St. Johnsbury Athenaeum
Encyclopedia
The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, in St. Johnsbury, Vermont
, is significant because of its construction, the American landscape paintings and books from its original role as a public library and free art gallery, and funding by Horace Fairbanks
, manufacturer of the world's first platform scale
. The art collection contains a number of Hudson River School
paintings. This building retains a strong, Victorian
(French Second Empire) flavor of the 19th century. It is one of about ten athenaeums in the United States.
.
The walls and floor are black walnut. The art gallery is lighted naturally from an arched skylight in the ceiling. Cases on two sides of the room contain art books in tooled leather bindings. Gilt-framed paintings are displayed.
One hundred works of art are displayed. Besides originals by American artists, there are also copies of European masterpieces. The major part of the collection is by American and European artists from the late eighteenth century to the middle nineteenth century. Hudson River School
painters include Asher B. Durand, Jasper Francis Cropsey
, Sanford Gifford, a Luminist
painter, James
and William Hart
pastoral landscapes with cattle. Western scenes are portrayed by Samuel Colman
and Worthington Whittredge
. Dominating the room is a canvas, ten by fifteen feet, of the Domes of Yosemite, by Albert Bierstadt
.
European painters represented by original works of art include: Bouguereau
("Raspberry Girl"), Félix Ziem
("Venice"), Charles Euphrasie Kuwasseg, and Louis Pinel de Grandchamp.
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
St. Johnsbury is the shire town of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,571 at the 2000 census. St. Johnsbury is located approximately northwest of the Connecticut River and south of the Canadian border.St...
, is significant because of its construction, the American landscape paintings and books from its original role as a public library and free art gallery, and funding by Horace Fairbanks
Horace Fairbanks
Horace Fairbanks was the 36th Governor of Vermont from 1876 to 1878.He was born in Barnet, Vermont, the third of nine children of Erastus Fairbanks and his wife Lois Crossman. He was educated in the county schools and Phillips Andover Academy. He became confidential clerk of E. & T. Fairbanks & Co...
, manufacturer of the world's first platform scale
Weighing scale
A weighing scale is a measuring instrument for determining the weight or mass of an object. A spring scale measures weight by the distance a spring deflects under its load...
. The art collection contains a number of Hudson River School
Hudson River school
The Hudson River School was a mid-19th century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by romanticism...
paintings. This building retains a strong, Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
(French Second Empire) flavor of the 19th century. It is one of about ten athenaeums in the United States.
History
When the library opened, the collection consisted of 9,000 books selected by bibliographer William F. PooleWilliam Frederick Poole
William Frederick Poole was an American bibliographer and librarian.-Biography:He graduated from Yale University in 1849, where he assisted John Edmands, who was a student at the Brothers in Unity Library...
.
Art Gallery
In 1873, Fairbanks added a small art gallery. This is now one of the few art galleries in the United States that features late 19th century Victorian-style design which highlights intricate paint/stencil schemes, detailed moldings, creative natural lighting, and unique painting installations.The walls and floor are black walnut. The art gallery is lighted naturally from an arched skylight in the ceiling. Cases on two sides of the room contain art books in tooled leather bindings. Gilt-framed paintings are displayed.
One hundred works of art are displayed. Besides originals by American artists, there are also copies of European masterpieces. The major part of the collection is by American and European artists from the late eighteenth century to the middle nineteenth century. Hudson River School
Hudson River school
The Hudson River School was a mid-19th century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by romanticism...
painters include Asher B. Durand, Jasper Francis Cropsey
Jasper Francis Cropsey
Jasper Francis Cropsey was an important American landscape artist of the Hudson River School.-Biography:Cropsey was born on his father Jacob Rezeau Cropsey's farm in Rossville on Staten Island, New York, the oldest of eight children. As a young boy, Cropsey had recurring periods of poor health....
, Sanford Gifford, a Luminist
Luminism
Luminism can refer to*A current in North American painting, see Luminism *A neo-impressionist style in painting, see Luminism...
painter, James
James McDougal Hart
James McDougal Hart , was a Scottish-born American landscape and cattle painter of the Hudson River School. His older brother, William Hart, was also a Hudson River School artist, and the two painted similar subjects....
and William Hart
William Hart
William Hart may refer to:In arts and entertainment:* William Hart , English Caroline actor* William Hart , Scottish-American painter* William Matthew Hart , British lithographer and bird artist...
pastoral landscapes with cattle. Western scenes are portrayed by Samuel Colman
Samuel Colman
Samuel Colman was an American painter, interior designer, and writer, probably best remembered for his paintings of the Hudson River....
and Worthington Whittredge
Worthington Whittredge
Thomas Worthington Whittredge was an American artist of the Hudson River School. Whittredge was a highly regarded artist of his time, and was friends with several leading Hudson River School artists including Albert Bierstadt and Sanford Robinson Gifford...
. Dominating the room is a canvas, ten by fifteen feet, of the Domes of Yosemite, by Albert Bierstadt
Albert Bierstadt
Albert Bierstadt was a German-American painter best known for his lavish, sweeping landscapes of the American West. In obtaining the subject matter for these works, Bierstadt joined several journeys of the Westward Expansion...
.
European painters represented by original works of art include: Bouguereau
William-Adolphe Bouguereau
William-Adolphe Bouguereau was a French academic painter. William Bouguereau was a traditionalist; in his realistic genre paintings he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of Classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female human body.-Life and career :William-Adolphe...
("Raspberry Girl"), Félix Ziem
Félix Ziem
Félix Ziem was a French painter in the style of the Barbizon School.Born Félix-Francois Georges Philibert Ziem in Beaune in the Côte-d'Or département of the Burgundy région of France, his mother was a native of Burgundy who married a Croatian immigrant...
("Venice"), Charles Euphrasie Kuwasseg, and Louis Pinel de Grandchamp.