The
Muse
Newsletter of the Slater Memorial Museum
Summer 2011
Abraham Lincoln Portrayed
by Vivian F. Zoë
Portraits of Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16
President of the United States, have become a topic
of considerable attention in recent months. Since
1861, his image has grown to be as ubiquitous as any
individual’s in American iconography. The Slater
th
Memorial Museum holds in its collection several
images of the revered figure, some contemporary
to the post-Civil War era, some much later, in a
variety of media.
In the Slater’s collection is a small but compelling
portrait of Lincoln by Thomas Casilear Cole,
“after Brady.” Abraham Lincoln, successfully
led his country through its greatest internal
crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the
Union while promoting economic and financial
modernization. Credited with ending slavery,
the first Republican president had been a selftaught attorney, an Illinois State Legislator and a
member of Congress.
During his presidential campaign, Lincoln
spoke at Norwich City Hall on March 9, 1860,
and befriended and supported in his campaigns,
former Norwich Mayor and Connecticut
Governor William C. Buckingham. The latter
became known as a “War Governor” for supplying
the Union effort with Norwich-made guns,
cannons, uniforms and, most importantly, troops.
Buckingham sent more men into battle for the
effort than nearly any other Northern Governor.
For this, he was rewarded with Lincoln’s support
for his re-election.
Abraham Lincoln after Brady by Thomas Casilear
Cole, 1941
After deftly opposing the expansion of slavery
in the United States in his campaign debates
(Continued on page 3)
A Message from the Director
As a brisk wet spring eases into a sultry summer, our work intensifies.
The new Atrium has taken shape to the point of resembling the
architects’ renderings. Every gallery in the museum has been affected
by the construction in some way. The bad news is that we’ve had to
physically re-install nearly every object to which you’ve all become so
fond and comfortable. The good news is that refreshed and re-installed,
the Slater will make you fall in love with it all over again. The galleries
will have a familiar yet innovative appearance and interpretation that
will tell your story as has not been possible for decades. Our plan is to
have a soft opening shortly after Labor Day in September. This will be
followed by a multiple-event celebration beginning November 4,2011.
If you wish to be a part of this, either as a spectator, volunteer or leader, please do let me know. It’s
bound to be an event to remember!
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS, PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
November, 2011
Please join us to help celebrate the the Grand Re-opening of the Slater Museum!
Explore fresh exhibitions, shop in our expanded museum store and tour the new atrium
which will offer universal access to the Slater’s exciting galleries!
The opening celebration will include evening events, special tours and the opening of
the NFA Alumni Exhibition. Free general admission for opening weekend. Details will
be posted at www.slatermuseum.org as they become available.
The Muse is published up to four times yearly for the members of The Friends of the Slater Memorial Museum. The museum is located
at 108 Crescent Street, Norwich, CT 06360. It is part of The Norwich Free Academy, 305 Broadway, Norwich, CT 06360. Museum
main telephone number: (860) 887-2506. Visit us on the web at www.slatermuseum.org.
Museum Director – Vivian F. Zoë
Newsletter editor – Geoff Serra
Contributing authors: Vivian Zoë, Leigh Thomas and Patricia Flahive
Photographers: Leigh Thomas, Vivian Zoë
The president of the Friends of the Slater Memorial Museum: Patricia Flahive
The Norwich Free Academy Board of Trustees:
Steven L. Bokoff ’72,
Jeremy D. Booty ‘74
Glenn T. Carberry
Richard DesRoches *
Lee-Ann Gomes ‘82, Treasurer
Thomas M. Griffin ‘70, Secretary
Thomas Hammond ‘75
Theodore N. Phillips ’74 Vice Chair
Robert A. Staley ’68
David A. Whitehead ’78, Chair
Sarette Williams ‘78
*Museum collections committee
The Norwich Free Academy does not discriminate in its educational programs, services or employment on the basis of race, religion,
gender, national origin, color, handicapping condition, age, marital status or sexual orientation. This is in accordance with Title VI,
Title VII, Title IX and other civil rights or discrimination issues; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991.
2
(Continued from page 1)
and speeches, Lincoln secured the Republican
nomination. Following declarations of secession
by southern slave states, war began in April 1861,
during which Lincoln concentrated on military
and political dimensions of the war effort, seeking
to reunify the nation. He vigorously exercised
unprecedented war powers, including the arrest
and detention without trial of thousands of
suspected secessionists. He successfully blocked
British recognition of the Confederacy, issued his
Emancipation Proclamation in1863 and promoted
the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the
United States Constitution, abolishing slavery.
