Francis Bicknell Carpenter
Encyclopedia
Francis Bicknell Carpenter (August 6, 1830 – May 23, 1900) was an American painter
born in Homer, New York
. Carpenter is best known for his painting First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln, which is hanging in the United States Capitol
. Carpenter resided with President Lincoln at the White House and in 1866 published his one volume memoir Six Months at the White House with Abraham Lincoln. Carpenter was a descendant of the New England Rehoboth Carpenter Family
.
Asaph married Almira Clark on October 3, 1826 in NY. Almira was born on May 26, 1801. She died on March 30, 1885 in Homer, Cortland, NY and she was buried in Glenwood Cem., Homer, Cortland, NY, next to her husband. Asaph and Almira had 9 children including:
on May 23, 1900 NY and was buried in Glenwood Cem., Homer, Cortland, NY. He is number 4313 in the Carpenter Memorial on page 460. His family is on page 645 (# 1144). There are extensive notes in that book.
Francis married Augusta Herrick Prentiss on January 6, 1853 in NY. Augusta was born on August 5, 1831 in NY. She died on July 4, 1926 and was buried in Glenwood Cem., Homer, Cortland, NY. Francis and Augusta had the following children:
for six months to study under Sanford Thayer. In 1848, at age 18, he was awarded a purchase prize by the American Art-Union. By the age of twenty-one, Carpenter established a studio in New York City. Carpenter was elected to the National Academy of Design
as an associate member in 1852.
, a fellow upstate New Yorker born in Cayuga County. Commissions followed for portraits of Presidents Franklin Pierce
and John Tyler
, and other mid-19th century notables, including the clergyman Henry Ward Beecher
; newspaper editor Horace Greeley
; Ezra Cornell
, founder of Cornell University; James Russell Lowell
, poet; and John C. Fremont
, the first Republican presidential candidate.
’s Emancipation Proclamation
, calling it “an act unparalleled for moral grandeur in the history of mankind”, and Carpenter felt "an intense desire to do something expressive of... the great moral issue involved in the war." Carpenter, having formulated his idea for the subject of the painting and outlined its composition, fortuitously met Frederick A. Lane, a friend who recently had earned a large amount of money. Bankrolled by Lane, and through the influence of Samuel Sinclair of the New York Tribune and Congressman Schuyler Colfax
of Indiana, Carpenter gained Lincoln’s assent to travel to Washington and work with him on the painting. Carpenter met with the President on February 6, 1864, and began work.
Carpenter began with many sketches of Cabinet members and of Lincoln himself, working from life, as Lincoln worked, and from photographs taken by Mathew Brady
of Lincoln and members of his Cabinet. Carpenter was given free access to Lincoln’s White House office for the former purpose, and the State Dining Room was given him for a studio. On July 12, 1864, Lincoln led his cabinet into the State Dining Room to view the completed work.
for mass reproduction. The painting was well received by critics, according to newspaper advertisements for those reproductions; also, many of the subjects in the painting commented favorably. The painting itself then toured the country.
Among the notable portraits painted by Carpenter, aside from Lincoln, were those of President Fillmore and Gov. Myron H. Clarke, painted in the New York City Hall; Horace Greeley (a portrait owned by the Tribune Association); Asa Packer, founder of Lehigh University; James Russell Lowell; New York banker David Leavitt; Dr. Lyman Beecher; Henry Ward Beecher and others.
By the late 1870s, Carpenter became increasingly interested in religion and spirituality; art historian Mary Bartlett Cowdrey believed “that religious obsession somehow undermined Carpenter’s work”. Carpenter died in New York City—a brief obituary appearing in the New York Times misstated the title of his most famous work. His body was returned to Homer, and he was buried in Glenwood Cemetery in that village.
In 2006, an exhibition of portraits by Carpenter was shown at the Center for the Arts http://www.center4art.org/ in Homer, New York. Portraits by Carpenter of several figures of local historical interest were exhibited. Loans of the works were obtained from community members, the Phillips Free Library in Homer, and the Homer Central School District http://www.homercentral.org/.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
born in Homer, New York
Homer, New York
Homer, New York may refer to either:*Homer , New York, located in Cortland County*Homer , New York, located within the Town of Homer...
