thompson port lacks effect. agree with Trib crit re Cappelen’s Norwegian forest, superb, highly wrought without being tedious, like Miss Barker, skill in compos, graceful, very nasty to 146 a Toilet study fr life, dishonour, Gignoux starting new school of color, October in America, purple and golden, court ptr to Oriental monarch, alleged faults but redeeming interest, glow of sunshine, others imitate him, approp archit and figs, popular. Alanson Fisher delicacy and sentiment. Stearns 9 portraits, ought to do more history, has he fallen victim to mania for “Old Masters”? Pitt charming. Platt clever.. Wotherspoon fine last year, improving, attracted pen of eloq writer of city paper, surprised its originality called in question.

29 p2 Augusta browne a freq contrib p1 story of Picture Critic, those who really know are always modest and deferential, so any one ostentatious lacks true underst of excellent in art, former merchant turns critic, uses jargon, doesn’t admire nature, has a tube to examine pics, thinks art will help him socially, goes to Euro to buy old masters p2 B writes in with site proposal for Wash statue in NYC in triangle at Broadway and 5th, editors also like entrance to Central Park, female ptrs in London

 

June 1852 5 p1 Augusta Browne story concludes, moral is that Am tourists are taken advantage of by foreign pic dealers, genius alive today, buy contemp p2 An Artist writes crit of Trib attack on Durand and Bryant, Trib dislikes Durand’s gog, quotes critic on saying Durand is quiet, pastoral, placid, little change, similar to Bryant in poetry, don’t advance. Not fair crit, neiher gmen are debasing genl taste or filling pockets by abusing position, not impartial. Often it is the socially froisse person who makes this crit of those long approved. p3 Godfrey Frankenstein view of KY at Wms and Stevens, bought by singer Goldschmidt who they like, TW Whitley moved studio to Franklin Terrace hoboken, Catlin in prison for debt, hope Congress will buy. Support GW Putnam and GW Curtis, Meagher a lion 26 p1 An Artist writes more on Durand and Bryant, in response to response of Trib critic, writes fr Little Neck LI. Trib defends critic’s stern duty, Artist doesn’t know him personally, shouldn’t be offhand with the great, new works don’t alw find level with ‘ignorant present,’ critic should not step betw buyer and seller impertintently. p2, Brownson is silly and his audiences are new emigrants, letters fr NY corresp for country papers are manuf by firms who hire two whigs and two demos to write a letter for a few dollars, and then copies them

 

Jul 3 the artist’s sacrifice.  Jul 24 think Brackett shld do a sculp of Henry Clay, Greenough is busy 31 p2 Greenough shld do bust of Cooper. Crit of Hawthorne. Long story on Wm Powell, saw his first cartoon of De Soto, variety, magnif, contrast of aborig and Span pictque andsignif, meaning in ea group, artistic effect in every contrast, zest, wildness, luxuries, pomp, instinct, fascinating design. Bio, pupil of Inman, portraits 1838, became popular, went to Paris, returned 1847 with Columbus, won commission. In paris ptd Dumas and Sue

 

Aug 1852 7 p2 Herald mercilessly attacking Kossuth 11 AJ Downing. Osgood in Xtian Intelligencer thinks Hawthorne satanic 21 TDE or Thom Dunn English used to write for New Mirror. Like Lotus Eating

 

Sept 1852 1 p2 Alice Carey great fr Redfield; Fowlers and Wells have distinct character, OS Fowler studying for clergy, took up phreno, 131 Nassau, popular publications. JE Freeman is a judge of pictures, discernment, understands principles, his Indian Girl, Beggars Gipsy or Bad Shoe give sense of individuality and genius, reverse of crude and superficial manner of tyros, has works at Hicks’ studio on White st, active in Ital revolution. Gautier causing sensation in Paris. Sept 11 profile of Little Giant, stephen douglass 18 Hosmer 25 p2 still like TB Read despite annoying No Brit Review of american poets. Am Whig Review attack on Lossing is unjust and hypocritical

 

Oct 1852 2 Schaus former manager of Intl AU and agent of Goupil forming estab in NY as printseller and merchant, his taste and tact and fair dealing we speak very highly of, as Journal that sustained interests of the Intl AU 9 don’t agree with eve post’s politics nor in the past; new paper Swedenborgian the Age by RB Wiggins; Cora Montgomery doing a monthly Our Times by Wms and Co at 100 Nassau. p4 Viator writes (has written before) re estab Nat Mus and Gall of Art, feaasible, gives what it would cost Oct 21 long praise of Bryan’s gall of xtian art, offers instruction, doesn’t claim all are orig. women editors are good. 30 love love Wellington. Liked Nye’s old masters.

 

Nov 6 give Ketchum on Webster 13 praises Weir at Wms and Stephens 20 * is critical of German Sunday paper NY Spectator as anti-clerical and its low beer cellars; like Fry’s lectures 27 p1 D has long praise of Bryan’s gallery, hopes will be basis for a nat coll, need careful study of old masters,  editors say written by one of our best thinkers, a broadly generalizing and cosmopolite view of Art, dislikes Duss p2 on Putnam’s, the array of names set forth in ad will do no goood, best to keep it strictly anonymous, new mag must have a purpose, advocate principles and measures, American, must be edited by a man who comprehends America, day of dainty lit is over, need a Blackwood without its toryism and bigotry. Like Thackeray.

Dec 18 1852 Lanman’s life of Webster thrown together in haste, has a few new things in his domestic life. Bancroft on art at NYHS says need more statues of great men 25 intimate friends with Greenough

 

LOC main reading room bound volume 1853-1855, very complete, I only looked at 1853. Home J for the cultiv of the memorable, the progressive and the Beautiful, $3 year

Jan 1 p2 Carpenter’s port of Fillmore, panos. can get Home J and Putnam’s for $4 year, good writers. TB Read poem. Cinti Pen and Pencil gd, as is Illus mag of art. 21 women artists in city. 29 need artists’ exhib rm. Promote Metta Victoria Fuller’s pro-Maine law novel.

 

Feb 5 Alice Carey, * on sale of ptgs at AU, Church New England scene, time and labor in its portrayal of sunset, sold highest, compensation for city life, art shld not imitate past, nor neglect old masters, spirit of the age and nation shld form soul of the artist, but productions of the past purify his taste as beauty and harmony are the same in all ages, just need to be applied to subjects in which are the hearts of the people, so artist must feel with his age. National lscapes vary. also Bryan’s gallery of old masters 12 praise Times writer on Catlin, writer is gman of fine attainments who writes with force and purpose, agree Congress shld purchase, symp to Indians who are vanishing 19 CMS dislikes equest statue of GW in wash, he has been majestically aloof fr ordinary men, sublimely isolated, statue  on brazen rearing horse in gaudy trappings to dazzle eye of stupid gazer will bring him into marketplace, make him a military hero, ought to be dressed for peace and private life; Curiosus thinks bloomers are elegant 26 Powers on statue America for US

Mar 19 p2 * on Jesse Talbot, new pic of peculiar phase of nature, hope to draw attn, valley halo of glorious Am sunset, hue not conventional Ital or Brilliant French or moist English, but transitory Am, our scenery require treatment diff than conventionalism. Hosmer as child woman 26 free gall of ptgs thanks to private enterprise, shld have been public spirit, back of Neal Carroll and Hutchinson store oppos Duss, Weir pic and European.

 

(can buy Home J bundled with either Knick, Harper’s or Putnam’s, or with Godey’s or Graham’s, or with Musical world or Illus News, for $4)

 

April 1853 JG Chapman 16 Father Gavazzi weak, not relevant. Geo Hall at Wms and Stevensnoble, Mount returning to earlier fancies, have been overrun with the composite and the ideal. Brackett. Vaux on archit. 23 summary of daily press, 12 adapted to special class, ponderous J of Commerce, organ of business and Presbyterians, and its rival C&E for wholesale and heavy Episcopalians; conservative Methodist Comm Advertiser, Unitarian literary Eve Post, Herald for men of the world, Trib progressive, Express evening edition popular around Wall st and ferry boats, Times active and ambitious, Eve Mirror news and lit, gossiping Day Book, Sun for workingman, Morning Star now united with Daily Democrat. 2 are penny papers, 4 charge 6, favorite price is 2 cents. NAD open, best ever, some as bad as any, also Bryan, Duss, Belgian, Wash coll. 30 p2 more NAD: of 442, 182 portraits, 101 lscapes, 9 hist, rest studies; one half are copies fr nature, less than 200 identify themselves as artists. Edw White Pilgrims, 20 figs, devotion, tearful leave, pastors prominent, promise relig in new world, pleasing but not great or orig. 32 Walker attack of guerillas on Am troops in Mexico, spirited, showily uniformed Mex attack infantry in defensive square, officer mtd composed, rewards examination. Ranney purchase of Manhattan, very red and verystiff Indians vs highly colored Europeas, a failure, void of expression. Carter’s Richelieu fr Bulwer, accessories well executed but countenances an postures almost ridiculous. Ranney Boone crossng mtns, spirited and pleasing, gallant, attitude of suspicion, face open and bright, scenery not very specific. Carlin fr Cooper’s Mohicans, not as intense as book. Trancia Wasp and Frolic, endurable marine battle. Darley Entry of Wash into NY one of best pics in exhib, Wash impressive and noble, spectators effectively grouped, char, meaning and beauty thru out, touches worthy of Hogarth, combines imposing and grotesque. Miss Sharp virgins creditable, improbable. Latilla Eleanor, demure and lifeless.. NAD advertises, as does Washington exhib, which was mentioned favorably earlier. letter requesting women be admitted to Astor library and merc lib