Lincoln closely supervised the war effort,
especially the selection of top generals, including
the commanding general and future president,
Ulysses S. Grant He coerced factions within
his party to cooperate. Under his leadership, the
Union took control of the border slave states and
finally recruited Grant who succeeded in 1865
in seizing the strategically and symbolically
important Richmond.
Lincoln successfully
managed his own re-election in 1864, partly by
reaching out to Democrats.
Thomas Casilear Cole, 1846
a portrait painter his entire life. Cole taught at
the Traphagen School of Art, the School of Fine
and the Industrial Arts in New York City, and
the Phoenix Art Institute, NYC. He worked as a
WPA artist, illustrator and served in United States
Navy from 1917 to 1919.
As a moderate Republican, Lincoln came under
attack from all sides. He successfully fought
back with patronage; by pitting his opponents
against each other; and by appealing to the
American people with his powers of oratory. His
Gettysburg Address of 1863 became one of the
most quoted speeches in American history. It was
an iconic statement of America’s dedication to
the principles of nationalism, equal rights, liberty,
and democracy. Lincoln was shot and killed by
John Wilkes Booth, Confederate sympathizer,
just six days after the surrender of Confederate
commanding general Robert E. Lee. It was the
first assassination of a U.S. president. Lincoln has
frequently been ranked by a majority of scholars
as the greatest U.S. president. Lincoln’s untimely
death by assassination made him a martyr and he
remains an American icon to this day.
Cole attended the Riverview Military Academy
in New York and Harvard University in 1905. He studied at the School of the Museum of
Fine Arts, Boston under Edmund Charles
Tarbell, and others. In 1912 Cole studied in
Paris with Jean Paul Laurens (1838-1921) at the
Académie Julian in Paris and Atelier Baschet.
Coles’ numerous exhibitions include the
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA),
1911; the Boston Art Club (BAC), 1911; the
National Academy of Design (NAD), 1911; the
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1913; the Paris
Salon, 1923; the City Club, NY, 1924; the
Rockport Art Association, 1930; the Veterans
Society of Artists, 1942; the Ogunquit Art Center,
1945-55; the National Arts Club (NAC), NYC,
1945; Portraits Inc., 1970s; the Parson’s School
of Design, 1970; and New York City WPA Art.
Thomas Casilear Cole (1888-1976), not to be
confused with, the renowned landscape painter
and founder of the Hudson River School
Thomas Cole (1801-1848), earned his living as
Cole’s work is held in the collections of the San
Francisco Museum of Fine Art; the New York
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still, otherwise the image would be blurred. In
some cases, the photographer even used a head
clamp to ensure a clear view of at least the face.
Before the Civil War, photographic equipment
was too cumbersome and exposure times too slow
to be used on the battlefield. Within a couple of
decades and by the time the Civil War had begun
in earnest, photographic technology had improved
to the point where outdoor scenes were not only
possible, but common. Add to this the ability
to capture a fraction of a second of a body in
motion, and the possibility of battle photography
is a reality. Certainly, many scenes were of
encampments or officers posing on horseback
or with their men. Some were still because they
showed the aftermath of battle rather than the
process. Never before had the horrors of armed
conflict been brought so visibly before the public
eye. It would be unfair for me to remove the label
of “artist” from these amazing people.
Mathew B. Brady’s (1822-1896) legacy is
synonymous with the photographic legacy of the
Civil War. His work was often used as the basis
for illustrations and paintings created by Winslow
Homer, Thomas Nast and others. Brady did not
Abraham Lincoln, photograph by Mathew Brady
Bar Association; the Brooklyn Public Library;
the Newton Theological Seminary; and Trinity
College, Hartford. His commissioned works
include the Federal Courthouse, NYC (portrait
of Judge Alfred C. Cox, 1920); the Vermont
State Capitol, Montpelier (portrait of Governor
Stickney, 1921; the Massachusetts Supreme
Court, Boston (portrait of Judge Edward P. Pierce.
1930); the Hood Museum of Art Dartmouth
College, Hanover, NH (portrait of Curtis H. Page,
1928); and a portrait of President James K. Polk,
commissioned by the State of Tennessee and
presented to the United States Naval Academy,
Annapolis, MD, 1945.