. Carpenter is best known for his painting First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln, which is hanging in the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
. Carpenter resided with President Lincoln at the White House and in 1866 published his one volume memoir Six Months at the White House with Abraham Lincoln. Carpenter was a descendant of the New England Rehoboth Carpenter Family
Rehoboth Carpenter Family
The Rehoboth Carpenter family is an American family that helped settle the town of Rehoboth, Massachusetts in 1644.The first immigrant and founder of this line was William Carpenter The Rehoboth Carpenter family is an American family that helped settle the town of Rehoboth, Massachusetts in...
.
Family
Carpenter's father was Asaph Harmon or Hammam. Aspah Carpenter was born on June 28, 1800 in Pomfret, Windham, CT. He died on October 18, 1883 and was buried in Glenwood Cem., Homer, Cortland, NY. He is number 2071 in the Carpenter Memorial. His family is listed on page 460 (# 664). His Carpenter ancestors come from Rehoboth, MA and his immigrant ancestor was William Carpenter (born 1605 England – died February 7, 1658/1659 MA).Asaph married Almira Clark on October 3, 1826 in NY. Almira was born on May 26, 1801. She died on March 30, 1885 in Homer, Cortland, NY and she was buried in Glenwood Cem., Homer, Cortland, NY, next to her husband. Asaph and Almira had 9 children including:
- Francis Bicknell Carpenter was born on August 6, 1830 in Homer, Cortland, NY. He died of "dropsy"
on May 23, 1900 NY and was buried in Glenwood Cem., Homer, Cortland, NY. He is number 4313 in the Carpenter Memorial on page 460. His family is on page 645 (# 1144). There are extensive notes in that book.
Francis married Augusta Herrick Prentiss on January 6, 1853 in NY. Augusta was born on August 5, 1831 in NY. She died on July 4, 1926 and was buried in Glenwood Cem., Homer, Cortland, NY. Francis and Augusta had the following children:
- Clement Dewitt Carpenter was born in 1852 in of, Homer, Cortland, NY. Not listed in the Carpenter Memorial on page 645 – Family #1144. Apparently he had his own family by the time Amos Carpenter contacted his father's family and was not listed in that book. Clement married Adeline or Adaline A. Ball on September 25, 1855. Adeline was born on June 28, 1832 in Pompey,, NY. She died on July 3, 1921 in Homer, Cortland, NY and was buried in Glenwood Cem., Homer, Cortland, NY.
- Florence Trumbell Carpenter was born on March 10, 1854 in Homer, Cortland, NY. She died on December 30, 1899. She is number 6550 in the Carpenter Memorial on page 645. Florence married Albert Chester Ives on May 12, 1877 in , , NY. Albert was born about 1854 in Buffalo, NY.
- Herbert Sanford Carpenter was born on May 22, 1862 in Homer, Cortland, NY. He is number 6551 in the Carpenter Memorial on page 645. Family on page 654 (# 1478). Herbert married Cora Anderson on February 13, 1894 in NY. Cora was born on April 3, 1860(3) in of Louisville,, KY. She died in 1923 and was buried in Glenwood Cem., Homer, Cortland, NY. Her tombstone indicates she was born in 1860 in the Carpenter Memorial gives 1863.
Education
In 1844, after showing his father a painting of his mother that the former viewed as a success, Carpenter was allowed to go to Syracuse, New YorkSyracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
for six months to study under Sanford Thayer. In 1848, at age 18, he was awarded a purchase prize by the American Art-Union. By the age of twenty-one, Carpenter established a studio in New York City. Carpenter was elected to the National Academy of Design
National Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
as an associate member in 1852.
Early career
In 1852, Carpenter was commissioned to paint a portrait of President Millard FillmoreMillard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
, a fellow upstate New Yorker born in Cayuga County. Commissions followed for portraits of Presidents Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
and John Tyler
John Tyler
John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
, and other mid-19th century notables, including the clergyman Henry Ward Beecher
Henry Ward Beecher
Henry Ward Beecher was a prominent Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, abolitionist, and speaker in the mid to late 19th century...
; newspaper editor Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley was an American newspaper editor, a founder of the Liberal Republican Party, a reformer, a politician, and an outspoken opponent of slavery...
; Ezra Cornell
Ezra Cornell
Ezra Cornell was an American businessman and education administrator. He was a founder of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University...
, founder of Cornell University; James Russell Lowell
James Russell Lowell
James Russell Lowell was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the Fireside Poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets who rivaled the popularity of British poets...
, poet; and John C. Fremont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
, the first Republican presidential candidate.
First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln
According to his memoir, Six Months at the White House, Carpenter was deeply moved by Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
’s Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly...