 

May 7 1853 p2 like Ellet. NAD: SA Mount, plugging the enemy (hornet’s nest) not successful, inexpressive, stiff. Carter Village pastor fr Goldsmith, v diff to paint human, 22 figs, not one can praise, lscape have natural effect. Tait Repudiation in Henry V, fr Broadway theater, ok. Carlin wedding ridic and silly. Morgan Look out, midshipman attitude admirable. McClurg, Tintoretto, awk subj, as is Edmond’s fr Burns, tho both well ptd. WS Mount Politics of 1852 or who let down the bars, gem, expressions admirable, nice details, fidelity. Sewell pleasing but not successful boyhood, poetry of laziness, boy thrown himself on grass, pic much admired. Brackelier (has Belgian gall), Boughton, BF Howland Morning Paper elderly gman reading Times, creditable, Colyer, McLenan Our best Society, has progressed fr pages of Putnam’s to Acad, a spectacle to itself, Mrs Potiphar’s party, skill in making guests look as silly and ridic as sturdiest demo in Arkansas cld desire. Whenert Raven trib to Poe, not unsuccessful, corpse bosom neck and face esp beaut. Hill beauty calm, Van Norden fig Backwoodsman excleeent in snow storm. Faller Yankee of stage looking for wife in kitchen, mirthful, unreal. His Charity also conventional but admired, rich woman and poor woman. G Frankenstein Crosby st pano Niagara, fitted for subj. Gibson coloring his Venus, in accord with antiquity, majority of visitors approve 28 Brewerton, really enthus and long re TB Read as poet

 

Jun 4 town talk praises Brown’s De witt clinton as speaking, also Fanny Fern and Ik Marvel as consul, earlier been happy re Hawthorne too 18 has lots on CL Brace fr the Times

 

Jul 9 cites Vivian in the Leader. More on TB Read. Lots on Cole fr Noble bio. 19 John Neal on Paul Akers, we have taste for embodied poetry, visited workshop not the studio or atelier of Akers, Down Easter, Benjamin the Hebrew boy, awakening, not theatrical, naked, orig, all self taught 23 has had lots on Cryst Pal, Thorwaldsen’s Christ is manly 30 more on CP sculp: Republican critics assail obj in Cryst Pal, colossal statue of Wash esp, but a difficult achievement, deserves respect, if not artistic then in commanding position, and horse spirited; attitude of rider stiff, but Wash was uncommonly upright, face is recognizable. Plenty of bad statuary, some as bad as any in Greenwood cemetery, eg statue of Webster, girl with mirror, marble trash fr Italy and group of Wash crowned. old and young sinners stand before nudes and grin vulgar commentaries, not improved by Cryst Pal, nor are country gmen who dismiss Thorwaldsen as making Christ too big a man, work should bring them to theirknees, but they are making their fortunes and annihilating their souls. Irish maidservant crosses herself. Ital dept has inlaid table of wasted human labor only matched by country matrons’ amazing quilts’ veiled busts pleasing, but don’t like statues holding metal objects, trick not art to employ such expedients. Likes silver statues.  Amazon by Kiss is on trays of Italian image dealers on streets.

 

Aug 6 Brown’s Clinton, letter fr Mary Marygold asks about its proportions, compares it to Mills’ statue of Jackson where head elongated to produce perfect effect. Is distortion necessary if parts are relatively perfect? Editor replies that art must seem, not be correct, Clinton is colossal not because he was a giant, but on an elevated place needs enlargement to seem as large as life, feet and head must be shaped to make them appear true fr the ground, depart fr accuracy for a true effect, the end and aim of art. 13 Tuckerman’s Greenough, Belgian gall. 20 more on sculp at exhib; Coleman and Walter Brackett in White mtns 27 p1 Greenough on Washington, critical of stone used for buildings, and of then painting it, makes them resemble shingle palace, like covering gold with tinfoil, done this even in Rotunda, and used divers colors, even worse. why so much money for unsatisf result? no clear idea of what is proper, congress not experts on art, and changing admini ea want to leave their mark, creates patchwork, need to estab a standard all can recognize, not a legislative committee. Trees and flowers impertinent adjuncts to Capitol, as are creeping vines, misguided pictque. Columbus and Indian girl anomalous and absurd, chokes façade, hides another statue by same artist, statue of Wash surrounded by rose bushes, impertinent, obstruct, mere ephemeral vegetation, grass offends by destroying monumental effect, railings imply want of respect, boys play anyways. Adams’ sculptures for tympanum tryto turn rhetoric into stone, alw fatal.Designers of yacht America nearer to Athens than those who would bend the Greeek temple to every use, every department of the Govt, need Greek principles not Greek things.  p2 Editorial miscellany, the Exhibition: Cryst Pal is magnificent, a private enterprise like the Erie rrd or Collins’ steamers, but great public gd. Powers statuary conspic, constant crowd, lions, patriotic, Eve a favorite, wonderful expr of serpent, perfect woman in bust, our fave is Fisher boy. Cryst Pal

 

Sept 10 women’s rights lost opp to bespeak space in Cryst pal for female industry and genius, so comparatively few by women, a wonderful quilt or two, but that’s it. Articles for which ladies are most proper judges, spend on attractiveness of home. women shld have space in exhib. preference is for Euro made, Greenough said Brackett’s Shipwrecked Mother didn’t succeed (net profit $280) as wasn’t made in Florence, Greek Slave not have been successful if had been produced near Boston, we aren’t as deferential as formerly, but still need Euro celebrity to minister to cock-tailed palate of genl public Need greater diversity of tastes here before excellence will be rewarded. praises Cornelius Mathews pen and ink pano. defends Pierce fr Putnam’s, corresp praises him. supports Pease’s mission.

 

Oct 1 Cryst Pal pics: 600, some fine and bad, silliest pic ever is Diogenes and Wash, Diog out of his brandy barrel, finds GW, Am Eagle protecting constitution, absurd, abyss of stupidity, by a foreign resident of this city (Anelli). But majority of visitors study it, don’t perceive ridiculous, seem to admire, as theydo negro meolodists, circus clowns and stumporators while artists are in garrets.  Praises strongly two small relig pics, expressive, Christ, need no explanation. 8 Roman gall at Stuyvesant is dingy and dismal, supposedly old pics. Durand’s Gov Kemble accurate, best ever by him, his portraits like Stuart Jarvis Sully Weir Elliott and inman belong tohighest school of art. Corresp on Hosmer, Crawford 15 Bremer on Emerson. Willis knows Clarence Cooke, bro in law of oracle Downing, man of genius himself, poet and writer, an Addison, elegant and refinement, Newburgh. 22 Kent a contrib reviews Sunday press, many buy two or three or all the newsboy carries, 4-5 Germ papers, 1-2 French ones. Manuf of newspapers guided by same principles as manufacture of calico, try to hit not form public taste, paper keeps man same sort of person as when first read it, never offends the Ruling Power of Public Opinion. All the Sunday papers but the Herald are very focused on NY. Times has London letter, solid respectability of ‘heavy men.’ Atlas a polit paper vigorous and devoted to Demo (its readers have chance of desks in Custom House at present). Mercury indep, honest theat crit, sports. Courier thrilling stories, spicy. Dispatch reform, crime, sketch, story and anecdote. All denounce isms and Greeley. Harmless, but don’t elevate. Everyone reads them.

 

Nov 26 p3 Hicks port of Beecher. engr by McRae, 43, almost a full length, favorite attitude holding buttons of his coat, about to speak, fine accurate countenance, robust and manly, pic v pleasing, don’t like clutching hand. Wainwright next. Port of Hon Rufus Choate for Dartmouth. Ball beaut and correct statuette of Webster, doing full port. admires Boucicault (as does Trib?) and Erie rrd

 

1854

Jan 2 1854 Belgian statuary gallery promoted. Jan 7 1854 (1853?) John Neal sends in re Paul Akers’ statue of Benjamin in Egypt

 

March 11, 1854 English artist Lawrence is staying with Chas Butler east 14th st, Carlyle praises him, has engr Thackeray, likeness faithful yet more of inner char than chance observer would see, spell on sitter. sketch of poet Rogers, admirable truth, working for our most disting people, $100 for crayon, !50 for port in oil. Wms and Stevens has RS Lander’s Christ, remarkable, and Herring’s Homestead, also a masterpiece. Goupil’s across the street DelaRoche, fine conceptions, and copies a notice of the Belgian gallery fr a Phila paper.

