Joseph Alexander Ames
Encyclopedia
Joseph Alexander Ames was an American artist, primarily known for portrait and genre painting. Originally named Joseph Emes, he was born in Roxbury, New Hampshire
. Ames began painting at a young age. At the age of twelve Henry Theodore Tuckerman
wrote about one of his paintings. After moderate success at home in Saugus, Massachusetts
, he left for Boston
in 1841. While in Boston, Ames tried to replicate the style of Washington Allston
. In 1848, Ames traveled to Rome, where he painted a portrait of Pope Pius IX
that was featured at the National Academy of Design
's annual exhibition in 1850. When he returned from Italy he was commissioned by Rufus Choate
, Daniel Webster
, and Abraham Lincoln
. He kept a studio in Boston in Amory Hall
(ca.1849), and later on Tremont Street
(ca.1856), and then on Summer Street
. Ames exhibited at the Boston Athenæum
, the National Academy of Design, and the Pennsylvania Academy. He eventually moved to Baltimore, and then to New York
, where he died of a "brain fever
".
Ames was one of the founding Members of the Boston Art Club
.
His brother Nathan
was a poet and patent
solicitor
who invented many machines, including the escalator
. His wife, Sarah Fisher Clampitt Ames was a sculptor.
Roxbury, New Hampshire
Roxbury is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 229 at the 2010 census.- History :The smallest town in Cheshire County, Roxbury was incorporated in 1812 from portions of Nelson, Marlborough, and Keene...
. Ames began painting at a young age. At the age of twelve Henry Theodore Tuckerman
Henry Theodore Tuckerman
Henry Theodore Tuckerman was an American writer, essayist and critic.-Biography:Tuckerman was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was a sympathetic and delicate critic, with a graceful style. He wrote extensively both in prose and verse. He travelled much in Italy, which influenced his choice of...
wrote about one of his paintings. After moderate success at home in Saugus, Massachusetts
Saugus, Massachusetts
Saugus is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. The population was 26,628 at the 2010 census.-History:Saugus was first settled in 1629. Saugus is an Indian name believed to mean "great" or "extended"...
, he left for Boston
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...
in 1841. While in Boston, Ames tried to replicate the style of Washington Allston
Washington Allston
Washington Allston was an American painter and poet, born in Waccamaw Parish, South Carolina. Allston pioneered America's Romantic movement of landscape painting...
. In 1848, Ames traveled to Rome, where he painted a portrait of Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
that was featured at 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...
's annual exhibition in 1850. When he returned from Italy he was commissioned by Rufus Choate
Rufus Choate
Rufus Choate , American lawyer and orator, was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts, a descendant of an English family which settled in Massachusetts in 1643. His first cousin, physician George Choate, was the father of George C. S. Choate and Joseph Hodges Choate...
, Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
, and Abraham Lincoln
Abraham 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...
. He kept a studio in Boston in Amory Hall
Amory Hall (Boston)
Amory Hall was located on the corner of Washington Street and West Street in Boston, Massachusetts in the 19th-century. Myriad activities took place in the rental hall, including sermons; lectures by Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Lloyd Garrison; political meetings; exhibitions...
(ca.1849), and later on Tremont Street
Tremont Street
Tremont Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts.-Etymology:The name is a variation of one of the original appellations of the city, "Trimountaine," a reference to a hill that formerly had three peaks. Beacon Hill, with its single peak, is all that remains of the Trimountain...
(ca.1856), and then on Summer Street
Summer Street (Boston)
Summer Street in Boston, Massachusetts extends from Downtown Crossing in the Financial District, over Fort Point Channel, and into South Boston...
. Ames exhibited at the Boston Athenæum
Boston Athenæum
Boston Athenæum is one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States. It is also one of only sixteen extant membership libraries, meaning that patrons pay a yearly subscription fee to use the Athenæum's services...
, the National Academy of Design, and the Pennsylvania Academy. He eventually moved to Baltimore, and then to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he died of a "brain fever
Brain fever
Brain fever describes a medical condition where a part of the brain becomes inflamed and causes symptoms that present as fever. The terminology is dated, and is encountered most often in Victorian literature...
".
Ames was one of the founding Members of the Boston Art Club
Boston Art Club
The Boston Art Club, Boston, Massachusetts, for nearly 157 years, serves as a nexus for Members and non Members to access the world of Fine Art. Currently more than 250 members maintain an active environment for the support and promotion of these works....
.
His brother Nathan
Nathan Ames
Nathan Ames Educated at Phillips Academy, Andover, and Harvard, Ames was a patent solicitor who held the first patent in the United States for an escalator-like machine. The patent was granted on August 9, 1859 for an invention he called "Revolving Stairs"...
was a poet and patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
who invented many machines, including the escalator
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
. His wife, Sarah Fisher Clampitt Ames was a sculptor.
External links
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. A Gypsy Girl, by Ames, about 1850–70
- Boston Art Club
- Askart.com page