Daniel Wadsworth (August 3, 1771 – July 28, 1848) of Hartford, Connecticut, was an American amateur artist and architect, arts patron and traveler. He is most remembered as the founder of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in his native city.
Daniel Wadsworth | |
|---|---|
 portrait by Thomas Sully, 1807 | |
| Born | 1771  |
| Died | 1848 (aged 76–77) |
| Occupation | Art collector |
| Parent(s) | |
Early life
editDaniel Wadsworth was descended from some of the first Puritan settlers of the Connecticut colony. His father Jeremiah Wadsworth was one of the wealthiest men in Hartford, and his mother Mehithabel (née Russell) Wadsworth was also from an elite family. His sister, Catharine Wadsworth, married U.S. Representative Nathaniel Terry Jr.[2] The senior Wadsworth was involved in trade, manufacturing, banking, and insurance.[3]
Young Daniel was educated partly at home; he was introduced to the great art and architecture of the royal courts of Europe by his father, who traveled there with him (see Grand tour).
Career
editWadsworth was an accomplished amateur artist and architect. He took many trips with writer Benjamin Silliman and Trumbull to Niagara Falls and the White Mountains (New Hampshire) to write accounts and sketch the landscapes they saw.
In later years, he became a patron of painters like Thomas Cole and advised him and others on itineraries for their own sketching expeditions. He played a formative role in the life and work of a fellow son of Hartford, Frederic Edwin Church, whose prodigious talent Wadsworth was among the first to recognize. A letter of introduction to Cole vouched for the astonishing natural ability of this young man and secured him the chance to live and study with Cole. This launched Church on a meteoric career that would see him become the most famous and financially successful artist in America.[4]
Determined to promote American artists, Wadsworth purchased the entire collection of the American Academy of the Fine Arts in New York. He then announced his plans to build "a Gallery of Fine Arts" on Main Street in Hartford, which would later be named after him as the Wadsworth Atheneum. He provided many of the art objects initially displayed from his personal collection in addition to the ones from the American Academy. He also helped poet Lydia Sigourney with the publication of her first books.[5]
Personal life
editIn 1794, Wadsworth was married to Faith Trumbull (1769–1846), a daughter of U.S. Senator and Governor of Connecticut, Jonathan Trumbull Jr. and Eunice (née Backus) Trumbull. He later became acquainted with her uncle, John Trumbull, one of the period's most celebrated historical painters.[6]
Wadsworth died in Hartford on July 28, 1848.[2]
References
edit- ^ Coit, Daniel Wadsworth (October 2011). An Artist In El Dorado: The Drawings And Letters Of Daniel Wadsworth Coit. Literary Licensing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-258-12203-4. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ a b Strong, Corrin. Some Descendants of William Wadsworth II and Sarah Talcott (1st Wife) Chart 1: Descendants of William’s Grandchildren: Samuel, Deacon John & Ensign Nathaniel) (PDF). Geneseo, New York: The Gen. James S. Wadsworth Institute of History and Genealogy. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ Art, Albany Institute of History and (1 January 1998). Albany Institute of History & Art: 200 Years of Collecting. SUNY Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-55595-101-6. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ "Daniel Wadsworth (1771-1848)". artgallery.yale.edu. Yale University Art Gallery. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ "Daniel Wadsworth". www.britishmuseum.org. The British Museum. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ Felch, W. Farrand; Atwell, George C.; Arms, H. Phelps (1895). "The Towers of Talcott Mountain". Connecticut Quarterly: An Illustrated Magazine, Devoted to the Literature, History, and Picturesque Features of Connecticut. Connecticut Quarterly Company: 180. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
External links
edit
- Daniel Wadsworth and the Hudson River School, Hog River, Vol.3 No.1
- The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum, homepage of official website