 

Apr 1 1854 Topics Astir: admire Paul Arpin, formerly of Courrier, who in turn admires Geo Sand. NAD exhib attractive, usual predom of ports, paucity of hist pics. On entering, attracted by Hicks’ portrait of philanthropist Geo Trimble, perhaps superior to that of Bishop Wainwright. HW Beecher, Cropsey, and port of lady also by Hicks admirable. Gray five portraits, 347 most beaut. Taggart’s beatrice most admirable. Carpenter capital fourscore and ten, tho three score and ten more approp. Boyle 69, Circassian by Kellogg charming, Mrs Heller’s Hindoo girl. WS Mount pleasant, 143 most lifelike, attitudes and expression admirable, Bargaining for a Horse has merit of being strictly American, the insinuating good nature and shrewdness of the jockey versus honesty and good sense of the farmer, old woman adds spirit and character. 162 taking the census by Edmonds same class, ea fig a character and a triumph. Elliott head of Bryant best in gallery, Durand 7 lscapes, Primeval forest best, 132 superb, Cropsey well rep, Coast of Genoa bold and striking tho more merit wont get attn of his Lake Glimpse. Church Country home is finer than other, both beaut. Gifford gems,  morning and mtns, Stearns fine tho his faces all have family likeness. Most valuable pic in coll is Huntington Good Samaritan, v large, life size, possibly lack of benev in countenance of Good Sam, but agony in expression of poor man among thieves, tender and subdued symp in face of attendant, and sorrow and solicitude of female by his side, a masterpiece.

            Mere Mention: Schaus of Broadway at request of Powell had mtg for formation of Society of Artists for free exhib of ptgs, a Joint Stock Co with capital of $200,00, an Am Art Gall with library and museum for Artists

 

Apr 22 Carrie Piatt in Cinti a contrib, also now to that city’s Genius of the West

 

May 6 1854 Topics Astir: Free Galleries of Art, commend themselves, similar to free schools and colleges, educ not enough, need to refine moral sense,

jun 3 1854 exceprt fr Graham’s E Anna Lewis on HK Brown (her portrait was done by Elliott I think); Powell the artist, visit his studio, lithos fr his hisotrical pic which exhibits in South and West, puffs  Jun 24 1854 runs her piece on Chas Loring Elliott, studied with Quidor after Trumbull, friendly with Huntington, said he was friends with Inman. Did Mrs Lewis, the poetess, and Gov Bouck

Aug 26 1854 Topics Astir: Cosmo Art advertising, puffs it, diff than AU. Cropsey, Carpenter, Elliot, and Whitley of Hoboken Gazette enjoying themselves at residence of editor of Knickerbocker Mag. Stearns.

Sept 9 approve comic Yankee Notions

Dec 9 1854 Topics Astir: art gossip, HK Brown equestrian monument, advantageous moment, majestic mien, scorn of petty details and attn to masses, so coarse near by is a capital merit at a distance. Jesse Talbot 24 Maiden lane has progress historic landscape compositions on Sons of Noah, , Asiatic, egyptian, greece, artists like Lockwood and Talbot toil in hi direction, deal with hard times and imported furniture pictures. Randolph Rogers

 

Mar 24 1855 The Town: NAD opening, lady seldom looks prettier than in a pic gallery, Crayon will give crit estimate of what’s there

Mar 31 1855 The Town: National Academy, summary of our impressions, only 278 pics, most impressive fr Hicks, Huntington, Mount, Elliott Carpenter Durand and Church. Exquis breathless balmy Central America, prefer New England. Casilear delicately wrought, happy choice of subjects and character of figures. 35 Cropsey N Eng, stives after the poetic, often carries us within sight of his ideal, tho minute details sometimes affects spectator painfully. Double value in fidelity and scientific exactness, govt topog bureau shld patronage. 21 effective, full of feeling. Noble lscape 8 Boutelle, refreshing, previous colorphobia wasted chromes lakes reds and browns, but has returned to his senses. 113 glorious by Durand, 112 Am lscape classically rendered by WL Sontag. Lazarus children one of few not infected with rage of color chemistry, popularity. WJ Stillman fr editor of Crayon, characteristic of his Calvinistic spirit, severely true, void of tinsel, logical pencil and mind

May 5 1855 Laurence English artist puffed

Jul 28 1855 positive review of bennett’s memoirs, man of talent and unblemished character in his private relations, honesty as an editor, written by Pray with whom he had a falling out some years ago, medallion portrait of him by C Rosenberg, new artist in this line.

            has Genio C Scott in various excerpts.

Aug 11 1855 Whitley of Hoboken Gazette doing a history; Feb 2 1856, Personal, Whitley is about to return to England to visit galleries and elctures. Mentions Crawford, Bayard Taylor

Dec 29 1855 Ladies of Cinti have Acad of FA, yearly subscriptions for copies of great pictures and statues, worthy example; Rossiter wins medal in Paris; likes Albion and excerpts Crayon

            Benj J Lossing writes on Pocahontas for them

 

Jan 26 1856: Studios of American Artists, For the Home J: Gignoux, editors of Crayon, Durand and Stillman pictures, singular air of reality and drwg by Ruskin, Huntington and Oddie, Bogle and Ellis, Wilson in Appleton’s bldg. on White street, Huntington Gray, Cropsey and Hicks, though now only Cropsey and Hicks, noble Peace and War, port of Longfellow, Luther Bradish, Bayard Taylor in costume. In City bldgs, Carpenter, Nichols and a Young Artist Carpenter with heads of Pierce tyler fillmore Houston Cass Marcy chase seward. Wandesforde in rear, coloring photos. Nichols Perkins and Yewell, back fr Euro, Yewell clever pic of rustic boys first visit to studio in vein of Oertel’s Country Connoisseurs. Perkins pre Raph. Church in Art Union, also Elliott, Casilear, Lang, Kensett. Dodsworth has Oertel Baker Greene Hall and Hart, Darby

            footnotes sugges has spent time in west

 

Feb 9 1856 Studios no 2: Wright, Hall death of Copernicus and North and South, Rainy Day, Wenzler, Edw White high minded historical ptg, Gray eminent, old Venetian school, Elliott, Stearns Fisher Shumway and Bogle have ful freedom of physical life, refreshing to the spiritual and sentimental, Steanrs doing Saxe and Mrs Oakes Smith and hist, Fisher doing actors, Kittell, Ott, Beaumont, Pratt, Mignot combining Church’s style with his own, Brent, Hope, Blauvelt highly clever, Fagnani, Staigg, Greene Hart Oertel alleg,Blondell doing Meagher’s half length in military costume (meagher pronounced Mars) Lang

 

Feb 16 1856 Studios of Am Artists 3rd sketch: oddie needless repetitions of one or two v happy lscape effects, Jerome Thompson, Jenkins Mathews, Shattuck, Hart, Powell, Duggan Miss Stebbins, Mozier, Baker, Gignoux, durandInness Gifford Tait Walcutt Waldo Jewett, Audubon Pine Kyle Boyle Carter Williamson Wright Cogswell Herring Hite Keller, TA Richards Hubbard, Wrage Cafferty of the Physical School Miss Freeman. Hays Shegogue Ingham West

            from Durand jump to Mrs Lilly M Spencer’s house in Bleecker, west of McDougal. worthy lady so severely criticised, every gman must feel impulse to defend her, no claim for her on coloring and invariable refinement in selection and treatment of her subj, but she has much genius in thought, design, touches of human nature and still life. Negro boy and girl in colored litho are to be seen everywhere. Equally clever and humorous are charming mischief of children, v poetic pair for Schaus of Sunshine and Shadow, weatlth and poverty. Large ptg she is at work on/ Colyer. Huntington, Darley, Bogle Laurence

            few critical hints, nearly all critics champion a few and sabre the many, artists should not do mutual disparagement, distribute partiality among all, don’t array favorites agst public sense of fair dealing, don’t despise what others approve, or have conceit of knowledge and smartness

 

Mar 1 1856 Studios of American Artists, 4th sketch, Our Brooklyn neighbors. HK Brown first, washington still in parts, Ward his pupil, pediment of new Capitol in Wash with Genius of America etc, missing Genius of Religion and Education and Liberal Arts. Modernism is delightful, no formal Grecian Graces with old fashioned symbols, has voter and ballot box, an outcast being welcomed to America. F Chapman of NY Sketch Club, does illus, as does Coffin for Derby Jackson and Co. Wunder. At Dodworth’s are Coleman, Fuller and Cogswell, lscaist in hi favor compared with Shattuck and Perkins, very refined, delicacy harmony and unforced richness, deep summer green is mellow, no illegitimate browns. Fuller is like Gray. Cogswell good, sort of. Talbot of Williamsburg, 24 Maiden lane, but works in Williamsburg, old fashioned lscapists, little regard for new fangled preRaphaelite notions, paints nature as she shld be rather than as obstinately is, still produces impressive, agreeable and popular. Compositions of foreign scenery correct, don’t depend on literalness as on sentiment and incident, may be considered successes, primtive incidents of the orig races, large relig ptgs.  Mounts, edmonds’ home realizes ideal of amateur ptr, in Westchester, Gothic house, stone, his cabinet ptg First Earnings struck as as too smooth, lacking in approp expression, but kindles domestic home sentiment, a worthy achievement, also did relig ptg for church. Have never called at Weir’s studio, his Genl Scott admired. Palmer in Albany the lion artist, wildly admired, busts and fancy, Indian girl a successful and fascinating work. J Hart there, Boughton, careful and strking, Boughton has invention, Wagner coloring photos, sister minis. Elsewhere Kellogg, Healy, Brackett, Rowse, Stephenson, bro of Greenough, Champney, Gay, wms, Billings, Lane marine painter accurate if nto vigorous. Phila Sully and Peale. Hoboken, Boutelle Whitley and Ranney. Crayon greatly improved, shld subscribe, writers on artists should be decently just, more reward than punish.

 

Mar 22 1856 Topics Astir: NAD red stone Gothic entrance to Chapin church a shrine to art, best for years, variety and faithful to nature, less portrait and lscape ad infinitum, diversified. Durand fresh, like his work based on Goldsmith, Cropsey highly characteristic and great ruined temple, Kensett rocky river real except for foliage, Casilear bold brilliant, Hart small gems,  bro J Hart rich, Richards interest of sacred localities, one jewely by Church a So Am polished diamond. Hubbard charming like Gifford, beauty and brilliance of foliage; Johnson and Shattuck and Mignot, Colman and pre Raph genius Perkins, EW Nichols and NJ Kellogg. Oertel Jerome Thompson Ranney and Tait justice. White’s noble genre, Hicks remarkable Bayard Taylor, Johnson’s and Ehninger’s noteworthy, Edmonds rural, Mrs Spencer’s supra-Dutch verities, Yewell and Arnold. In hist, Huntington, Schlegel, Kaufmann, JT Peale Gray Freeman and Hunt all strking. lists portraitists.

            Studios of American artists, 5th sketch, Europe, sad deaths of Glass, Woodville, all English by birth? JT Peele only one left, alw a pleasure and solace. Healy in Chicago, Rossiter making studies for hist, May has recovered fr Couture fever, epidemic among our portrait ptrs who studied with him, alarming symptoms in otherwise clever pics by Hunt in AU gall some four years ago. May’s late works free fr disagreeable mannerism, copying Murillo. Feel favorable to Hunt despite Couture fever. Hear gd reports of Walcott. Cranch and Gifford merits acknowl, Cranch’s Niagara attn at Expo and Eng press. In Dusseldorf, Leutze, Whitridge, in Florence, Powers heads of Calhoun, Clay, Webster, Jackson and ideal works, Penseroso, America, California. In ancient bldg is TB Read, successful in both arts, ptd EB Browning. Tait a lscapist fr Cinti nearby, Sontag great Western rep such as it is, Gould and MK Kellogg. Kentuckian Hart. Rome: Crawford admirable, maybe too many eagles, Mozier Truth and Silence in NY Merc lib, Ives, for a patron in Newark, Rogers, Barhtolowmew, Akers. Terry pleasing. Page, Tilton and Brown adjoin, Page enthus admirers, occasional excellence as in Crawford and Cushman. Brown sterling if hard and crude. Jarvis likes Tilton, sweet. Freeman charming peasants. Chapman, Wotherspoon. Lady artists Hosmer and Clarke, Hosmer faithful, Clarke womanly delicacy. Missed Yewell, Arnold, McEntee, Doughty. Many artists whose pics would be a good investment.

 

Apr 5 1856 Topics Astir: NAD, won’t give our infallible judgments on merits and defects in every pic in exhib, public must learn to discriminate, until then should buy what they might better not, sensible people disting v well thru feeling the best. Richards, the Corresp Secty, invites 140 artists to send specimens, poor ptgs not meant to be bones of wrangling and crunching criticism. Pics are windows only, some panes are distorted and discolored, we will look thru others. Why publish private opinion of every square of glass in the house? who would read it? Sensitive ill paid editors and contributors send their papers to reading room, artists rush in, sneer at style of periodicals, hurrah at others, then scatter their caricatures of the journals, editors and contributors. Fine art is a trade, shouldn’t damage the artist’s bread, at a collection of pictures, not forced to throw money away or see whole. Excuse of pure art to justify personal criticism, real motives usually anything but that. We shrink fr laudatory advertisement of a few, and published denunciation of bad, tired of dissections and technical terms that tediously buzz about one’s brain, block ability to enter into spirit of beauty. Will mention those that interest us most, no names. Begin at no 1, gold dust on blossoming grass, tender grasses and flowers in another study, immense brown and glassy canvas needs cropping to give effect to strong monk, crowded well grouped colored forceful piece but with theatrical stage starts and rolling eyes, corrupt flesh, laughing spirited vigorous peasant girl, too much vermilion. V conventional raw lscape with cauliflower foliage. Arrested by a bear, and his quails and dead game, marvellously perfect, clever woodmen and sugar making scenes, crystal windows at wild nature. then dull and wrinkled glass at sweet children, fortune teller group hurricane background, imperial little fellow on rocking horse. Stop at celestially radiant portrait, drover drinking water, hobbling negro all talk too smooth and tame, city bank president, lady’s visit to prostrate prisoner faultless but dull, tall cliff that lifts its awful form. More on portraits, fine head of sculptor Brown. A faithfully drawn outline should alw be admissible if attitude unconstrained, forget about balancing directions of lines, an obsolete conceit, let lines all run one way, if coincidence be found in fact. Full length of ex Gov by lion artist except for conspic articles on his arm, Marcy good too. Lion of these portraits, safe and sure, proportionate, satisfying, open to no special criticism and excite no mad monomania of enthusiasm, suits color and style to complexion and char of his sitters.  Good foliage, Tyrol, Card Players one of most marvellous in exhib, what a head, character, and color, as well as same artist’s Savoyard. Remains of Ft Famine, let us go. Morning in Damascus, charming except legs and lack of likeness. Virtuoso pair of v long red legs. Sword splendid, Evening at Paestum too, more masterly studies, Our House, perfect as a daguerreotype, granite. Lifelike terriers in Rabbit Hunting.

            Spencer: smile at perfect still life ptg in 86 and 94, wonder at large headed figures, and the Wife who is as coarse as the servant.

Franconia mtn forcible and free, frangible, admirable, cannonaded with grape shot. truthful. Madonna and child mother is insignif, fine wild horses, by same artist. So Am tropical morning most rich, we take credit for first heralding him in 1848 (Morris?).  Well known Scottish lscape, has some mannerism, Chenango River Scenery brilliant, Squam Lake a gem, Country boy in a studio. Should have a general sales room all year, and special show of studies.

 

Jul 19 1856 take art and artists fr Knickerbocker, long long list. Mere Mention: Herald concludes elab descritption of inaug of equestrian Washington in Union Square, public verdict entire approbation, gives statistics on statue, donors etc, no comment on the Herald. An artist’s studio: hour at Jesse Talbot, lscape ptr, kindhearted, nature in her gentler moods, forgot rain outside, on easel autumn Catskill, one of his finest, hear and feel and see it

 

Nov 29 1856 History of Art in Boston by TA Richards for London Art Journal

 

Home Journal, LOC bound volume 1857-60. Morris and Willis, $2/yr, has deals where you can combine it with other mags. beaut not useful. 4 pages.

Feb 6 1857 first issue. thom Cummings doing history of NAD. Genio C Scott writes fashions. Mix of orig and excerpts, fr Household words, Putnam’s, Knick, Anglo Saxon, Crayon, Leader, Blackwoods etc, willis writes a letter/column, often TB Aldrich (the assistant editor) or Willis poem

Feb 14 Mozier sends photos; Calvert Vaux (includes Willis villa in he book), takes fr Boston Transcript a long promotion of Wenzler as unlike Church, Durand and others in Gotham, not making art a trade

Feb 21 fine portr of Buchanan avail. excerpts fr Eve Post on Hosmer 28 Art club lectures in Boston. Melville feeling better.

March 1 lots on Kane, his death,his arctic explorations, etc. blurb on Ary Scheffer. Goupils advert.very big; Moet and Chandon too Mar 14 loves Tuckerman. Art gossip includes Carpenter, EW Nichols hi order of talent, esp Vermont scenery. Colman fine studies, Shattuck, Jerome Thompson, Leutze, Powers. Article Something to and About Women by Betro: may be truisms or shocking, on rules of propriety, wonderful spirit of beauty in nude human fig that usu makes us blush, Greek Slave mentioned Mar 21: Cephas G Thompson masterpiece Guardian angels. Mar 28 Willis letter on a visit to Brady, ptg versus dag portraits, likes Lawrence’s portrait of Bryant better than Brady, softens line of beard. Gives Simms a good review.

