Harding's Gallery (Boston)
Encyclopedia
Harding's Gallery in Boston
, Massachusetts
, exhibited works by European and American artists in the 1830s-1840s. The building on School Street
also housed a newspaper press; the Mercantile Library Association
; the Boston Artists' Association
; and artists' studios. The building's name derived from painter Chester Harding
, who kept his studio there.
in Paris, and subsequently hung about his house at Monticello
. Original works for sale included a portrait of George Washington
by Joseph Wright/John Trumbull
(1784); a portrait of John Adams
by Mather Brown
(1788); and a portrait of Lafayette by Joseph Boze (1790). The auction also offered copies of works by Domenichino
; Holbein
; Godfrey Kneller
(portrait of John Locke); Leonardo
; Le Sueur
; Raphael
; Ribera; Rubens; Van Dyck
; and others. Some of the copies depicted originals in the Palazzo Pitti
and elsewhere. Buyers at the auction included James W. Sever; Israel Thorndike, Jr.; and Mrs. John W. Davis.
as could be borrowed for the occasion. This was managed by the friends of the artist for his benefit. The exhibition was held in Harding's Gallery, a square, well-lighted room, but too small for the larger pictures. It was, however, the best room that could be procured for the purpose. Here was shown forty-five pictures, including one or two drawings. ... On entering, the presence of the artist seemed to fill the room. The door-keeper held the door, but Allston held the room." Works included: "Dead man restored to life" (1813); "The Valentine;" "Isaac of York;" "Portrait of Benjamin West, late president of the Royal Academy, London;" "Portrait of Samuel Williams;" "Rosalie;" "Jessica and Lorenzo;" "Portrait of the late Mrs. Wm. Channing;" and others. Lenders to the exhibit included David Sears; James F. Baldwin; George Ticknor
; Warren Dutton; Nathan Appleton
; Thomas Handasyd Perkins
; Thomas H. Perkins Jr.; William H. Sumner
; and others.
. T.H. Perkins and others lent works to the exhibition. The second and third exhibits of the association took place 1843-1844. Margaret Fuller
, on visiting Harding's on July 6, 1844, wrote in her diary: "I went to town. Artists' Gallery, sad sad sight."
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...
, exhibited works by European and American artists in the 1830s-1840s. The building on School Street
School Street
School Street is a short but significant street in the center of Boston, Massachusetts. It is so named for being the site of the first public school in the United States...
also housed a newspaper press; the Mercantile Library Association
Mercantile Library Association (Boston, Massachusetts)
The Mercantile Library Association of Boston was an organization dedicated to operating a subscription library, reading room and lecture series. Members included James T. Fields and Edwin Percy Whipple...
; the Boston Artists' Association
Boston Artists' Association
The Boston Artists' Association was established in Boston, Massachusetts by Washington Allston, Henry Sargent, and other painters, sculptors, and architects, in order to organize exhibitions, a school, a workspace for members, and to promote art "for the art's sake."-History:According to the...
; and artists' studios. The building's name derived from painter Chester Harding
Chester Harding (painter)
Chester Harding was an American portrait painter.-Biography:Harding was born at Conway, Massachusetts. Brought up in the wilderness of New York state, he was a lad of robust physique, standing over 6 feet 3 inches...
, who kept his studio there.
Jefferson auction
In July 1833, an auction occurred at the gallery of some of the paintings bought by Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
in Paris, and subsequently hung about his house at Monticello
Monticello
Monticello is a National Historic Landmark just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was the estate of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, third President of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia; it is...
. Original works for sale included a portrait of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
by Joseph Wright/John Trumbull
John Trumbull
John Trumbull was an American artist during the period of the American Revolutionary War and was notable for his historical paintings...
(1784); a portrait of John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
by Mather Brown
Mather Brown
Mather Brown was a portrait and historical painter, born in Boston, Massachusetts, but active in England....
(1788); and a portrait of Lafayette by Joseph Boze (1790). The auction also offered copies of works by Domenichino
Domenico Zampieri
Domenico Zampieri was an Italian Baroque painter of the Bolognese School, or Carracci School, of painters.-Life:...
; Holbein
Hans Holbein the Younger
Hans Holbein the Younger was a German artist and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style. He is best known as one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He also produced religious art, satire and Reformation propaganda, and made a significant contribution to the history...
; Godfrey Kneller
Godfrey Kneller
Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and was court painter to British monarchs from Charles II to George I...
(portrait of John Locke); Leonardo
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
; Le Sueur
Eustache Le Sueur
Eustache Le Sueur or Lesueur , one of the founders of the French Academy of Painting, was born in Paris, where he passed his whole life....
; Raphael
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
; Ribera; Rubens; Van Dyck
Anthony van Dyck
Sir Anthony van Dyck was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England. He is most famous for his portraits of Charles I of England and his family and court, painted with a relaxed elegance that was to be the dominant influence on English portrait-painting for the next...
; and others. Some of the copies depicted originals in the Palazzo Pitti
Palazzo Pitti
The Palazzo Pitti , in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast mainly Renaissance palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio...
and elsewhere. Buyers at the auction included James W. Sever; Israel Thorndike, Jr.; and Mrs. John W. Davis.
Washington Allston
"In 1839 there was an exhibition ... of such works of Washington AllstonWashington Allston
Washington Allston was an American painter and poet, born in Waccamaw Parish, South Carolina. Allston pioneered America's Romantic movement of landscape painting...
as could be borrowed for the occasion. This was managed by the friends of the artist for his benefit. The exhibition was held in Harding's Gallery, a square, well-lighted room, but too small for the larger pictures. It was, however, the best room that could be procured for the purpose. Here was shown forty-five pictures, including one or two drawings. ... On entering, the presence of the artist seemed to fill the room. The door-keeper held the door, but Allston held the room." Works included: "Dead man restored to life" (1813); "The Valentine;" "Isaac of York;" "Portrait of Benjamin West, late president of the Royal Academy, London;" "Portrait of Samuel Williams;" "Rosalie;" "Jessica and Lorenzo;" "Portrait of the late Mrs. Wm. Channing;" and others. Lenders to the exhibit included David Sears; James F. Baldwin; George Ticknor
George Ticknor
George Ticknor was an American academician and Hispanist, specializing in the subject areas of languages and literature. He is known for his scholarly work on the history and criticism of Spanish literature....
; Warren Dutton; Nathan Appleton
Nathan Appleton
Nathan Appleton was an American merchant and politician.- Biography :Appleton was born in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, the son of Isaac Appleton and his wife Mary Adams. Appleton's father was a church deacon, and Nathan was brought up in "strictest form of Calvinistic Congregationalism." He was...
; Thomas Handasyd Perkins
Thomas Handasyd Perkins
Colonel Thomas Handasyd Perkins, or T. H. Perkins was a wealthy Boston merchant and an archetypical Boston Brahmin. Starting with bequests from his grandfather and father-in-law, he amassed a huge fortune...
; Thomas H. Perkins Jr.; William H. Sumner
William H. Sumner
William Hyslop Sumner was born on July 4, 1780 in Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States. He was the son of Gov. Increase Sumner. W H Sumner graduated from Harvard University in 1799. He served as a General in the Massachusetts militia. Sumner wrote The History of East Boston and died in 1861.-Early...
; and others.
Boston Artists Association
The first public exhibit of the newly formed Boston Artists' Association in 1842 at Harding's Gallery featured works by mostly local artists, as well as a few by (or after) European masters (e.g. Tintoretto, Rembrandt). Visitors to the gallery could see recent pieces by Fitz Henry Lane and Gilbert StuartGilbert Stuart
Gilbert Charles Stuart was an American painter from Rhode Island.Gilbert Stuart is widely considered to be one of America's foremost portraitists...
. T.H. Perkins and others lent works to the exhibition. The second and third exhibits of the association took place 1843-1844. Margaret Fuller
Margaret Fuller
Sarah Margaret Fuller Ossoli, commonly known as Margaret Fuller, was an American journalist, critic, and women's rights advocate associated with the American transcendentalism movement. She was the first full-time American female book reviewer in journalism...
, on visiting Harding's on July 6, 1844, wrote in her diary: "I went to town. Artists' Gallery, sad sad sight."
Events
- 1833, July 19 - Auction of paintings from the collection of Thomas Jefferson.
- 1834, May - Artist's exhibit. Included works by Francis AlexanderFrancis AlexanderFrancis Alexander was an American portrait-painter.He was born in Killingly, Connecticut. Brought up on a farm, he taught himself the use of colors, and in 1820 went to New York City and studied painting with Alexander Robertson. He spent the winters of 1831 and 1832 in Rome...
; Thomas DoughtyThomas Doughty (artist)Thomas Doughty was an American artist of the Hudson River School.Born in Philadelphia, Thomas Doughty was the first American artist to work exclusively as a landscapist and was successful both for his skill and the fact that Americans were turning their interest to landscape...
; Alvan FisherAlvan FisherAlvan Fisher was one of the United States's pioneers in landscape painting and genre works.-Early years:...
; Chester Harding, Charles HubbardCharles Hubbard (artist)Charles Hubbard was an artist in Boston, Massachusetts in the 19th century. He kept a studio on Tremont Row and was affiliated with the Boston Artists' Association. He served as state senator 1851-1852.-Biography:...