The Slater’s catalogue refers to Cole’s having
been influenced by or studied, a photograph of
Lincoln by Matthew Brady. In the early 1840’s,
photography came available to the general public
as primarily a portrait medium in the form of
Ambrotypes, Daguerreotypes and Albumen
images on metal. These images presented stilted
representations of people seated within painted
scenery and rooms. They looked stiff because the
technology required that they remain completely
Matthew B. Brady c. 1875
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(Continued on page 6)
Several grates still available!
Many years ago, the wood floor of the museum’s cast gallery had iron grates at regular intervals to allow cold air to return to the auditorium below. These were removed before carpet
was laid in the 1960’s. No one presently involved with the museum remembers precisely why
this action was taken, but it could have had something to do with a (then) new heating system
or the desire to prevent noise from transferring from one floor to another.
When the old carpet was removed, 27”
square plywood plugs were revealed where
the ornamental and functional iron grates
had been. Because fabricating new grates
in unfeasible, the museum staff came up
with the idea to create a stencil design based
upon the original grates. These then can be
customized to include a message of brief,
but meaningful length. To date several have
been “sold” to support the museum’s floor
refinishing project at $1,000 per square.
Two blocks are being held for the principal
source of support for the floor refinishing …
The Friends of Slater Museum. If you are
interested in memorializing a loved one or
proclaiming your personal devotion to the
museum, please call Vivian at 860-4255560, and thank you for your support.
Stencil design based upon the original grates.
We Need Your Help!
Equipment and materials
If you find yourself with one computer printer too many, we’d be delighted to provide you
with a tax deduction! At the moment, we are in need of a fairly recent color printer. We are
always in need of old sheets and blankets to protect collections and our new collections storage facility could use a microscope. A hand truck in clean and good working condition would
be a big help for our big move when collections come back to campus from Sachem Street
storage. Thank you for thinking of us!
Volunteers
We are seeking new and veteran volunteers to work in our Visitor’s Services department. An
informational meeting and training session will be scheduled before our September, 2011
opening. Please email Leigh Thomas at [email protected] or call 860-4255561 to be added to our volunteer list.
55
(Continued from page 4)
take every photograph of the war himself, instead,
he left it to the many photographers he employed,
including the prolific George N. Barnard and
Timothy O’Sullivan. Yet, Brady is regarded as
the conflict’s master chronicler.
portrait model’s armrest or (when fully extended
and fitted with a brace attachment rather than the
usual tabletop) as a neckrest.
By the start of the war, Brady was established
as one of the most prestigious photographers in
America and felt his position gave him a certain
responsibility to document the war; he recalled,
“a spirit in me said ‘go’ and I went.” Even so,
every photograph taken by one of his staff was
marked “Photo by Brady” and garnered him
widespread renown. The expensive photographic
processes and the rugged nature of camp life
severely drained his fortune and left him nearly
bankrupt at war’s end. The U.S. government
purchased many of his plates in an auction and in
1875, Congress paid Brady $25,000 for full title
to his Civil War images.
Born to poor Irish parents in Warren County, New
York, in 1823. Brady was 15 years old when he
met William Page, the American portrait painter,
in Saratoga Springs. Page instructed him in
portraiture and in 1841 brought him to New York
City to study with Samuel F.B. Morse, painter and
scientist/inventor, at the National Academy of
Design. It was there that Brady was introduced to
the early photographic process of daguerreotypy,
and within several years he had opened his own
studio on Broadway.
In 1850, Brady produced The Gallery of Illustrious
Americans, a portrait collection of prominent
contemporary figures. The album, which featured
noteworthy images like an elderly Andrew Jackson
at the Hermitage, was not financially rewarding
but invited increased attention to Brady’s work
and artistry.