Apr 4 artists who grew up around Newburgh Bay Apr 11 mocks Emerson. Palmer’s moses. 18 we use average, need also upperdom and underdom. perambulator ad. 25 WH Hurlbut connected with NY Times; Talbot the artist. Bayard Taylor.

May 2 Julia Ward Howe poem. 9 enthus re Church’s Niagara. death of WB Buchanan, corresp for Home J and Nat Intellig. 16 NW amused by watching a wasp crawl across engravings on wall, Greek Slave, Jenny Lind bust, Scott’s nose, dome of Crystal Palace, Wash cross Delaware. English lady’s admiration for Fillmore.

Jun 6 cites F Bellew of Pic. 13 long review of NAD 27 Remb Peale and only living ptr with sitting of Wash, Vernet never done anything for US or Buchanan, JW Audubon.

Jul 4 NW loves Everett and Stuart’s port of him, wishes Vernet would paint him striding to the platform. anecdote of painter of distraining for rent cheating the family’s landlord to get them money

Aug 1 puffs Goupil; Page back, nobly-gifted, more praise of Hosmer and Palmer fr Boston Courier.

Theo Hellwig fresco artist ad, Gen Scott battle ptg at Stuyvesant ad, Hiawatha fr Longfellow engr ad. NAD ad, Cummings’ school ad. Beebe hat ad, perambulator puff.

Sept 5 obit for Griswold, fine critic when judg not clouded by prejudice. Miss Hosmer-no living Am woman has her laurels, wishes an exhib. 26 praises Chas Fenno Hoffman. Fern Leaves noticed (ad?)

Oct 17 Rosa Bonheur’s Horse fair is finest animal pic we’ve ever seen, maybe finest ever ptd, at Wms and Stevens, increased admiration, series of striking forms marvellously grouped, happy combo of color light and shade, or accurate study fr nature, neither too real nor too ideal. Before it best cattle pieces of Landseer and Herring pale their ineffectual fires, sleek well groomed heads are conventional and weak compared with her spirited horses. Heavy, magnif race of peasant horses, of old Norman breed, instinct with motion and speed. Pair of grays in right corner, light in which they have their being, happy healthy morning wonderfully true and inspirting, a long walk on a breezy autumn day.

Ads definitely if not entirely aimed at women, coloring photos, cameos, gold heraldry on envelopes, flowers and gardens, wedding cards, french shoes, etc.

Nov 7 promise next year corresp fr Japonica Jones, Amelia Rayter, Lotsa Nuffin, Justella Summore, gossip fr fashionable world. Woman shld have equal chance with men in honorable Arts and Professions and decent and proper pursuits for livelihood, nothing except her own sense of propriety or phys disqual long been utopian ideal. Seems to be realized: triumphant claim to masculinity of genius by Bonheur in Ptg and Hosmer in Sculpture. Sewing machine will end their slavery to the needle, then gives long citation fr Lydia Maria Child on Hosmer refusing to have her feet cramped. English art exhib at the Academy: long review, Holman Hunt.   Praise Catherine Sinclair’s theatrical success.

 

Skips to 1858

Jan: 2 ChasMackay poem, praises Atl Mo, and Geo Train’s Young America in Wall st, says he knows the man. Superb Chapman’s Drawing Bk. Likes admirable English artist Wandesforde, works for Albion. notices briefly the Belmont (and French gallery, which advertises) exhib, opp to correct the errors of a wayward, uncultivated taste. Rosenberg’s clever pic of Union square of Union Sq with noble equest statue of Wash as its prominent feature, but for a little hardness peculiar to this v skilful artist, we shld deem the pic a most capital performance, faults only perceptible to the practised eye, in the clouds, so will escape terrestrial critics. Gifford has been in Euro but familiar to NAD goers, admirable sketches, ptg for CC Alger, studio noticed in the Crayon. Addison Richards studio NYU best appointed in city, library, rare collection, puffs classes. his own sketches veritable in drawing, not pestered with felicitous incidents, albeit a little too sombre and greenish, evince ardent love for pictque and local scenery.

Jan 16 inaug Crawford’s Wash statue in VA. Cosmo Art Assoc advertises. Theo Sedgwick replaces John McKeon as DA. Jan 23: lots more on Chas Mackay. Letter from an Art Lover says he told her to see Mozier in Rome, language of sculpture is one the coarser ear cannot hear, but which vibrates in the soul, unlike Greeks, the marble relics of our minds will be a sculptured representation of a cotton bale. Mozier’s best is his latest, Wept ton wish, heroine of Cooper, trying to recognize her home, puzzled brow, eye and attitude full of inquiry, whole soul busy gathering in and arranging, feel that the dearest thing of all has been remembered, her mom’s voice singing some transient snatch of song. poetical and pathetic subj for chisel, highest praise which can be beestowed on this statue is it tells the story admirably in every particular, action is beaut, parts carefully and gracefully modelled. indian girl lamenting at grave of her lover, illus of Bryant, charming song transl into stone for Norton of New Orleans. Prod Son Return a v noble conception, matchless piece of marble. But Wept is full of mature thought, overflow with pure poetic feeling, drawn directly fr the heart of nature, a great deal in these days when sculp generally are satisfied with making soulless imitations of the antique—a spirit which has passed away—or at least beyond their reach.

            also notices Hosmer’s Beatrice admired by most exacting of our art critics, a well known connoisseur says disposal of fig worthy of the best masters. Artist (a Yorkshireman we suppose) has copied Bonheur’s horse thief, v good, offer for sale, mean without permission. Wm B Wright commissioned Huntington, Rossiter Baker and Hicks to paint pics. TW Whitley just completed sketches of lake scenery inclu Wordsworth’s home. James Hart, capital pic last year NAD procured praise fr discriminating, is doing New England scenery, bro Wm Hart brilliant coloring and pictque composition, at head of lscape school with young Colman, original geniuses in field of lscape where there is great temptation to err. Blauvelt, who has boxed the compass in art, challenges admiration of amateurs in recent production in one of our picture stores, unfortunately and inconsiderately departed fr his earliest and best style of ptg. In present instance, duty to observe that correct drwg of animals is impt in pics of great size and pretension. This is painfully felt in contemplating the group of cattle in this novel performance. should have liked to praise the lscape part, but Blauvelt has not even afforded us this. Belmont closed, unique, compared to English/French galleries, surpasses them both. Brit art not well represented in the latter exhib. Likes Matthew Arnold. Often agrees with Herald. Still loves Knick. Poor of NY big hit at Wallack’s.

Feb 6 NY corresp Lotsa Nuffin: describes Century Ball, its royal court (kings and queens, people elevated to the peerage), Rossiter a noble earl, Kensett Hunt Darley Church Stone all there. Artists’ Reception at Dodworth’s saloon, artists are professionally handsome men. Praises C Edwards Lester. Chinese portrait ptrs too daguerreotype, preserve all the faults. feb 27: Remb Peale is 80, Belmont had his wife ptd by Ary Scheffer; Wm B Astor bought huge coll in Italy, Hon JT Headley writing again, Longworth’s catawba pop with Chas Mackay, Louisa Lander finishing Evangeline for patron in Salem

Mar 6: Crawford magnif statue, Peale at NYHS, pros sabbatarianism? 13 Interestingly critical of Martineau’s defense of empire in India; don’t know what Hindus thought of Brit rule. polite obit of Freeman Hunt. TW Lander a man of thought and action, Pacific road. Art Gossip: everywhere ptgs hawked in gaudy Dutch metal frames to great chagrin of artists and terror of doting husbands, critical of taste of wealthy, those who see but don’t feel art. Praises Chas Rosenberg again. Also seemed interested in Rachel. Mar 20 Henry Schoolcraft. willis likes Pope, the Boston artist. Palmer’s White Captive: excerpts fr Eve Post corresp, ordered for Senator Fish, posture and face indic strong conflict of emotions, indignation or fear and shame, nothing exaggerated, but tragic power, nobly intellectual but feminine charm, careless grace in hairdo, full of life, fr any point outline natural. 2 inches taller than average female height. diff then calm and pensive types he’s done. Art News: Cafferty a clever little pic Harvesting in Monmouth county, portraits, versatile artist. But a few years since, a city paper promised he would be a famous genre painter, disappointment due to portraiture. Gray. Gignoux’s famous Sundown in London, truthful, for English gman who first purchased Bonheur’s Horse Fair. His Niagara in winter is for a gman in Paris. Wm Hart glowing lscape of our home country, superior to anything. Carpenter beaut art of port, paints Mayor Hall of Brooklyn, Advised Newell of Brooklyn to buy Tait, G Hall, Wm Hart and Coleman, Nichols. Thompson’s Lola Montez. Hicks’ great cartoon of poets promising.Hays. Sorry Kyle and Dallas not doing magnif unequalled panos. Wish Sontag would suppress his highly imaginative style and give bona fide pics of local mtns, a writ of ne exent should be sued out. Whittredge pic at store, earlier did clever lscapes, but bitten by Dusseldorf mania, has forgotten his own country. Mathews. 27 Mary praises Home J’s feminism, understood that a paper on aesthetics and belles lettres, noticed course of lectures on Position of Woman by James T Brady, Rev Chapin Geo W Curtis and Lucy Stone. Likes Holmes. Has visit to Rossiter’s studio.

