Nineteenth Century American Art!

Traditions and InnovationsTraditions and Innovations

John Singleton Copley!

Was born in Boston in 1738. Copley’s mother ran a tobacco shop and his

stepfather was an engraver. Copley was inspired by copies of European

paintings his stepfather owned and used them as reference in teaching himself to be an artist.

By his early twenties, Copley established himself as a masterful portrait painter in Boston.

John Singleton Copley (cont)

Copley became famous for his talent in portraying his subjects as lively and in emphasizing their material wealth.

Though successful as a portrait artist he believed, “fame cannot be durable where pictures are confined to sitting rooms, and regarded only for the resemblance they bear their originals.”

Copley left the Americas upon the encouragement of artist Benjamin West in 1774, and never returned.

Copley died in England in 1815.

Watson and the Shark

Completed in 1778, oil on canvas, (71 ¾ x 90 ½ in.) Painting of a shark’s attack on Brook Watson in the

Havana harbor. Watson’s lower right leg is not visible, possibly in

reference to the amputation, or to the American revolution.

The shark is shown larger than normal because the picture is based on Watson’s recollection of the event.

The African American sailor is significant because of the time period.

Paul Revere – by Copley

Paul Revere, by Copley

Mrs. Thomas Boylson by Copley

Mrs. Thomas Boylson - Copley

George Caleb Bingham

Born March 20, 1811 in Virginia. Grew up on the Western frontier in Franklin County,

MO. Got his artistic training from being an assistant to

Chester Harding. Had established himself as a portrait painter by

1835. Spent time at Düsseldorf Academy in Germany

from 1856 to 1859. Mostly painted rural scenes from the frontier. Was a founding member of the Whig Party in MO. Died July 7, 1879.

Mississippi Boatman

Completed in 1850, oil on canvas, (24 1/8 x 17 3/16 in.)

Shows a boatman sitting on unloaded cargo in front of the Mississippi River.

The poor clothes and worn expression on the boatman’s face contradict the romantic views of life on the Mississippi.

George Inness

Born in Newburgh, NY, in 1825. Grew up in Newark, NJ.

Studied painting with Regis Gignoux, who made very direct observations of landscape.

Inness traveled to Italy and France twice in the 1850s.

Was inspired by the writings of philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg and Inness’ work reflected a more spiritual element later in his life.

Died August 3, 1894.

The Lackawanna Valley

Foreground shows that area, at one time covered, had been cleared

Makes reference to the role of railroad in linking the East coast to the rest of the country

Winslow Homer Born in Boston Little opportunity for formal education, learned from mother Began career as artist in 1857 when hired by Harper’s

Weekly Assigned to illustrating the Civil War

Traveled to France 1866-1867 Influenced by Corbet’s realism and Manet’s

impressionism Traveled to Europe again 1881-1882

Hung out at the North Sea coast in England Based work directly on observation of American

Landscape (ala the Hudson River School) Sketchy style was different than his predecessors

A Visit from Old Mistress

Small jar (door) is only adornment Three African-American women, one

holding a child, face a white woman in the doorway

“Old Mistress” clearly remains accustomed to a life of privelige

Remarkable for its naturalistic, unbiased image of African Americans

Mary Cassatt

Born in PA in 1844 Noted impressionist painter Formal education in painting at the PA

Academy of Fine Arts (1861-1865) Spent most productive years in Europe By 1870s established a home in Paris

The Boating Party

Common leisure subject of middle class.

Show’s Cassat’s interest in Japanese prints through tilted picture frame.

Challenged academic conventions, because it exhibited a frozen moment in modern life.

Memorializing the Civil WarMemorializing the Civil War

Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Was born in Ireland in 1848, grew up in New York City.

Worked as an apprentice, also studied at the National Academy of Design and at Cooper Union in New York City.

In1867 he traveled to France and Italy where he studied 15th century sculptures.

The Shaw Memorial

Of Commander Robert Gould Shaw and of his Massachusetts fifty-fourth regiment.

Shows the departure from Boston in 1863, soon after Shaw and hundreds of his men died.

An allegorical figure hovers above the regiment holding an olive branch and poppies.

Historically significant for its depiction of African American soldiers.

Shaw Memorial (cont)

Saint-Gaudens hired African American models to pose in his studio in order to create completely unique faces for the monument.

Saint-Gaudens avoided depicting African Americans with simplistic stereotypical characteristics.

Also significant because Shaw is shown with his troops, indicating the role both played in the war.

Henry Bacon

Born in Illinois and raised in North Carolina.

Started his successful career in the architecture office of McKim, Mead, and White in New York City.

Designed the exterior of the Lincoln Memorial.

Daniel Chester French

Born in Exeter, New Hampshire, and raised in Cambridge and Concord, Massachusetts.