To get his most iconic image of Abraham Lincoln,
Brady pursued his quarry: a letter beseeched:
“Brady Gallery
352 Penna Ave & Wash.
Mr. Pres-
It was Brady’s name that came to be attached
to the era’s heavy specialized end tables which
were factoru-made specifically for use by portrait
photographers. Such a “Brady stand” of the
mid-19th century typically had a weighty cast
iron base for stability, plus an adjustable-height
single-column pipe leg for dual use as either a
Dear sirI have repeated calls every hour in the day for
your photograph and would regard it as a great
favour if you could give me a sitting today so
that I may be able to exhibit a large picture on
the 4th. If you cannot, call today. Please call at
your earliest convenience
Yours Truly,
M. B. Brady”
A kidney condition finally forced Brady’s
hospitalization in 1895, and on January 15th of
the following year, he died alone and largely
forgotten. He was, however, buried at Arlington
Cemetery, in an effort to honor him among the
Civil War heroes he had photographed.
During the war’s early years, images for publication
had to be hand drawn and engraved by a skilled
artist. The technology did not exist to transfer a
photograph to a printing plate since this was well
before the advent of the halftone printing process
needed for a photographic image. Photography,
A photographer uses a “Brady stand” to pose his
subject in 1893
6
right, Columbia presiding over a prosperous farm
and factory town. In the lower left, the Union is
slaying the dragon of rebellion.
Born in Germany, William Momberger was a
landscape painter and lithographer, who became
especially noted for his book and newspaper
illustrations and as a banknote designer. He arrived
in the United States in 1848, and worked in New
York City as a lithographer with John Caughey,
wood engraver. He also did illustrations for the
Cyclopedia of American Literature by Duyckinck
and the Gallery of American Landscape Artists.
In 1865, he traveled into Midwestern
states and shortly after, opened a studio in
Morrisania, New York, where he was until
1888, possibly later. He is documented to
that time, but his death date is unknown.
Published by Moore & Co., 111 Nassau St., New
York, this lovely work captures the president,
Mary Todd Lincoln, and their two boys, Robert
and Tad in the sitting room of the White House.
Lincoln is reading to Tad, while Robert stands
sentry over his mother. A framed portrait of Willie
hangs on the wall behind the family. Willie had
passed away in February, 1862, so this engraving
dates from some time afterwards. The frame is
chipped in several places. There is scattered
evidence of foxing around the border of the
engraving, but overall, this piece is in very good
Abraham Lincoln by John Chester Butte,
engraving, 1864
particularly journalistic photography, came of
age during the Civil War and influenced artists
who used the photographs to create drawings,
engravings and paintings. It was impossible at
the time to transfer a photograph to a mass print
medium like newspaper. Instead, to disseminate
images of the war and propaganda about the life
and death of the Commander in Chief, the skills
of an artist were required. From the photograph,
a new image was engraved into a metal plate to
mass-produce publications like Harper’s Weekly,
The Journal of Civilization.
The Slater’s collection includes engravings
representing Abraham Lincoln.
From a
photograph by Matthew Brady, a copy of an
engraving (1864) by John Chester Buttre (18211893) shows a healthy, relatively worry-free
bust length image of Lincoln. The portrait is
surrounded by an elaborate border, added by
William Momberger (1829-1888), that includes
in the upper right corner a group of, presumably,
emancipated slaves. In the upper left, one sees
the criminal act of a highwayman and at the lower
Detail of emancipated slaves from Abraham Lincoln by John Chester Butte,
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and weight from about eight to forty six inches
high and ten to fifty pounds. The pieces are signed
John Rogers New York with a date (if patented)
and titled on the front of their base. They were
often heavily patinaed, mostly to look like
bronze. At a time when it was in vogue to have
parlor statuary in one’s home, Rogers provided
appealing high quality durable plaster statuary
which was well within the financial reach of many
for whom marble or bronze statuary was not.
The John Rogers (1829-1904) pieces made from
1859 to 1892 were so ubiquitous in late 19th c.
American homes that Rogers has been referred to
as the Norman Rockwell of the 1800’s. Abraham
Lincoln owned a Rogers Group.
John Rogers portrayed ordinary, everyday,
urban and rural people doing ordinary, everyday
things. Through his Rogers Groups he created
an unrivaled document of the manners, sports,
amusements, social customs, domestic interests,
costumes, and even styles of home furnishing
of the period. John Rogers made statues of Civil
War soldiers, family groups, literary topics,
theater scenes and historical figures. Rogers was
born in Salem, Massachusetts and showed early
Lincoln en Famille by Augustus Robin, engraving.
Black ink on period paper, measuring 10” wide at
the horizontal axis x 12” at the vertical axis.
condition, and a would be a handsome edition to
any Lincoln collection.