April 3: fair girl in all Hamon’s pics, beauty turned heads of all young rapins of schools of Paris where she worked as a model, is sd to have captured a rich Englisman E---, wants to marry, she sd too was ugly to take as a lover, met at a Valentine ball.

April 17: Fagnani came here with Henry Bulwer, port of his Am wife in perfect taste, he’s going to France. NAD: impact of Fr/Brit exhib observable, sorry to see our young ptrs so prone to abandon nature, and resort to imitation, metamorphosis, plagiarism, manipulation and emphasis rather than give us nature as she is. Lscape has noble examples, portraiture too. Hanging comm shld get credit. Excerpts Boston Transcript on Landor’s port of Hawthorne, much success, great breadth and other orders. Apr 24: love John G Saxe, Gurney’s dags, Frank Bellew taken over Pic will under him justify a past existence of some eight or nine years and become that which has long been wanted, a national comic paper. TA Richards has gone south to paint. NAD agreed superior to all past.

May 1 NAD: no Church, Boutelle, nor Cropsey but 492 by Durand worth emulation by our ‘objective’ painters. President’s manner rigorously estab will not permit of variety or caprice, excessive repetition and unethereal skies his twin faults, his excessive labor, hardness of clumps of trees injure his subj. compare to masterly freedom of 558 Gignoux, freedom of handling and feliciy of color tell on those composition ptrs who draw and paint fr themselves rather than fr nature. Gifford 8 pics, 460 his most ambitious, capital, if cover sun with his hand and confine view to lscape with its golden, misty light, the illus will be complete and pic teeming with emotional causation. not succeeded in ptg the sun. 566 Lake Maggiore versatility, water is best of Turner, figs and arch cleverly drawna nd masterly color. 583 Nook Miss SM Barstow may rival Kensett, 455 Miss Eliza Greatorex fr lady artists, v clever little pics. 455 but a sketch but style and force puts to shame manipulating habits of many others. Coleman’s White mtns, not the best proof of his abilities, instead Conway Elms little gem, study and skill, former is a warning to young artists who were given to be great in little only. Some doz artists in Acad should never attempt a large pic. Paul Weber makes one want to fly fr city and turbulent life to sylvan scenes. Saml Gerry Grassy pool, placement slights him, beaut.  FS Perkins Briers, also a little work, one of few works which wear aspect of nature and originality, like Nook, bought by Dr.Magoon. Hubbard’s Storm is v artistic, more meritorious than green and yellow 222 which hangs on the line and poorly expresses solitude and feebleness of rendering. AF Bellows bids to be versatile, 6 pics, his Sunday After the finest, tho drawing of horses not. Hung too low. David Johnson foregrd much to praise, power and fidelity, but not a complete whole. Bierstadt Lake Lucerne should find a purchaser among those who prefer subjects of this kind. Can waste a pleasant hour at Troye’s Oriental gall. Troye’s NAD and Goupil advertise.

May 15 CRMD has long letter to Morris from Florence: it is by our artists that our history and heroes are known in Italy and central Europe, Greenough’s heroic Wash first, the Crawford’s for VA, Powers and Hart for Webster and Clay, no bios or eulogies would make Webster so known as statue in his studio, the mighty statesman as the Senate saw him, silently look, awed into respect and interest by the majesty of that august presence we almost believe artist has restored again to earth. Need not tell the stranger that Webster was a great statesman, defender of the Constitution. At Hart’s, the western orator is before them, genius and character shine thru conception. Hart just finished Fillmore bust. Pre-Raphaelites disapprove of him trying to invent measuring device. No portraits of Am ptrs in Uffizzi, as Home J is chief organ of art in US, shld tell Congress to remedy it, Trumbull and elder Peale, tho neither a great artist, Allston (loved only in Boston), Stuart, Sully he really loves, owns some by him, better than the English. Love Genl Scott.

June 5: miserable demoralizing ‘soft’ prints of a bad French school, where wantonness peeps forth thru the drapery of art—that hangout fr so many of our fashionable print-shops. Usurp and disgrace name o engravings, morals and their art are generally on a level. But shld buy higher order of engraving, better than brilliantly painted copies, our furnace gas destroys them. Many are buying cheap marble repros instead. Try to get early proofs of good engravings instead. Our print shops should procure them. London AJ advert.

Skips to July 17: cites Ruskin’s crit of Bonheur that she can’t paint human faces, which she must to be great, as in every animal’s eye there is a dim image and gleam of humanity, claims fellowship, and Bonheur has only painted the trotting bodies of horses, not the horse. disagreeably hides human faces in Horse Fair, one chiefly shown has no character (mastery). What a horrible Ruskin quote—animals have humanity enuf to recognize their subordination to us, that they have no independent life. Skips to Jul 31, whittier is a Puritan New England poet. More missing issues. Aug 21 Elliott in Baltimore ptg Justice Taney. Brady photo of Cyrus Field. Hows, young artist we praised at NAD, is in Otsego. Willis ists famous women painters and sculptors of the past, says of the present artists there are Hosmer, who everyone knows, Miss Stebbins of rarest and highest qual of genius, Lotos Eater exquis ideal creations. Peter Cooper’s Union. Carpenter ptg.

Skips to sept 18: notices at Wms and Stevens Jonas Barker’s Corso horse race and Herring’s Village blacksmith. It’s said that Archbishop Hughes got John Dean (who md Boker’s daughter) a position as inspector at the Customs House. TB Read back fr Euro. Miss Stebbins in Akers studio. Skips to Oct 2: long letter fr Rossiter fr Wash Union, re decorating the Capitol extension with incidents of our national history, need an annual appropriation and competition, so don’t have to depend on political friends. GPR James praises the delightful Negro life in the south. Parke Godwin new book. James Gordon Bennett buys horses. Vernet’s daughter is married to Paul delaroche. Skips to Oct 30: Willis has letter on Poe, he and Morris knew him as an assistant editor when they had a daily paper, mechanical paragraphist, called upon at his desk to announce news, notice amusements, etc. Elliott’s latest portraits. HJ Raymond back fr Euro. Miss Landor returned to Italy with new orders.

Skips to Nov 20: visits Brady’s gallery, puffs Gurney’s, Powers’ Webster an improvement on the one lost at sea, also busts of Jared Sparks and Mrs Genl Wadsworth. Gives HW Beecher in the Independent’s praise of Ruskin the Taste-Reformer, who taught him what to see, and how to see in nature, plowed up the conventional shams and hide-bound critics of art in England. Nov 27 Boucicault and Bonner donating to Everett’s campaign for Mt Vernon. Chas Lanman. M Morse has joined with JH Wright to open a drawing school. Winterhalter’s Empress Eugenie at Goupil’s. Church’s Niagara and Barker’s Il Corso at Wms and Stevens. A Rubens at Schaus. Galt doing Jefferson for UVA

skips to Dec 11. running a series of Tales fr the South, by a southern man. Ehninger’s illus of Miles Standish, chosen striking points. Ticknor and Fields publish Earnest Carroll, an Eng work of fiction with an American artist hero, based on his conversations abroad with artists. Park Benj and Geo Roberts to publish the Constellation in 1859, a weekly; Century by Thom McElrath. Halleck frequently mentioned. Geo Flagg just completed Landing of the Telegraph Cable, Amr and Eng sailors witness first electric spark, 2 groups, captain in prayer, belongs to James Brewster, at Duss gall. Dec 18 Gurney’s new gallery. 25 Willis traveling in Virginia, slaves there all happy, carefree, polite. Describes tableaux at a fundraiser. Geo Flagg (nephew of Wash Allston) called on to do honors to Atlantic cable, Evening Post describes pic, gratitude to God being given at moment chosen, says well worth a visit, Willis hasn’t gone yet.

 

1859

Jan 1 Bangs sold Geo P Putnam’s autograph coll. Durand’s port of Bryant most genial and agreeable, engr by Century. Atlantic Monthly reviews Richard Grant White’s admirable Shakespeare. Notices Bonner’s Ledger, Edw Everett, Fanny Fern, Saxe, Cary sisters, Wm R Wallace, Sylv Cobb, Thom Dunn English.

skips to Jan 22: Thom Hicks’ port of Dr Kane, Gifford large lscapes along line ofErie rrd, improved coloring and superior style, Carpenter for Brooklyn Merc Lib, Coleman Lake George for JT Howard of Brookyn, Tait, Wright, Mrs Lily M Spencer a charming pic the atrraction of Wms and stevens window, pat a cake, coloring brilliant, drawing good, pic itself a gem. Tenth st reception, Church Gignoux and Hays the committee, delightful, artists forming free gallery to bring works for sale forward. Banvard advertising, TA Richards school, and Frederic S Cozzens wine merchant. Willis letter writes fondly of Webster, lit his own fires and did his own grocery shopping for meats and veg. New Capitol dome makes columns seem too slender, recommends an American order using inverted trees, their roots the capitals, express the repub principle of reversing the aristo order of things, putting the people at the top and lowering the upper class end.

Skips to Feb 19: The Fine Arts: artists’ reception, glad they are illus native authors, Leutze needed at home, E Johnson negro life great. commend bringing art lovers and art producers together socially. 26 starting a series on art collecting with Jon Sturges

Skips to April 2 continues series with Robt Stuart, Mozier and Rogers. Skips to Apr 16: NAD much better than recent controversial English and French exhibs. Needs new rooms, too crowded with pics and people. No statues. Bonheur. HW Derby of Cinti just bought Duss gall for Cosmo Art Assoc, valued at nearly $200,000. 23: has a puff of Church’s Heart of the Andes, suggests sent by Leutze who knows Willis or Morris, and a corresp review of NAD that mentions Durand usu mossy trees, Rossiter will attract attn, Boutelle, Gifford, Gray Huntington (his Sketcher is a portrait of a Jewess), Rosenberg (a poet, art and drama crit, author, gman) admirable, Hows a gem, Launt Thompson, Lawrence and Oertel. 30 more on NAD, its goals mean no standard of excellence can be estab, must be liberal in tolerating any works with claim to merit, inferior execution likewise appeals to a low grade of perception in many of the visitors. An amiable toleration required in all who go there. Any one can censure, egotism is basis for it, impress auditors with superior perception. Ea artist has a peculiar quality, can’t judge betw diff minds. hanging good. more members allowed. (sounds like morris)

May 7: anecdote of ancient painter with moral that those who criticise, either to praise or condemn, follow the bias of their own taste, rather than any just standard. NAD: we don’t make our students draw long enough here, so universal weakness in figure compositions and geology/botany of lscapes. Just reviews first gall of drawings. likes a naïve WH Beard, quaint little natural history incident, GG Rosenberg’s Kakabaika falls, movement of water and well drawn, lots on Oertel’s relig drwgs, Santain for Belmont. Rehearses again need for tolerance of individuality. Church’s ptg ad, Episcopalian ad, NAD ad, Cozzens’ West pt hotel.

May 14 excerpts fr Eve Post on criticism, an evil, tacit proscription of newspaper censure except in crime and politics, that no option but to praise or keep quiet. When faults presented, readers become indignant, denounce the critics’ motives. If an artist or his friends set about investigating the critics’ motives, and indig rush into a controversy, it is ten to one they will get the worst of it. Church’s pic: chose a difficult effect, and perhaps first imp is disappointment at marked intervals, and preponderance of distance over the foregrd, but snow peak, sky clouds all finest, details carefully given and patient elaboration is what awakens symp in most and is crowning success to uninstructed spectator. Dislike frame, doesn’t convey impression of an open window but disturbs the delusion fo the lscape, to see the view could not see minutiae of foregrd. NAD: WS Mount, Launt Thompson studied with Palmer, exquis delicacy and feeling, master of sentiment and manipulation. Eastman Johnson Nun spiritual pathos, Roman Girl witchery passional, Pestal steeped in bitterness and noble resignation. Cooper school promising. Rowse Staigg Mrs Hildreth Smilie Darby Falconer

May 12 Am artists in Paris by Stella, younger bro of Horatio, RS Greenough, mentioned in L’Artiste, marbles in his atelier, equestrian model of Wash, drawn up in front of battlefield, seems to say Peace is won, vigorously expressed orig conception, attitude gives full view of rider, sent to exhib opened in Paris on 15 Apr. has ideal head of America, shld be in Central Park. Poem of the atelier is an old Indian, next to axe, watching it as trace of his enemy laying waste my hunting grounds, I hate you. Has done bust of historian Wm H Prescott and bronze Shepherd boy, Franklin statue in Boston. May 19 missing. May 28: Lady artists, 20 women contrib to NAD. Goupil’s puff, has improved people’s taste. NAD: Geo Hall better at still life than Don Quixote, AF Bellows given up ig ptgs, FS Perkins enthus for nature. Carmiencke hardness of lines. GPA Healy’s ex Pres Tyler, freedom of all his work, pose perhaps too dramatic. Wm Shayer conventional. Bristol excellent. Brevoort pleasant. jewett tender. Beaulieu scenic. Elliott strong. Cuvier. Carpenter’s L Beecher not up to his usual. Miss G and Juliana Oakley. Cropsey’s facile management often carries him away, Caaterskill falls too sketchy in foliage, Storm in Sea cost of England great sublimity, poetry, reminds us of Cole. Paul Weber and Feuchsel too Dusseldorf. Darley great. (Oakleys related to the judge?)

June 4 Geo Flagg now in Charleston, excellent his pics, Davenport preaching in New Haven, quiet dignity, forcible character, excellent perspective, and smaller half fig of Dolce far niente, luxurious abaondon, Souvenir du bal appeals to fancy more than heart, unsold. NAD: WJ Stillman earnest searcher after truth, feeling of the preRaphaelites, Sunset more unity than most of his, quiet sentiment, Adirondack camp wants keeping, but faithful portraits, one visits it again. Van Schendall fruit market arrests attn, admiration by uneducated public, extreme finish and reality of lamplight effect, sacrified other truths so whole is fictions and impossibilities.  Lambdin prevalent greenish gray, monotonous, flesh not clear, but sincere labor, his Tennyson subj too painful a theme for Art, abandonment to grief in front of death, awakens too much harrowing, tho great dramatic power. What room put it in? Prefer simply ptd naively drawn child blowing bubbles. R Ansdale british, cold and repellent. J Williamson tender, but pale feeble. Lang Joan of Arc her attitude too shrinking. Nidia well. Beatrice better than usual. David Johnson too similar to other artists. S Coleman departing fr nature, becoming conventional, made up in studio. Jerome Thompson haymakers summer idyll, belated party. June 11 missing.

June 18 praises Crayon, excerpts fr it on portrait painting, painter falls in love with his sitters, they are vain. NAD: Geo H Yewell, pupil of Hicks, fr Paris commendable. CP Cranchimproves. TW Wood Chiffoniere, excellent tho feet too small. CT Dix pleasing effect for enophyte, Shipwreck great freedom perhaps leads toconventionality. CH Moore delicacy. Edmonds New Bonnet happy, well told sharply defined character, universal symp provokes comment. TB Read six pics poetically conceived but deficient in effect and color, too purely ideal. Gifford Sunset in wilderness, solemn and impressive, new and striking, his others suffused with light. Sunset fr Marshfield mtn too much monotony and vacuity, too yellow and painty. Eastman Johnson the most orig and indiv of the collection, zeal and conscientiousness of ea fact and circumstance dilapidated humanity in ruinous surroundings. IN keeping no direct light to illuminate abode of squalor and degradation, deep moral. May vigorous, Dying Brigand painful subj but genuine tragedy in its most repellent guise. Jesse Talbot gd thought and purpose. Wm Hart quiet pastoral scene Sabbath repose, versus Morning chafing and surging sea. Eugene Craig, sad story but feebly drawn and timidly ptd. Geo Innes Delaware Water gap foregrd full of truth, rest too pale and sketchy, feeble montony, but wood choppers sunlight effect felitious. Perry tech skill but shortcomigs. Hugh Newell bravura.

June 25 not much Willis anymore. NAD: 3rd gallery of small pics, badly lit, mentions Rossiter for Century, likes Boughton., notes one Church, others. WT Richards blackberry bush preRaphaelite, consicinetious searching after truth in detail. JT Peele Captive happy transl of childhood. Moore, Green, Bristol, JB Flagg, Newell. Stone felicitous. SWW Vegetables best still life in exhib, a lady. Gifford full of glow. Bierstadt finely drawn, too mannered, Archof Octavius effective and strong. Suydam Twilight full of spirit of evening, admirable. Hubbard covetable pic, dreamy tender delightful. WPW Dana congenial, versatile. Casilear sentiment and feeling, lots of praise. Eliza Greatorex.

skips to Jul 9 1859: article on motives of criticism. dislike implausible false stone fronts. wish more diagonal streets. 16 tale of 76, series on street beggars, vendors etc. From Paris, a morning with Joseph Fagnani by Stella, fashionable with savans and royalty, studio on Champs elysees, Queen Christina of Spain, Count de Yalve, no fault with it, had been rejected by jury of exhib, to Princess Mathilde’s dismay. attitude easy, expression pleasing and natural, fine flesh like tints, dreamy expression. Ideal heads of Roman beggar girl etc eqaully worthy. Portrait of Byron’s last love his masterpiece, in white satin and lace, sgraceful luxuriant, luminous. She is 60 now, aristo. Cephas G Thompson back fr Italy, give extract fr Richmond Enquirer on him, his St Peter, head of Rogers the sculptor. Jul 23 NPW hanging out with Bayard Taylor. Miss Stebbins: Miner expressive and artistic, for Hecksher the coal mine proprietor, suual dress in Penn is undeniably classic, stands on the car platform, shld be Priestess of the Mines. Mozier’s Queen Esther for Spencer of NY, in dress most becoming to her beauty, faultless drapery. Notices ad for apartment lodging in home of an artist at e 13th st, gone abroad, wife needs lodgers. Geo W Flagg advertises too. Stella fr Paris wants a sculp gallery in Central Park, choice coll now avail in Rome, could be open free two days a week. Corresp describes finding Laura Keene in bloomers in country inn. 30 glad about Wash art commission. Capitol ruined by restaurant-style frescos, need historical illus. Suggests NY take Powers’ Webster, Everett has slighted Brown’s Wash in his survey of statues. Studio of Robt Weir: our most patriotic and genuine artist, studio contrasts with wild majesty of location, tranquil atmosphere. Most attractive feature is an elab reduction of his pic at Capitol, The Puritans, being engraved, other work in progress, recommends Powell, when back in polluted moil clang rubbish of city, wonder if Paradise will not be filled with magnif rivers thru which we will gloide to contempl art and beauty. anecdote of a painter who turned a portrait of a courtesan into Danae for revenge, counting gold coins with her lovers’ heads. Describes Our Press Gang by JT Lloyd as untrue.

Skips to Aug 13: Elliott paints Paul Morphy (who they’ve talked about before, a chess champ). Giovanni Thompson back fr Rome and has studio. Has long description of lscape painters’ outdoor studies, boy carries his materials for him. Aug 20 Art Gossip: Liberality shld secure art treasures for the city, urges buying the Campana collection, will bring tourists. Bigelow of Eve Post makes worthy appeal, add it to Central Park. Leutze’s Maid of Saragossa, great power ptd most felicitously, striking effect of firelight fr burning town, spirited figures, monks aiding heroine in white with torch at centre. MO Roberts buying. Mozier’s Esther v fine, Rogers bronze doors, Lang ptg promising Queen Eliz, Page in London.27 Ehninger. Morris made wealthy enuf by Hudson River rrd to decline post to Havre? in letter fr JWW in florence and Rome, where new statue of Venus dug up beyond the Tiber has caused a fuss. Only sculp bought by Prince of Wales was a Hosmer. Bronze doors of Capitol given to Rogers, a young man, big commission, there were doubts, but it’s a triumph, national history, Columbus, describes the panels and his innovation of arch to give importance to central moment of landing, crouched and terrified natives, other scenes where sailor carries off girl in Hispanioloa, confronting royalty, relig death, lots of busts and portraits and alleg, all elegant taste, exquisite taste in conception (not commonplace)  Morris and Willis both write for the Ledger.

Skips to Sept 17 Ada Menken Jewess injured, Wm Page. Leutze.AW in Belgium describes Flemish art briefly. Hubner’s Emigrants Farewell: at Schaus, grouping and treatment of paraty bidding farewll to graves of kin faultless, appeals to best emotions of our nature, family circle grouped around graveyard fence, quiet grief, stern father, tearful mother, curious little children, thoughtful eldest son, kneeling grandmother voyaging a diff path, she is esp strong in sentiment, foreshortening, eloquent, speaks to heart of poet, her portion of household gods consist of bible she leans on. Lists other stuff at Schaus. 24 praises NY Sunday Courier with engr of W Astor

Oct 1 Waugh’s Italian pano has mastepriece of Colosseum. Anthony’s dag gallery. Lists artists in Fr and Engl gallery, inclu Bonheur. skips to Nov 12 J of Commerce editors have eye for true and beaut in art, notice Palmer’s White Captive, at Schaus. Praises Crayon, and gives their descr of Leutze’s Battle of Princceton, ptd while near Cozzens hotel. Pettrich’s Dying Tecumseh at Cooper (replica of 1838 one lost). Sontag’s dream of Italy, one of finest pics of day, added to Dusseldorf, and Page’s Venus moved to Tenth st. Calls Eastman Johnson’s ptg Old Kentucky Home, says he’s ptg Genio C Scott. Goupil’s has more Bonheur. 19 more extracts (haven’t seen others) fr Mrs Ellet’s Women Artists, inclu Hermione Dassel, arrived here in 1849 as Borchard, was bought by Art Union, married. Rossiter’s Home of Wash on View, Mignot, valuable addition to historical pics. Palmer’s White Captive, last and best, cites a “reliable critic” kind of a puff. Alb Havemeyer owns fine port of Humboldt, who he knew, with Chimborazo behind him. 26 Humboldt will be at NAD. Engravings of Everett and Wash. 2 more items on Rossiter, his reception at his house, studio, articles of vertu, picture gallery with hundreds of works, include his celeb works the Wise and Foolish Virgins won prize at Worlds Fair, Biblical passages. Washington at home is large with figs size of life, calculated for popular exhib, scene a might have been if not a probably was, family on portico with lafayette, after dinner in full dress, broidering, reading, firing boy cannon, black servant maid blowing the match, beatu lscape with farming scene and Potomac, Wash and lafayette in convers, deferential att leans agst pillar, brilliant costume centralizes effect, public need less battle fields than domestic daily life. Knick mag promo. Horatio Stone in Wash. Corcoran building a gallery, describes his coll, inclu ptg the Cosmo Art Assoc based engr on.

 

1860

then skips to Jan 7, 21: Rossiter. likes Jackson the sculptor, Fitz Hugh Ludlow. Lang’s last pic, Mary Queen of Scots, meritorious artists, haggard queen gazes to heaven, faith and resignation, centre of weeping group, old English oaken chamber, grouping effective in telling the story at a glance, his best yet. Artists Reception, Huntington, Staigg, Wenzler Eastman Johnson. 28: gives a So Carolina man of science’s ‘S’ review of Paul Akers Pearl Fisher, pain, pity, delight, reminiscent of Crawford, death is lovely, chaste. Gollman’s portraits, a German, has studio, inexpensive, did ports of Dr Francis, Bryant and Halleck. Palmer. Margaret Ravenhill, the true woman will never seek to cross the legit boudns of her sex, never wrangle for privilege of the ballot box, create a revolution in your billiard saloons and bowling alleys, take away brandy and put in artworks, invite women to join you in your amusements, will reform you and improve them.

Feb 4 Ravenhill series continues. Reminiscence of McDonald Clarke the mad poet fr author of Sparrowgrass papers, publ in Cozzens Wine Press. Thom Hicks one sketched him, poet thought he made him look mounful desolate and sad. Puff for Rossiter’s pictures at Goupil’s, Jeremiah Noah and Miriam. describes them. Albion engraving of Landseer. 11 Crayon says novel reading is ok. Frank hall ex mayor of Elmira a former contrib. Miss Stebbins, gives Young of the Albion on the merits of her Miner and Sailor for Hecksher. Geo Brown gall of lscapes.

Skips to Apr 28 Vassar. Putnam’s Irving. Engr of Spirit of the Union, illus Wm Ross Wallace poem, Washington in military costume as guardian spirit. Hosmer in US.

May 5 loong review of NAD 12 loves Geo Eliot, more on Hosmer fr Cyclopedia, Pictures at the Century club inclu delaroche, Bowers’ portraits show great manipulative skill etc, Plagemann. 19 has a TB Read College tale fr the University Quarterly (Bowdoin). Gmen of press at invite of HW Derby in 17th st went to see Col TB Thorpe Niagara, all objects of interest visible at a glance, not difficulty locating them, ruin of hotel where Clay used to stay. obit for Goodrich. Jarvis, who ptd port of Cooper at Home J office, Leader says has a talented son did Judge Edwards at their office. Fr May 26 to Jun 9 James Paulding stories. Paul Siogvolk letter fr London, dislikes current exhib, Geo Flagg; Rossiter’s national pic of merchants, Cropsey. Jun 16, Paris art gossip, no salon, Fagnani, May. New southern paper here the Republic, ed  FC Adams, Ehninger illus. Ad for Barefoot boy by Miss Cornelia Swain and The Little Match Girl, pair pictures. To Jul 28 Bierstadt and Gignoux street scenes, Catawba and Ohio

skips to Oct 6, loves Dr Francis, friend of Cooper, Inman. Urges women to join Merc Lib Assoc, new home. HW Derby Inst of Fine arts, praises Chas Briggs of Sunday Courier 13 death of Remb Peale, Hows and Bryant, Schaus, Kensington, Brady and Herald, Edw Spencer anecdotes of CR Leslie, with lots on Copley’s tediousness 27 Nat Port Gall; Ehninger, Prince of Wales an artist, what dresses which women wore to his ball

Nov 3 Stebbins bust of Cushman and her Labor and Commerce at Goupils, wonderful productions, Hows and Bryant. more Spencer anecdotes of Leslie, written for Home J 17 Gignoux, Remb Peale, Frankenstein and Cosmo. Praise Everett’s Wash, and new Women of the South Nov 24 cephas thompson, Leupp Goupil Gignoux Dec 15 praise the Day Book, 29 last issue, willis letter on the times