Received artist training from Abigail May Alcott, sister of Louisa May Alcott who wrote Little Women.

Received his first large scale commission when he was twenty-three.

The Lincoln Memorial

Bacon’s exterior design for the memorial was modeled after a Greek Doric temple.

There are 36 columns for the number of established states at the time of Lincoln’s assassination.

Central chamber houses the monumental portrait of Lincoln, the north wall contains part of Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address, the South wall contains the Gettysburg Address.

Intended to be a site of contemplation.

Sculptors Involved in Stone Mountain Memorial to the Confederacy

Started by Gutzon Borglum, he intended to create a work similar to Saint-Gaudens’.

Borglum became delayed by World War I, and entangled with the KKK, the Venable family, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial Association, and gave up carving in 1925.

Borglum’s work was blasted away and Augustus Lukeman took over, until the Great Depression.

Sculptors Involved in Stone Mountain Memorial to the Confederacy (cont)

In 1963, a team led by Walker Hancock and Roy Faulkner resumed sculpting using Lukeman’s old plans.

Was opened to the public in 1970, the final details were finished in 1972.

In 1975 the state of Georgia took action to prevent KKK from making use of the site.

Stone Mountain Memorial to the Confederacy

Shows Robert E. Lee with his head in profile, Jefferson Davis, and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.

They are carved in varying levels of relief, creating the sensation that they are appearing as a vision.

The meaning of the site originally was to commemorate the Confederacy and its leaders, but as the KKK came to associate with Stone Mountain, it was viewed differently. Today it is open to interpretation.

Photography and DocumentationPhotography and Documentation

Frederick Douglass Born into slavery in MD in c.1818 Illegally learned to read and write during his seven years

(1824-1830) working for Hugh Auld (shipwright) in Baltimore

Failed escape from slavery in 1836 Escaped from slavery in 1838 (fled Baltimore for New York) Became involved with abolitionist movement Influenced by Garrison’s Liberator Became a lecturer for the MA Anti-Slavery Society in 1841 Famous autobiography published in 1845 Remained active in abolitionist and feminists movements till

his death in 1895

About this Photograph

No formal name, artist unknown Douglass in his 30s Dressed in elegant/fashionable clothes Effects of his slave days evidenced by the

lines on his face Most Douglass picture used for his

writings and abolitionist causes One-of-a-kind image (Ambrotype)

Ambrotype Positive photographic process used primarily in the

1850s A collodian negative on glass Wet-collodion process: glass plate coated with wet

collodion (gunpowder dissolved in ether alcohol) and sensitized with silver nitrate Plate was placed in the camera while still wet and

immediately exposed After exposure, the plate had to be developed before

it dried This process was valued for its resolution of detail

and because exposure times were shorter than other types (like daguerreotypes)

The image produced is whitish in tone but when placed over a black opaque surface appears as a positive

About this Photograph

Two union soldiers at a semi-permanent camp

One is obviously injured Made by photographer working for Brady Brought home the horrors of the battlefield

Matthew Brady

Born in NY in c.1823 Famous for civil war pictures as well as portraits of

many important persons (most notably Lincoln) Had many photographers (such as Thomas

O’Sullivan) working under him who he sent to the battlefields with portable darkrooms

Due to difficulties with exposure most picture were post-battle or concerned camp life

Notable photograph On the Antietam Battlefield(1862) illustrates horrors of war

Very little financial compensation from the government post-war; eventually bankrupt

Died in NYC in 1895

About this Photograph Made while O’Sullivan worked for the Wheeler

Expedition (AZ and NM) Walls of canyon frame picture Viewers eyes drawn to distant rock formation in center Small rocks, trees and tents in foreground indicate

enormity of canyon Produced from glass plate negative SW frontier photography presented many hazards:

transporting darkrooms over rough terrain, preserving glass plates, sand and heat made pictures difficult to take

Many peoples post-Civil War interest in moving West were spurred by such pictures

Many such pictures used to convince congress to make national parks

Thomas O’Sullivan

Born in NY Known for Civil War and Western Frontier pictures Began career with Brady in his teens Served briefly in the Union Army Notable picture The Harvest of Death(1863) depicts

slaughter Union soldiers at Gettysburg Established own studio post-war Hired as photographer for US Geological

Exploration West of the 40th Parallel, led by Clarence King, in 1867

African-American ArtAfrican-American Art

About this Picture

Portrait of the 3 sons of Margaret and John Westwood Westwood's were a wealthy Baltimore family entrenched

in stagecoach manufacturing Oldest boy dominates center Each boy holds piece of nature which offset the serious

tone and palette Small dog has bird in mouth is indicative of the hunt, a

common activity for boys at the time Drab, simple furnishings draw the viewer to the boys

Joshua Johnson (or Johnston)

Born in c.1763 location unknown First (known) African American painter to have a long,

successful career Cloudy early life

Freedom from slavery in 1796 (at the latest) Established himself as a portrait painter in the late 1790s in

Baltimore Remained active as an artist until c.1824 Self taught Probably did not travel due to the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act Mainly painted affluent, rich, white families

Painted only two African American subjects during his entire career

About this Piece of Pottery

One of Drake’s finest known pieces Jar is tall, graceful, has slight curved lip Ovoid (egg-shaped) Tapered base, rounded shoulders Small handles Most similar pots used on plantations for storage Made on potters wheel, fired in a kiln Text on jar: “I made this jar all of cross If you dont

repent you will be lost” ~ “May 3 1862 LM Dave”

David Drake (a.k.a. Dave the Potter)

Born c.1800 in SC Masterful potter based out of the Edgefield, SC Most knowledge known about him comes from property

and census records Most productive from 1834-1864

While working as a slave for Lewis Miles’ pottery shop in Edgefield

Notable for his large body of work, the large volume of his pieces, and his unique inscriptions

Speculated that Drake illegally learned to read and write from his former owner, Abner Landrum

Died sometime after 1870

About this Stitchery

Appliquéd (decorative design made of one material sewn over another) story quilt

Divided into 11 uneven panels First 6 panels depict Old Testament: Genesis

First Panel: Adam and Eve Second: Adam, Eve and child Third: Satan Fourth: Cain kills Abel Fifth: Cain searching for a wife Sixth: Jacob’s Ladder

This Old Stitchery (continued)

Final 5 panels depict New Testament Seventh: Baptism of Christ Eighth: Crucifixion Ninth: Judas with his bounty Tenth: Last Supper Eleventh: Nativity

Variety of cloth patterns: calicos, stripes, solids, and others

Blue used for male characters, light calico for females Completed by 1886

Harriet Powers

Born into slavery in 1837 in Clarke County, GA, near Athens

Only two quilts of hers survive, but are thought of as the best by an African American quilter in the 1800s

Many accounts of her life come from Jennie Smith, a white woman whom Powers reluctantly sold her Bible Quilt to in 1886 at the Clarke County Cotton Fair for $10

About this Painting

Poetic landscape of Paris View across the Seine from a quay Blurred figure on quay Silhouette of the Trocadéro Palace in the

background Use of light pink, blue, yellow for setting sun Quick and choppy brush strokes

Strokes in the sky create a sensation of upward movement

Strokes in the water flow with the river

Henry Ossawa Tanner Born in Pittsburg Formal training from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts

(1879-1885) One of the first African-American to achieve fame in both the US

and Europe Grew up in a heavily Christen-laden household

Father: African Methodist Episcopal Minister Notable work The Banjo Lesson (1884) challenged stereotypes by

showing African Americans taking great interest in education First traveled to Paris in 1891

continued training there at Académie Julian, exposed to Impressionism Found new home in Paris, free of most racial obstacles

Received support from Booker T. Washington Died in 1937 in Paris

About this Piece of Architecture

Typical antebellum sugar plantation Built for Jacques Telesfore Roman and Celina Pilié Draws on classical and Caribbean architecture Colonnade, high ceilings, and large windows protect

from heat Symmetrical design All materials but interior marble and slate on roof are of

local origin House and columns are brick, painted to look marble

About this Piece of Architecture

Designed for William Paulding (NYC mayor) in 1838 Gothic revival mansion Originally “Knoll”, jokingly “Paulding’s Folly”

“Lyndenhurst” – George Merritt, NY merchant “Lyndhurst” – Jay Gould, railroad owner

Complex, intricate design made up of towers, arches, chimneys

Tall stain-glass windows give sense of height and are decorative

Elaborate marbled and wooden interior Large (64 acres) and diverse (lawns to trees) landscape

part of “natural” design Such Hudson River area mansions were indicative of the

power of Northern industrialists

Alexander Jackson Davis

B. 1803 – D. 1892 One of the best known designers of Gothic

revivals in the 1800s Began building in the 1820s Created architectural pattern book of Gothic

revival designs in the 1830s for domestic use

Designed all buildings in Llewyan park in Orange, NJ in the 1850s

About This Style of Architecture Practical living space for those with limited resources Design came to Louisiana from Haitian immigrants Most common in the South (MS, LA especially in NO,

etc.) Popular amongst both whites and blacks post-Civil War Main feature: one can see straight through house from

front to back door Variations include double barrel (two entrances) and

camelback (rear second story) Rooms placed in a row; usually no hallway Front rooms were public (living room), back rooms

private (bedrooms), usually no bathroom Design is very open to exterior creativity (i.e. alteration

of shutters and brackets, overhang for porch, etc.) Still in use today with modern updates

FINFIN