, calling it “an act unparalleled for moral grandeur in the history of mankind”, and Carpenter felt "an intense desire to do something expressive of... the great moral issue involved in the war." Carpenter, having formulated his idea for the subject of the painting and outlined its composition, fortuitously met Frederick A. Lane, a friend who recently had earned a large amount of money. Bankrolled by Lane, and through the influence of Samuel Sinclair of the New York Tribune and Congressman Schuyler Colfax
Schuyler Colfax
Schuyler Colfax, Jr. was a United States Representative from Indiana , Speaker of the House of Representatives , and the 17th Vice President of the United States . To date, he is one of only two Americans to have served as both House speaker and vice president.President Ulysses S...
of Indiana, Carpenter gained Lincoln’s assent to travel to Washington and work with him on the painting. Carpenter met with the President on February 6, 1864, and began work.
Carpenter began with many sketches of Cabinet members and of Lincoln himself, working from life, as Lincoln worked, and from photographs taken by Mathew Brady
Mathew Brady
Mathew B. Brady was one of the most celebrated 19th century American photographers, best known for his portraits of celebrities and his documentation of the American Civil War...
of Lincoln and members of his Cabinet. Carpenter was given free access to Lincoln’s White House office for the former purpose, and the State Dining Room was given him for a studio. On July 12, 1864, Lincoln led his cabinet into the State Dining Room to view the completed work.
Exhibition of First Reading and reception
When Lincoln had the painting exhibited to the public in the East Room of the White House, Carpenter noted that the exhibition was thronged with visitors. An engraving of the painting was made by Alexander Hay RitchieAlexander Hay Ritchie
Alexander Hay Ritchie was an artist and engraver. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and studied in the UK under Sir William Allan, before moving to New York in 1841. He specialised in mezzotints.-External links:*...
for mass reproduction. The painting was well received by critics, according to newspaper advertisements for those reproductions; also, many of the subjects in the painting commented favorably. The painting itself then toured the country.
Purchase and donation to Congress
Carpenter campaigned for Congress to purchase the painting, enlisting the help of fellow Homer native William O. Stoddard, Lincoln's private secretary. Congress did not appropriate the money. The painting remained in Carpenter’s possession until 1877, when he arranged for Elizabeth Thompson to purchase it for $25,000 and donate it to Congress. A joint session of Congress was held in 1878, on Lincoln’s birthday, to serve as a reception for the painting. The artist was present at this event.Later career and death
Following Lincoln's assassination, Carpenter produced many portraits of the President and his family; some based on memory, others on photographs provided by Lincoln’s widow. Carpenter’s skills were in decline by this time. One admirer of Carpenter’s early work wondered if a later portrait of Lincoln was a forgery.Among the notable portraits painted by Carpenter, aside from Lincoln, were those of President Fillmore and Gov. Myron H. Clarke, painted in the New York City Hall; Horace Greeley (a portrait owned by the Tribune Association); Asa Packer, founder of Lehigh University; James Russell Lowell; New York banker David Leavitt; Dr. Lyman Beecher; Henry Ward Beecher and others.
By the late 1870s, Carpenter became increasingly interested in religion and spirituality; art historian Mary Bartlett Cowdrey believed “that religious obsession somehow undermined Carpenter’s work”. Carpenter died in New York City—a brief obituary appearing in the New York Times misstated the title of his most famous work. His body was returned to Homer, and he was buried in Glenwood Cemetery in that village.
Criticism and later exhibitions of Carpenter’s work
Carpenter’s legacy has been decidedly mixed, according to a retrospective of Carpenter’s career written for the American Art Journal. Cowdrey attempted a full-scale biography that might have helped his reputation, but became frustrated by lack of interest on the part of Carpenter’s family. Contemporary critic Henry T. Tuckerman acknowledged Carpenter’s “facility in capturing a likeness” but “criticized the artist’s lack of ‘grace’ and ‘vitality’”. The United States Senate Catalogue of Fine Art observes that First Reading, as it hangs today in the Capitol, contains a much weaker portrait of Lincoln than the engraving made from it. This is due to Carpenter’s obsessive tinkering with the original painting while he had it in his possession.In 2006, an exhibition of portraits by Carpenter was shown at the Center for the Arts http://www.center4art.org/ in Homer, New York. Portraits by Carpenter of several figures of local historical interest were exhibited. Loans of the works were obtained from community members, the Phillips Free Library in Homer, and the Homer Central School District http://www.homercentral.org/.