. - 1834 - Marble statuary exhibit. Included works by (or after) Baelandi; Barratta; Bartolini; Bellucci; Benassae; Bombardi; Canova; Cardelli; Fidia; Orzalezi; Pampaloni; Tenerani; Thorwaldsen; Vanelli.
- 1839 - Washington Allston exhibit.
- 1841 - Armour and arms exhibit, from the Royal Armoury of Segovia; along with paintings. Included works by (or after) Francisco ZurbaránFrancisco ZurbaránFrancisco de Zurbarán was a Spanish painter. He is known primarily for his religious paintings depicting monks, nuns, and martyrs, and for his still-lifes...
; Clarkson Frederick Stanfield; Edwin Henry LandseerEdwin Henry LandseerSir Edwin Henry Landseer, RA was an English painter, well known for his paintings of animals—particularly horses, dogs and stags...
; Henritz Koekoeck; Robert Bridgehouse; Luca GiordanoLuca GiordanoLuca Giordano was an Italian late Baroque painter and printmaker in etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples and Rome, Florence and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain....
; Cornelis de HeemCornelis de HeemCornelis de Heem was a still-life painter associated with both Flemish Baroque and Dutch Golden Age painting...
; J.C. Clayton; Caspar NetscherCaspar NetscherCaspar Netscher was a Dutch portrait and genre painter. He was a master in depicting oriental rugs, silk and brocade and introduced an international style to the Northern Netherlands.-Life:...
. - 1841 - Modern European painting exhibit.
- 1842 - 1st Boston Artists' Association exhibit. Included: Henry SargentHenry SargentHenry Sargent , American painter and military man, was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He was one of seven children born to Daniel and Mary Sargent...
; Fitz Henry Lane; TintorettoTintorettoTintoretto , real name Jacopo Comin, was a Venetian painter and a notable exponent of the Renaissance school. For his phenomenal energy in painting he was termed Il Furioso...
; Anthony van DyckAnthony van DyckSir Anthony van Dyck was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England. He is most famous for his portraits of Charles I of England and his family and court, painted with a relaxed elegance that was to be the dominant influence on English portrait-painting for the next...
; and others. - 1843 - 2nd Boston Artists' Association exhibit. Included: Thomas ColeThomas ColeThomas Cole was an English-born American artist. He is regarded as the founder of the Hudson River School, an American art movement that flourished in the mid-19th century...
; Philip Harry; Asher Brown DurandAsher Brown DurandAsher Brown Durand was an American painter of the Hudson River School.-Early life:Durand was born in and eventually died in Maplewood, New Jersey , the eighth of eleven children; his father was a watchmaker and a silversmith.Durand was apprenticed to an engraver from 1812 to 1817, later entering...
; Thomas SullyThomas SullyThomas Sully was an American painter, mostly of portraits.-Early life:Sully was born in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England, to the actors Matthew and Sarah Sully. In March 1792 the Sullys and their nine children immigrated to Richmond, Virginia, where Thomas’s uncle managed a theater...
; and others. - 1844 - 3rd Boston Artists' Association exhibit
- 1846 - Master paintings exhibit, from Italy; charity benefit. Included works for sale by (or copies after): Paul BrillPaul and Mattheus BrillPaul and Matthijs Bril were brothers, both born in Antwerp, who were landscape painters who worked in Rome after earning papal favor.-Biography:...
; Giuseppe CesariGiuseppe CesariGiuseppe Cesari was an Italian Mannerist painter, also named Il Giuseppino and called Cavaliere d'Arpino, because he was created Cavaliere di Cristo by his patron Pope Clement VIII. He was much patronized in Rome by both Sixtus V.-Biography:Cesari's father had been a native of Arpino, but...
; Domenico FiasellaDomenico FiasellaDomenico Fiasella was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, mainly active in Genoa. He was nicknamed Il Sarzana, after his birthplace.-Biography:...
; Abraham JanssensAbraham JanssensAbraham Janssens van Nuyssen was a Flemish Baroque painter.He was born at Antwerp, in a year variously reported between 1567 and 1576. He studied under Jan Snellinck, was a master in 1602, and in 1607 was dean of the master-painters...
; Salvator RosaSalvator RosaSalvator Rosa was an Italian Baroque painter, poet and printmaker, active in Naples, Rome and Florence. As a painter, he is best known as an "unorthodox and extravagant" and a "perpetual rebel" proto-Romantic.-Early life:...
; Carlo Antonio TavellaCarlo Antonio TavellaCarlo Antonio Tavella was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Genoa.Tavella was born in Milan to a Genoese merchant, and died in Genoa. He was initially the pupil of the painter Giuseppe Merati, then later of a painter by the name of Johann Gruembroech or Greuenbrech,...
; Paolo VeronesePaolo VeronesePaolo Veronese was an Italian painter of the Renaissance in Venice, famous for paintings such as The Wedding at Cana and The Feast in the House of Levi...
; Giovanni Battista ZelottiGiovanni Battista ZelottiGiovanni Battista Zelotti was an Italian painter of the late Renaissance, active in Venice and her mainland territories.He appears to have been born in Venice, and trained with Antonio Badile and Domenico Riccio, as well as perhaps Titian. Bernasconi claims he trained with his uncle Paolo Farinati...
.
Publications of the gallery
- Catalogue of valuable oil paintings, many of them old masters, and all choice pictures: being the collection of the late President Jefferson : to be sold at auction, on Friday, July 19, at Mr. Harding's Gallery, School St.: sale to commence at 10 o'clock. J.L. CunninghamJoseph Lewis CunninghamJoseph Lewis Cunningham or J. L. Cunningham worked as an auctioneer in Boston, Massachusetts, in the first half of the 19th century...
, auctioneer. Boston: J.E. Hinckley, 1833. - Catalogue of paintings at the artist's exhibition, in Harding's Gallery, Boston, May, 1834. Boston: J.H. Eastburn, 1834.
- Catalogue of marble statuary now exhibited at Harding's Rooms. Boston: W.W. Clapp, 1834.
- Exhibition of pictures painted by Washington Allston. Boston: John H. Eastburn, Printer, 1839.
- Catalogue of a collection of ancient armour and arms, chiefly of the period of Charles V, from the Royal Armoury of Segovia: also, of a choice collection of pictures now exhibiting at Harding's Gallery, School Street. Boston: John H. Eastburn, printer, 1841.
- A Catalogue of nearly 200 splendid modern European paintings: by the most distinguished European living artists, now exhibiting at Harding's Gallery ... Will be sold ... at public auction, on ... May 25th. J.L. Cunningham, auctioneer. Boston: Marden, 1841.
- The constitution of the Boston Artists' Association, with a catalogue of the first public exhibition of paintings at Harding's Gallery, no. 22 School Street. Boston: John H. Eastburn, printer, 1842.
- Catalogue of paintings of the second exhibition of the Boston Artists' Association, 1843. Boston: Wm. White & H.P. Lewis, 1843.
- Catalogue of paintings, of the third exhibition of the Boston Artists' Association, 1844. Boston: Clapp and Son's Press, 1844.
- Catalogue of paintings by some of the first masters: lately received from Italy, and now exhibiting for the benefit of the poor of this city, at Harding's Gallery. 1846.
Publications about the gallery
- Margaret Fuller. "Record of Impressions." The Dial, v.1, no.1, July 1840; p.73+ Review of the 1839 Allston exhibit.
- Review: Exhibition of Pictures painted by Washington Allston at Harding's Gallery, School Street. North American Review, Vol. 50, No. 107 (Apr., 1840), pp. 358-381.
- Boston Evening Transcript, June 1, 1842.
- Daily National Intelligencer, November 22, 1842.
- The Fine Arts. Exhibition of Harding's Gallery. Boston Daily Courier, September 18, 1843.
- The Pictures at Harding's Gallery. Boston Evening Transcript. November 22, 1845.
- The Exhibition at Harding's Gallery. Boston Evening Transcript, November 24, 1845.
- The Paintings at Harding's Gallery. Boston Evening Transcript, December 6, 1845.
- Boston Evening Transcript. July 20, 1846.
See also
- Boston Artists' AssociationBoston Artists' AssociationThe Boston Artists' Association was established in Boston, Massachusetts by Washington Allston, Henry Sargent, and other painters, sculptors, and architects, in order to organize exhibitions, a school, a workspace for members, and to promote art "for the art's sake."-History:According to the...
, in Harding's Gallery ca.1841-1846 - Chester HardingChester Harding (painter)Chester Harding was an American portrait painter.-Biography:Harding was born at Conway, Massachusetts. Brought up in the wilderness of New York state, he was a lad of robust physique, standing over 6 feet 3 inches...
- Mercantile Library Association (Boston, Massachusetts)Mercantile Library Association (Boston, Massachusetts)The Mercantile Library Association of Boston was an organization dedicated to operating a subscription library, reading room and lecture series. Members included James T. Fields and Edwin Percy Whipple...
, in Harding's buildings 1836-1841
External links
- Smithsonian American Art Museum. Pre-1877 Art Exhibition Catalogue Index. Includes details of individual artworks exhibited at the gallery.
- Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia. Includes images and details of works auctioned at the gallery in 1833.