Ethan Allen Greenwood
Encyclopedia
Ethan Allen Greenwood was a lawyer, portrait painter, and entrepreneurial museum proprietor in Boston
, Massachusetts
in the early 19th century. He established the New England Museum
in 1818.
. He attended school at the Academy at New Salem, and the Leicester Academy. In 1806 he graduated from Dartmouth College
. He also studied at West Point
.
Between 1801 and 1825, Greenwood produced many portraits, perhaps as many as 800 works. He utilized the physiognotrace technique. He kept a studio in Boston, ca.1813; and associated with other artists, including Gilbert Stuart
. He joined the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in 1814. He married Caroline Carter Warren in 1829. Around this time he became active in public and business affairs of Hubbardston.
Throughout his life, Greenwood kept a diary. On reviewing some of the diary entries, one scholar observes: "[he] each day recorded both the weather and the title of the book he was reading ... and occasionally noted the library from which the volume was borrowed—the Adelphi Fraternity Library, the Social Friends Library [of Dartmouth College], or the unnamed circulating library he joined in 1806. His diaries now reside in the collection of the American Antiquarian Society
. Entries from 1824 capture the details of Greenwood's life as a museum director:
The New England Museum enjoyed considerable popularity. Greenwood also established museum branches in Portland, Maine, and Providence, Rhode Island. However around 1834-1839 he experienced financial difficulties, and as a result "his assignees conveyed the collections [of the New England Museum] to Moses Kimball
." Kimball would then found the Boston Museum and Gallery of Fine Arts
, a theatre and exhibit hall, featuring a portion of Greenwood's collection; Kimball sold the other portion of Greenwood's collection to a museum effort in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1840.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in the early 19th century. He established the New England Museum
New-England Museum (Boston)
The New-England Museum in Boston, Massachusetts was established at 76 Court Street by Ethan A. Greenwood, Peter B. Bazin, John Dwight and Samuel Jackson. It featured displays of fine art, natural history specimens, wax figures, and other curiosities...
in 1818.
Biography
E.A. Greenwood was born in Hubbardston, MassachusettsHubbardston, Massachusetts
Hubbardston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the town population was 4,382.- History :...
. He attended school at the Academy at New Salem, and the Leicester Academy. In 1806 he graduated from Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
. He also studied at West Point
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
.
Between 1801 and 1825, Greenwood produced many portraits, perhaps as many as 800 works. He utilized the physiognotrace technique. He kept a studio in Boston, ca.1813; and associated with other artists, including Gilbert Stuart
Gilbert Stuart
Gilbert Charles Stuart was an American painter from Rhode Island.Gilbert Stuart is widely considered to be one of America's foremost portraitists...
. He joined the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in 1814. He married Caroline Carter Warren in 1829. Around this time he became active in public and business affairs of Hubbardston.
Throughout his life, Greenwood kept a diary. On reviewing some of the diary entries, one scholar observes: "[he] each day recorded both the weather and the title of the book he was reading ... and occasionally noted the library from which the volume was borrowed—the Adelphi Fraternity Library, the Social Friends Library [of Dartmouth College], or the unnamed circulating library he joined in 1806. His diaries now reside in the collection of the American Antiquarian Society
American Antiquarian Society
The American Antiquarian Society , located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and national research library of pre-twentieth century American History and culture. Its main building, known also as Antiquarian Hall, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark...
. Entries from 1824 capture the details of Greenwood's life as a museum director:
"June 1st, 1824. A Mermaid arrived here last week & I agreed to exhibit it. Busy setting up Shark. --
2nd. Purchased some Indian Curiosities. --
3rd. Bought four figures of an Italian $4.00. --
5th. Bought four Busts of Voltaire, filling up jars of reptiles.... --
7th. Artillery Election good run of business & in the eve a 'Glorious House' $342.75. Best day since the Museum began. --
10th. Bought a young Shark."
The New England Museum enjoyed considerable popularity. Greenwood also established museum branches in Portland, Maine, and Providence, Rhode Island. However around 1834-1839 he experienced financial difficulties, and as a result "his assignees conveyed the collections [of the New England Museum] to Moses Kimball
Moses Kimball
Moses Kimball was a U.S. politician and showman. Kimball was a close associate of P. T. Barnum, and public-spirited citizen of Boston, Massachusetts.-Biography:...
." Kimball would then found the Boston Museum and Gallery of Fine Arts
Boston Museum (theatre)
The Boston Museum , also called the Boston Museum and Gallery of Fine Arts, was a theatre, wax museum, natural history museum, zoo, and art museum in 19th-century Boston, Massachusetts...
, a theatre and exhibit hall, featuring a portion of Greenwood's collection; Kimball sold the other portion of Greenwood's collection to a museum effort in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1840.
Further reading
- A List of Portraits Painted by Ethan Allen Greenwood. Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, 56, part 1, (April 1946) 129-153.
- Benes, Peter. Itinerancy in New England and New York: Annual Proceedings of the Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife. Boston, 1986.
- Barnhill, Georgia Brady. Extracts from the Journals of Ethan A. Greenwood: Portrait Painter and Museum Proprietor. Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society 103, part 1, (April 1993).