Engraved by Augustus Robin is an image
after an un-attributed photograph, possibly
by Matthew Brady. Interestingly, an internet
search finds the exact image, also engraved
from a photograph, but exactly reversed, by a
different artist/engraver. It appears that either
the photograph was inadvertently printed from
the negative backwards in one original, or one
engraver attempted to distinguish his work from
the other and avoid a copyright infringement
battle. These images were framed in walnut
oval or round frames, adorned with composition
appliqués of flowers and raised border, making
them appropriate decorative additions to any 19th
c. parlor.
Also in the Slater’s collection is a “Rogers group”
entitled and representing Lincoln’s Council
of War, depicting a seated Lincoln flanked by
Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton and General
Ulysses S. Grant. Rogers Groups vary in height
Council of War by John Rogers.
8
evidence of artistic talent for drawing. After
education at Boston English High School, his
parents, rejecting the artist’s life, placed him at
work in a dry-goods store in Boston. Rogers felt
certain he was not suited for mercantile work,
and instead in 1848 went to Manchester, New
Hampshire to learn the machining trade. During
this period, Rogers devoted himself to his art
with particular attention to sculpture. He began
to model in clay in his leisure hours. In 1858
Rogers traveled to Rome and Paris to continue
his formal education in sculpting. On his return in
1859 he went to Chicago, where he modeled, for
a charity event, The Checker Players, a group in
clay, which attracted much attention and marked
the beginning of an unusual career.
The popularity of Rogers’ figurines was already
declining when poor health forced his retirement
in 1893 or 1894 and had passed entirely by the
time of his death in 1904. His studio at the New
Canaan Historical Society in Connecticut is now
known as the John Rogers Studio, was designated
a U. S. National Historic Landmark in 1965.
Finally, the Museum’s collection holds a bronze
Lincoln Birth Centennial Medal (1909), the work
of Joseph K. Davison’s Sons, Philadelphia. Then
one of the nation’s most prominent medallic
firms, it was noted for Presidential Inaugural
Medals. The obverse shows a bearded civil bust
of Lincoln facing left. Also on the front, are the
words “with malice toward none with charity
for all 1809-1909.” On its reverse is a wreath
with the words “This medal was struck for the
Grand Army of the Republic in commemoration
of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Abraham
Lincoln.” After its demise, many of the Davison’s
dies were found in the possession of August C.
Frank and Co. of Philadelphia, which went out of
business in the 1960’s.
From 1860 to 1893 John Rogers’ studio cast and
distributed 80,000 copies of 85 patented plaster
figures in the U. S. and abroad. His New York
factory employed 25 people. Despite their modest
prices, averaging $14, Rogers sold over a $1M
worth of sculpture, the equivalent of nearly $4M
today. The release of a new John Rogers group
was a major event covered by reporters from
across the U.S. Even Abraham Lincoln owned a
John Rogers Group. John Rogers’ sculpture The Slave Auction,
exhibited in New York in 1860, brought him to
the notice of the general public and began his
well-known Civil War series which included,
among others, the Council of War (1867) showing
Lincoln seated, surrounded by Ulysses S. Grant
and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton.
After the Civil War, John Rogers’ created genre
scenes on social subjects, and those illustrating
passages from literature, such as Washington
Irving’s Rip van Winkle (1871), Miles Standish
(1885) and from Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
Rogers was also considered a serious sculptor,
commissioned to execute a monumental
sculptures, including that of General John F.
Reynolds (1881-1883), which stands before the
Philadelphia City Hall. In 1887 he exhibited
Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman, a
huge bronze group.
Lincoln Birth Centennial Medal by Joseph K. Davidson’s Sons, bronze, 1909.
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NFA ALUMNI EXHIBITION
NOVEMBER 6, 2011 THROUGH JANUARY 20, 2012.
A Curator’s Choice show featuring the works of
professional, working artists who are alumni of the
Norwich Free Academy to celebrate the grand reopening of the Slater Memorial Museum.
Opening Reception
Due to our current renovation project, the date for the
opening reception has not been finalized. Please visit our
website for the most up-to-date details.
CALLING ALL NFA ALUMNI ARTISTS!
Digital submissions will be accepted until July 15, 2011.
Please visit www. slatermuseum. org to download the
exhibition prospectus and entry form.
Network by Melody Leary, NFA Class of ‘68
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED