46th Annual Report for the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Item
Title
46th Annual Report for the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Identifier
1851-AR.pdf
Date
1851
Creator
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Subject
annual report
finance report
school report
exhibition
history
Publisher
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts' Dorothy and Kenneth Woodcock Archives
Medium
paper
Format
PDF
Source
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts' Dorothy and Kenneth Woodcock Archives
Language
eng
Rights
Digitized archival materials are accessible for purposes of education and research. We have indicated what we know about copyright and rights of privacy, publicity, or trademark. Due to the nature of archival collections, we are not always able to identify this information. We are eager to hear from any rights owners, so that we may obtain accurate information. Upon request, we will remove material from public view while we address a rights issue.
extracted text
PENNSYLVANIA -ACADEMY
OF THE
FIN EAR T S,
., • • •
F
REP, ORT
OF THE
lBunm nf
~r~ihmt nnhilir~dur!Zi
'1'0 THE
ST 0 CK H 0 L D E R s.
••
June 2, 18:51.
••
PHILADELPHIA:
T. K. AND P. G.COLLINS, PRINTERS.
1'851.
The Annual Meeting ,of the Stockholders of the .Pennsyl-
va~ia Acad C3my of the Fine ' Arts w~s held at the Academy,
June. 2, 1851.
'
On motion, Bernard Henry, Esq., was called to the Chair,
and Caleb Cope appointed Secretary.'
Mr. Gilpin, on hehalf of the Board6f President and Directors', presented 'a report, whereupon the following resolutions were ,~dopted : -Resolved; That the thanks of the St6ckholders are hereby
tendered to' the :Board of Direct'ors for the vaiuable services
rendered to the lnstitution during the past year, and for the Report 'presented to the meeting on this occasion.
Resolved; That~he Report be referred to the Board o'f Directors to be chosen at this meeting, with a request that they
publish the same ~n such forin and manner' as they may deem'
, expedient.
BERNARD HENRY, Chairman.
CALEB COPE, Seeretary.
/
I'
\
\,
-
'\.
'
i'
J'
p.R.ES;rOI; N ·T ;
J0SEPi ' R.; INGERSOLL. --'
,
.'.
.
,
,
( •
~
-::"
,;
.'
i ·"
.
'J AMES
R. LAMBl)iN, .
.tOirN- ~. .~~wi~: .:,' _,j,
' \
r
.
,
_
.. 1
•
-lJYMAN:
,
,
"
JOHN T.
I. .
.
!
'.
-'
)~ ... :n:
GRATZ, ;.
;P.F. R9THER~E~,
.'
~
I
f.
"
. : R~v~ H. J~ ¥(:)RTON, D.D.,
M. ,ROBINSON, J' ; ..
. J .··]'itANCis·FisHER,
GEORG~' S. PE,PPER, -
COr;E~ .; . ,.' /, .. ;
lIYMA~
.'~
'
- Cir..utLE~ J\iACALESTER, .
."
. \ ~ALEB/
~·I·.
•
.'~ 01 RECTC)RS,_
D. G:J;LPI-¥,
HENRY
~
. ,S.il\iUE~ W~LiJ:f~ .
,
Ji' ...
GR4TZ,
J":'
!l:reaf!/Jff'.~/
'J) ,
,I'
,:,'
.
LEWIS,
Secretary.
EtIZA:S,USS; Janitress.,.
:)
-
' r.
OF 'THE PRESIDENT, ANDDIR'EOTORS
'v ANIA
:OF
AOADEMY ,OF THE FIN'E ARTS
:ijOLDERS, 'JPNE, 2, ),8&1.. '- ,
'
J
THEPENNSYt.
THE STOOK~
TO
S'INCE .the 'destruction ,o f '3, large portlo~ ,of~h~ huilding~)
and property of th~ Pennsylvania A~ademy of- the Fine Arts
by fire,-'- on. the" ,11th, of "June; ) L84.5,'nearly six' years have'
pass~aaway., ' In the,-progres:s 'of these~ the liberaJ encouragement ~of the .citiz·ens :of Phiiadelphia, ·and:· the efforts, made hy
; those mor,e irritrtediately .:con~ec~ed with the ,Institution, ·generously' aided by that encourag;etri,ent, have enlarged the, num) ber .of 'i ts stock401ders, restor-ed, andatigmente~ its ruined
edifice, increased its 'p roperty, impio:ved ' i~ manYl!'espects its
organization, and ,advan.tageously- furthered the ,object'S' for
which it was originally es't~blished . . It has 'been"thought by
thePr,esident 'a'n d Dil1ectcirs that"at the presentanntial meet ..
ing;)tcwo;uld .be :satrsfactoryto ' tp'os~ iritere'sted jn the pros~
peTity .0£ :the Academy, :that, ,in ',\adaitibm to; the ;summary
stat.emen·t of .i,t s 'fi:naneesu.sttaHy presented, an a'ccoup.t of its '
progress and present ;situat~on 'should be ' ,~x1?:i9ited to them . .
, Qn ',the-J?~st orga;nization 'Of the Acade~y, ,in they~ar .1807,
, ead:f share of' ;sto,ck in t1'e ' corporation , had 'bee~ fixed at the'
su~ ,o f :fifty dollars, :subject to an annual! contribution of ,two
, d.olla.rs,~U!d ~a: righ~ oi fre.e: :admission intQ the Ac.ademy at all
,times)xithin ith~ ,ho;tirs 'appoint~dfor p~bH,c exhibition. . In
the 'Jea.t J843,the amount ,@f each .8,ha1'e ' 0f 'stock was r,edu((ed .
to ·tw.e.nty-fiWe ' dolhrs,spbject to 'a;,n " an~ua;I . pa;yment ,of ' op.e
,dollar, or., ,iP,Jieu thereOf, ,a~0m:mutation :p,a yment of five dol·
} .1I11's,; .1h:e .righ.t of free ' ,admi'ssion continuing as ,before; In
themonth of June, 1845, the p.u~ber of shares of stock was
three hundted and four'. Among the ' many ' evidences, 'in '
various forms, of generous interes,~ ,:which ' were called forth
by the disastrous confiagra,tion whieh ' then o~curred, ' was an
immeuiate -:-and voluntary increise ,of the number of subscrip- '
,tipns to shares of stoQk;e~bracing;' in ~very instance, th~
commutation for allnual payments. " This hl),s been I,contiilUed
through the suc~eeding period, 's othat' the 'numb~r of ' shares
has now risen to six hundred and fourteen~, While this inci~eas
ed ' number of pe;manent co~tributots has ,been of esse~t'ial
, benefit to-the, Academy, inthe,augn;e!ltation ofits', pr,o petty
'and ~resources, there are oth~r' considerations which make
it still~ mor~ :valuabl~ ~ri.d gratifying.,', To- spread' as .widely ,as
,possiblett4rorighoutour community, an interest in t~is Institution; to .enlist ,among thos~ imme'diatelyco~nec~ed w:ith it as ' ,
large a portion as possible :of our fellow.,.citizens; to obtain for
it thflt ,counten~nce ,and pa~ticipation 51;1 itsprogress ,~whieh
stiqh ,a connection creates ,and promot~s, are objects which
have been rega,:rded ,as primary from its first' foundation. It
~is, therefo~re, to be hoped th~tth.e increase of its stockholders,
whichar~se ih the , des'ire r~tl'ievethe ,disasters ,of 1845,
- may ~9ntinue" ,so ~s to- furthe~ the 'useful ends ' for ,which it '
, ,w asorigin'ally est~blish~d.,
,"
' ,'
In , 1845; the , :buildings ' appropriated to the 'uses of the
Academy,:and occupying tile valuable site 'on 0hestnut Street~ ,
b~l~ngi~gt'o' t~e sto'ckh6lder.s, con1?is'ted ,of the 'large central
rot:Uhda; tltenortherIi, gallery ap.pr9priated ~to pictures -; :, and
the ,easterl1 gallery; in whic};l :was placed -the valuable ,qollection ,: of plaster ,casts; ' embracing ~ weH-preserved 'PJQdels of
nearly every dhef ,d' ceuvre ., of ancien'tandmodern sculptut~..
Of ,th~sebuildings, the two gal1erieswere entii'elydest:royed;, '
an;d the rotunda was,'greatly injured . . Of ,the pictures, ~any
,Of the Inost valuable. wereconsu~ed 01: irreparably da:m~ged. ;
many su:f[eredso, mucrr.as to be-capable of i'ep'aration only by ,
the . greate~t,: caution, .expense, and care; ,of the :nobi~ ,coHec:tibn ,~of " cast~, ,scarcely .~ vestige remained; . and , the ~,.- models,
before which ,the ~rawing-table of the 's tudent of art 'wa~ so
I
to
~
,
~.~
. --
,
I
, ,
,\
;
/.
'0
constantly plac~d, we~e 'totally obliterated. Possessing, no
, resources but in the acc~inulated' property thus destroyed or
largely injured-:-with , an income bare.!y sufficient, , evenwitb:
Hconoiny, to meet its ,passir;tg expenses-:-the Academy must
, , have peri~hedunder this' disast€n~; butfo~' the .-prompt ,and.
,generous interposition 'of'the citizens of Philadelphia. On
the d,a y afte~ the confi~gration" a~ a publid meeting, 'they '
adopt,ed measure,s for the -restoration of the Institution ; many
l'adies gen~rouslj enlisted themselves inihesame ;cause; and
the cpmmunitj generally answeted the appeal with a spirit
and liberality which gave evid~nce that, amongst,them, a love ,
"of the arts and , readyassi,stanM in sudden' and unavoidable
misfortune gO"together, hand 1;0: hand.' ,rnaddition to the increased suhscriptioristo ,t he ' stock" numerous and liber'al con- "
, tributions',were ,volunt'a dly made, among which the munificent
sum of $9550 ,95w1Ls received from ,the committee of ladies,
'a~ ~heptoceeds of their successful efforts.
~
With this ,encouragem~nt, no time was lost ~in repairing the '
, disaster. of 1845. c O~ .the22d ' O! JY.lay, 1847, the Aca,delll:Y was again 'opened to the public. ' The edifice had been' rebuilt,
, ') , e~l~rged; and improved, so, as to form a s~ries of ' galleries at
once commodious in,arrangement, and in construction adapted
,to, display to the most advantage the works of art wIth' which '
-they were , to be filled. ' Thewalls, ~h~ floors"'~;nd, the ~60f '
were, all made completely fire~pioof, and of 'the most substan~tial character. The best, plans fOF warmth, ventilation, and'
light, as welr'in the evening as through tne day, were adopted. '
In li~u 6f :the two galleries' which were destroyed, five new
ones of excellent proportions were,erected around the 'rotunda, ,
comm~1ficating fr,om"it and:also witIi each other, S'O as to pre-, ,
, sent a continuous suite. _ A' separate school for pra'ctical i:p.~
structions in art was provided. Arrangements 'were made with
a'view tq a largelecture-ro.om ;:at some ,fu~u!e period; and
a'ccommodations ',vere 'provided for the ' comfortable- residence '
of the C]lrator within the building. It, ~may be ~a,f~ly s,aid
that, in no city of-the Uni't,ed States, is there an edifice so well
combining allJha~ is requisite for the uses for which it -has been "
I
I'
, .I"
"
'
8,
design~~. , Situate~ too, ~,E\ ,it is,.in t~e ~e,a:rt -of -the city, the)
intrin~ic, valu~ of t);le 'propert;r ~s ver;r, 'Colls,iderab,le. " N 0 i~~'
cumbr~~c~ " caa!gable , upOn: it ,e"ist~, with the , exc~ption ' of a ,,'
,~0rtgage of :~8000;, anda ,ground~rentoriginally, annexe,d. Ito ,
the lQt" for the payment of w:hicli;,the,rent re' ceiv~ from the ,
'buildiI!-g§ ther~on, .not ,atta~;h~d ' th~" Academy, is In,ore .than '
sufficient. " ",' ' , : , , ; ( ' ,
~
Many :of' the ,yaluabl~and 'ib eautifut works df 'art which .,
adorn t4e g~l1~fie~ of ' the ',Acad~rp:y,and~ffOl~d, ~ source of
great attraction and: interest at , al~tiines--:-in~epehdently })f
the additions which ,a re spe'cialJy but temporariLy made during,
the, periods of the AnnualJ~Jxhibitions-::"",,,"have be'en deposited
', there by the, generosity ~f per~ons t o;who~ they' belong. It ,
has '-ever' been ' the ieffort . ,Qf the Institution )'to make it a/,fit
re~,epta-cle for \s~~h , dep9s(ts;;~nd,' egu'ally,by the ,care taken
for the preservation ot ~orks so, 'colf~ded,~ a~d their, ~ppro
priate display, to prokotethewis4es,Q,f .the deposit9rs" ,a nd, to
prot~, ct their " prop'er't~. \ Xh~se .objedt"s m:l,ynow;" ,moi'e , tpan'
e! erl;>ef,ore;, be acc0I?:pli~he4 ~i'om " the enlarg~plent of.s;pac~ ,
and s,ecurity ,3[gai~st;. risJr", whic~ result .from the reconstl'nc-,
, tlon o~ the buildings: '"
,'"
' , ' '\ ~ ,'/,'",'
.
, }3u,t ~ the )rincipal ,lP<?,ftiop. the ,p~ctures; 'statl1eS, , ~ndcasts ,
which,' permailE{ntlyado~nthe, Academy, are the ,property of
the " stockhold~r~ theJ?1se~ves. ,'The copect~on , ~as been, gra.. ,
du~lly mad~ ' tlirougha 'selie~ of years; ,partly fro¢generous ,
do~ati~ns; an4 'Pa~tly by ,'s~ch pur~h~se~ fl'omtime to tini'e as '
t~e rrieal?-s ,.0£ the Institution .Rave; a~thor~z,ed.. " ' .- ,\ ,, '"
" The pictures tlms forming a portion' of -tpeproperty' of ,tne
Academy ar~ \of;g~'eat i~trinsi~ vaiue. ',Th~y e'rrib.r~c;efihe
specimens of-the ,g~nius of ,distinguished painters, both: American andEur~opean, " Th~y include' the.· pr~ductions of m'ariy , '
of those
celebrated schools
of pictQrial
art which.have
existed.'
,' ,
....
.
.
"'
.
r
in d,~fferent cpl!ntri~s ,dut ing ~he , pr~sent 'anq. the ,last' three ,
centuries. , Some of th,em~ it IS to be ,'regretted, were Srrep:a~ably injured,in 1845, hut m~st of ,those,whichwel:e then~ ,
!dam~ged r-av~: ~een 'skilfuily repaired 3J~d resto~ed;: a~d~': it i~ ,
scarcely :qecessary to, s~y, that~o e,x:pe.nse or 9are was spar.ed,
'I
to
',',I
..
,
(
.
.,"
•
:'
•
-...
, '
•
.
-, r
-..-'-.
of
.
...,
'
.
~
..
,-"
f
'.
I
~.,
~
.
.
.
"
j.
I
,
.
\
;
,
•
,
.
- t'Oeffect this. ' Si~ce, -the reconstl;ucti6n ' ~f' the bui1di~g~, it'
has beenani?ng the mostconst~nt ' and pers~vetirig 'efforts o_f _
- the:'Aclidell;1y -tocontiri~e this plan 0f :a grad'uaJ ,andjudicious ,
,collection of pictures.
80 doing ,it has ,b~enaide:d by
the:generous efforts of many ftiend:s -of ,the ,Institution, and'
has 'been able' also' Jo ,appropriate 't o this object, from , its
own resourc~s, -a sum 'b ut little short offiv~ thousand dollars.
The ' paintings thus obtained are ' ;nototily' ,permaneI).tand /
valuableaddition:s to thea-ttr,actions of the galleries, hut-they
,
are ,specimens
art wellcalchlated ,exhibit, ,to the student
and the aml1~eur~:the merits of thi sch.o'ols to which they belong', - T.hough 'SOme efforts hadbee~ made,- ftom an ,early-period,
, to inClude wQrks of 'sculpturearq.ong t~e other, objects of ,art IIi'
the collection' pei>man€mtly acquired by ,the, Ac~demy; yet the' ,
fewer opportu.nities which occurred of .obtainIng, them, their
'cost, alid the- risk of transportatiori; combined to Jimit these
acqujsiti~ns 'almost -entirely 'to busts 'an,d 'figUres of merit in
design ;ani execution; but not l!'~piriJ;lg to the higher effo:rts of
thesc,ulpt&r's art. , ' The taste 'a'n d se~tiIb.ent of the American '
pe'ople ha:s already-~vinced ' a; ;strorig predl'lectiem for t\his class'
, ~ of Fhe pro,d1!ctions 'o f artistic ,.ge:nius; '
it has 'met ~ i~e~
, , mar1r.able response ill- the' many e'Vid'e:nces; latelyj~iven, of thtl
skilla'nd talent of 'our 'sculptors-....more than one of whom sJ~em-.destined to be justly pI_aced irl: the highest rank of those whose '
works, are to merit) ~nd receiVe theipprobation 'of out own ,
times. The Academy has not, been /insensible to the advantage
:of forming in ,their 'gal[eri~s! ~pernia~e,ntcollecti6n of marbles; (
w40se beauty,.andapknowledged excell~nce shall accord with
'th~s growing sentiment. :Since ;[847", a sum, equal to that
eXjp'eD,ded ' forthe:'~cquisitiorr of 'pibtur~s,; has ~een d~v-oted. to '
this--object,-; the fOlnidatitm has been laid for the successful ,
devel(')pnierrt,it 'is 'hop~d, ' 6f ,tHi~ .desigp:; ·' ana-the time cannot ,
be 'f4r 'dist~nt, ifth~e same' liberal spiritwhi<Jh has 'herefofoi'e .
fostered the efforts Jof the ACltde!D-Y shall still attend it, 'when
its :c611ection of ' ~tatu:e's shall ' be 'among the ' most ' attric#ve
objeot,s it possesses,andshallconspicu.ously anda'dvantage..
ously exhibit the works of our own sculptors, ~s just objects of
In
,of
to
ana
>
10
pride .~nd:admiratibl1,alnd models to encourage, and guide the\
futUre artist
the same:'career.
'
"
'" Thy loss .resulting from-theconfiagration of, 1845, .which'wa~<
Ir?-ost complete an~ \irreparable, was th:a t of the gajlery 'o f cast~~
It w~s en~irely desttoy~a;. r Originally formed, at an , e~rly
day, by a genei'ousdona~ion, ~rbm. l\[r; , Joseph4,llen Smith,9f
', excellent mo~els ofseyeral of the niost' celebrated of the an""
tiguel,statues, it had, been "increased and a~orn~d by .Plany
, o~he~ models, pre~ented, it is ''understood, bytheI~peri~1
,govetnmento{ France, ,throrigh Gener,al,ArmstrQng, at . that
t,ime' the ,minister , .there~ qf,.the .United ': States. :Dccasionat
' p'Ul~chases, together ' with Jionatio.nsby artists aJ;l d i'ndividuals, '
had so augm~nted the.·conec~ion a,s to make it morety.a~
usually complete; and 'it ,was a portion,6f the ,property of the '
Academy, which posses,Sed a 'val~e ' beyond .its il~.trinsiccost,
,hecause it had 'been a 'school, s~arcely t9 ,be found ,elsewhere,
to which ,the stvdent ' aaily'resort~,d to study ahdcopy the
forms an'd, designs
fittecl ' to ::'eultiy~te a "classic . taste. - " <
The 'resour~es ' of the ' Aca~emy have not enabled .it" since
the reco~1struction 'of the b:uildiJ1gs, to replace this .excellent .
collecti.on; but to do. so, as' ,e arly ;and as judiciously as pos.sible,
is ·among the ,.':first objects i(is desi'red to pursue. ,':Cowards' it
s~ID;e ,effort~ 'have been 'already direc,ted? and jt is to be 'hoped
that the /time i§.. not far: distant when it will have .been succe~sfully accomplish'e(f
"
,,",'
" ForttlIiat~ly, the small but valuable library of the Acagemy
~,as r~s,cued" with littl~ i~j'ury, from , the ' pei'il :of 'the ;co~fia- ,
'gration of1845. This collection,' embracing some ,oJ ,the most ,
celebrated' wor~s llUblislled, in France and Italy, t'? il~us~rate
ancient and ID?dern art, ,was ,commenced by 'a donation from
the Eml:leTOr Napoleon,.made', also through Q-eneral Arms~rong.'
It has beelicarefully preser~ed; 'ahd has :alwa;y:s, ,when ,ooca- '
, sio~, offered,heenmade : s,ubseryi~nt to the ,purposes ', 'Of in.,'' ,
- strlictiori, ,and study. ' Every care wasta,ken tOlepairas m:uc~
as ' p0ssible whatevel: injury it ,suffered ; and ,every oppor;. , ,
timity ha~ b'een ,since sought to increase ' it, as well by the
in
,
"'
, I
, 0 '
qest
"
'
, "
"
,
,
11
addition of engravings . ,a s 'of works - c~n~ected '.wHh ..;art'.
Though this does ~ot present a 'cbstlyportion otthep:roperty
of the Institution; ,and ~the department_is, one :subordinate to,
and' necessarily less promiu'ent than ,others, it merits and wiLl
receive' its ,due share .of that attention~ which seeks tbcombine'
,e verything that can contribute to 'the proper : progr~ss ,arid
promotion of art. '
","
',~
', '
, . Fromthis review of,the 'present' situation of. the Academy; ,
Of ' itsact~al resources, a,Iid',especi!;1llyof ;the .result Qf the
efforts ~aae,= since ~81:5,f0r its r~stotationand progress, it will-be ,seen I that' it :is possesseq of~ a 'large amount of pr6pel;ty,1 "
servicea;bl~to the arts, 6fgreat intrinsic v'allie, .and that; step
. by step; in .the', collT.seoftime:it has gradually grown into 'an ,
Institution :fulfilling ,theobject,anii'ounced by tho.se ~ who
foun'ded ~it 'inore -than fo~ty y~11rsago," ih~prornotioIi and
cultivation of ,the Hne arts, in tbis 'country; and theerectioR.
) . of a building, in the city of Philadelphia, ,for the reception
and exhibitioR of ~,statuaryan",dother, specin'lens of art."
, With ,the reconstruction. of ,t he 'buildings ' and 'the restor!1tion :anqirrcrease', otthe ~prope:?ty 'and: resolirces of'the Aca', demy,'- another :object was un~ted, and has be~n steadilypur- ,.
,sued. . At 't he same ,time :that it wa,s re~open.ed ,in tn~ ,spring'
,of 184'7, s~chchanges 'were' ' maaeinit_~' arrangeIl!-ents and
organization, as experience and ref1ectiqn seem~d to dictat~. '
,'Theprivileges , oft~e.rnstitution,and a participation in its
,property;have'beeh (,ex.tended, ,so tha~ .any 'academicjan who ,
'.shill :present .to' it' a~ ,origihal spe,cimen ,of his productions, in
'the arts, ?f 'the value of thirty' dollars, receiving ,the~ approval
of theboard;" of directors/ mllty -become, a stockholder ang
memper" 0fthe" C0rp~ra Hon; ..rr~efrom a.ny anIlUal ,or cOnlnl:uta'-: .
', tiDnpaYmeri~. ' Persol'fs' 'payinK',ten, dollars in ,advance ar~
created life "rp.ember,s.' The: privileges ·ofan electib~ to hono.,.
~arimen{b~rship are ,exte.nded ,to lib.era! .patrons ·of the AC~4
de my and distinguished fi'iendsof the Fine Arts, and·als.o to
distingtlis4ed n0n~resident artists, freE)' from :contribution o~
charge:;' a~(r
the ' privileges .of·visl:ting th~ AcadelIly ,ha ve bee!l.':
,
'
~',
~
.)
J
'F
,
\ '
generally. placed· \lpOn :the most liberal footing. " Artists ' of'; : good character, wh,ose works have been received at a 'public'
~~,hibitiori, are admitted ,u~der 'su:itab~e regulations, .and while,
t.hey· l ~o;ntinue in .phe ;actualprac'tice of their 'art, tostudy
. ,d,,1it6Qg the academic ,term,: in such parts .of the Academy :as'
lti\~· ;Ilotfor the time occupied by th~ schaeTs .or by anY .ptlblic
exhibition; they are also. . entitled, on' application, to ' receive·
tJcRets ~f< admission tQ the~xJ:1ibitiqits. Provision 'has" be.eR
Imtde for :.f?elec:ting from 'a mongtliese artist's, a number, not;.
exc,eeding fort-y, ·gf . '~ Associates ;of ·the' l?ennsylyan~a 'Acadeniy·
Qfthe Fine ,Arts," .()ll whom the ' privil~ges of Life Members
Qrre conferred, ~, a~d .from ,among "wPcom ,thirty . '~' Ac!1demi
cians": may be chosEm,wnqare 'to have the privilege .qfstock..·
holders.
"'., , ,
'
, It has' been ·aJr~ady ,statedtl1at,: in' the ,plan ,(ortM recon,.
stru~tionof the ebuil~ings~ arr~~gements; were .m~de 'for a,
a,chool ,o f practical jnstruction. ' This 'is lllade to embrace the,
various 'de,partuteRts of the' arts:, or 'Such of-them {as ~ 1llay from
time: totirp.e "be. Judged ce.xped~ent.i' :All 'academic 'terIl} ~has
heen established;commenciri:.g :in"AItgust; ':a:hd continuing till .
, Ap!ili; and{t isconteinplat~d.to , widen' s.tilrf~rthe'r the ,scope
~nd :?en~fit ,.of ,the sc4ools~ ,by ,the ' ~ppointrrient '.of -such '.p~'o-, .
feSSOfs, : as ,may he j~dged · :e~p,edi~nt, ,t '@ lectl1re -publiqly ·in' .
the several (departments ..of -the fine :arts,. 'and in thesdences .
connected therewith; , ,Where young persons ~·areJcommerided .
by: .theil' talents; . meritorious ,charader, and w~rit. of pecTI'ni-·.
ary' 'ability, otherwise to.'prosecute their '. s:tu:dies, they 'are nro ..
vide.d' ,with gratuitous,· ins:t ruction; {and students ·of'.the 'arts, '
not pupils' ;of ,* ,e , ,scho9is; :m~y; also uhQeir. due ' regulations,
enjoy the·, privileges :o.f v5siting the Acad'emy; ,and: using its
Gonection~' .of art. · ,J rhere is ev:ery ir'eaSOn"to, ~o,pe that in the
persevering' :a nd sJlCCessLul' .dev:eiopm:ent , of ,these pl~ns,. the
Academy ma;y . service:a blycontribute ,to the ' ctiltivationof'
el1rly gellills, and.that the~tores ~Iidm(j)d:e1s' which ' it,.col1e·Cts'
aJ'}:d ;e.xhibits" .may, notalotte ' affo~d .gra;tific'a ti,on tothOS'e ' who~
view: them, putbecoIIJ:e)he means.of ~!lspiri~g, fostering, aIic1 .
. guicifing the youthfulintellect in it .career ~hich presents the
l
'. '
..
;b~ightest promise of' ,attractive :occupation andhon6blble ' dis~
tinction. '_
, '
,' Nor 'has it b~en solely to;tpe' e]lcour-agemen( -of the student
'of 'a rt, that t~he, arrangements '--of tp.e Academy have been
:'directe'd. AnniIa;!: exhibitions:',of works ,or merit in the 'seve!:'
ral departments of the arts have been ,opened; in its capacious
galleries, with entire regularity during ever.y season ,since the
'reconstruction ~of the buildings. " At these ,exhibitions" two ' df
't he galleries have been' set , 3Jpart .for ~ th~ ' display of' original
' pI:oductions; not :befote exhibited at the' Ac~demy. ,The cost
of transporting ' these' p~odU:ctions; has been borne by: the
Institution? an.d a:rrangements have been carefully ,made for 'their selecti9n;' reception and :dispositioh. , , , :' " ,;' "
,,\
:: In: 'each'year since 1847, the nUinber of. visitors~ ri.md the
-amount' clthe I receipts: have", succe~sively ' increased., TJfte
interest 'and approbation of thecoinmun'ity-have rewarded the '
effor'ts and encouraged the hop'es-of ,t,he Acaaemy. Livi~g
artist$, n()~ froID ,our, own, state' alone, 'but from, var:io1;l.s parts
,'o f the Union, 'and-;even f1'o14, ,Europe, have, contributed tlieir
prodtiCtions~ : Individuals: '}Vhose travels and 'love ~of 'art have
. enabled them to procure ,worRsof beauty,and merit, ,have found _
" ,a 'sati~faction ,i,n furtliering, ;:, the , plans ",of the\;Acadeiny,~: by ',
' p1a~lng ,them upon, its "walls;. ' and ,'our city has ,witnessed '
, -during, these ,-e~hibitio~s, in each succeeding spring, place
:0'£ favorite resort f where th~ artist has seen , th~laborsof his
'hamf" and genius ,p appily displayed; and the .loyer of refined ,
. ,jntel1eetualgl.'atification has alway~ been-- rewarded. ' , ; ,- ' .
Inadd.ition' tQ,: an'dasa' part of, the 'Arinual Eihibition,the
'ip.stitution ,of premiums to living artists for original conip osi-. 'tions 'Was adopted, under,"such , regulations ' assh6itld' at once
'oirer ,a n adequate rewardforitheir 'efforts, and .insure ail im,.
'parti~l, decisio..n 'upon their ,merits. ' Tllis , portion of ·its plan
:tIle Academy was 'able to. carry int9 ,effect. for the 'fir's t tibie r
,at the exli-ibition of last: year.. " By,a circular widely addres~ed
~to artists :througliout, the ~United ~ StMes and jn,'Europe" it was '
. ;ahhounced:-tha't five premiums; 'amounting aTtogetherto two
,thousan:ddol!'ars~would :be~pla~ed ,at th,e disP9sition 9f compelI
-
,
,
-
,
,
>
a
j
14
tent judges, who should: awardthe ~three first premiums t~ the
artists, respectively, who might compete for them by- the de:'
livery at .the Academy; ofpi~tures , on 'SOme historical, scriptural or domestic subject, in size, not less than fifty inches by
forty, and este,em'ed oy the judges to be :perform~nces ,of
merit, ltnd entitled to ' ~prize ; The' two remaining premiums.
'were to be awarded, in silqilar manner, for ' pictures to consist
'of landscapes or marine views, in size not less phan fifty-Jour
by forty inches;, The' cost of; tnLnsportation: of. the pictures
offered for competition; ,both from and (if -returne~)' back to
the artist, was assumed, by the Academy: Thenve for which
the preniiu,ms were 'awarded became, its property, and the unsuccess~ul productions ,were to be , returned, or" if desire'd , by
,the artist, rrii'ght hmai~ for sale, being taken care Qf without
charge or expeIise, so as to be dispos~d of to the best advantage; , '
'"
This effort of the Academy to extend its encouragement arid
resources; for the, benefit ofth'e arts;' was received , and ' re:'
sponded to in a ~orrespon~ing spirit, in the United States and
abroad~ Fifty-one pictures, from thirty-eight :a rtists, of whom
thirteen were American and the, rest from various ,schools of
'Evropean ar.t, wei!') delivered at ,the' Academy incompetition
for the premiums, and adorned the' ,galleries throughout the
~xhibition. Embracing every variety of 'Subject, from the' historical and scriptural scenes, to landscapes, and domestic and
'still'Iife; many of them. were of mqre than COmmon excellence.
It was with no little regret that some of these were excluded
from the decision, of the judges; owing to acCide}lt, or inattention on the part of the artists, 'iIi ~regard to their dim ed'sio~s;, or by limitations as ' to' price, inconsistent wit~ tlie
classification of the' premillms~ which had relation 'to the .sub.,.
j ects ,as well as to the merits 'ofth~: productions. The ' deei'siori: of the judges, who were residents of New York, Baltimore '
and Philadelphia respectively, is' understood :to ,have b:een
tinanimous ; and. the five paintingsforwhich premiuIlls we~e )
'award~d, and which now adorn the ,walls of the, Academy as
a portion of its' permanent pi"opertj, are works '(:)f- 'EHich merit
15 .
aNd beauty, as to afford a proof that the design of the Institution was successfully and happily accomplished • .
In the, view thus presented to the stockholders and the
community of the position, property, progress and 'future plans '
of the Acad~iny, satisfactQryevidence is exhibited .of the
attainment to a high degree of the objects -it wasjntende~d by
its!establishment to promote. It needs butthe contiNuance
of that general interest and tosteringcaref.r:.om our community
which, especially through the last six years, it has happily experienbed, to promote these objects jn a still more extended ang
beneficial manner. -Will it receive this encourageme~t? To
a.sk the question'is to' know the answ,er. ~ Philadelphia has
been ever foremost in works of public utility; ever conspicuous for _the taste,the beauty, a}1d the ' devotion to trUe principles ,of ~rt which have been practically combined ,in those
:works. Is it too much to say, that ,the best if ,no,t the only
real source of these, must spring ,from an institution such as
this; and the adoption and development of such plans~ ,emanating from and connected with it, as h~ve' bee~ described?
If so, .the Academy may 100k forwai'd to that gellerOllS .aid.
which will give to It yet brighter prospects, and sanction and
effectually encourage its , voluntary and gratuitous, b1;lt not
less zealous, efforts in behalf of-the Fine Arts.
\
\
-
OF THE
FIN EAR T S,
., • • •
F
REP, ORT
OF THE
lBunm nf
~r~ihmt nnhilir~dur!Zi
'1'0 THE
ST 0 CK H 0 L D E R s.
••
June 2, 18:51.
••
PHILADELPHIA:
T. K. AND P. G.COLLINS, PRINTERS.
1'851.
The Annual Meeting ,of the Stockholders of the .Pennsyl-
va~ia Acad C3my of the Fine ' Arts w~s held at the Academy,
June. 2, 1851.
'
On motion, Bernard Henry, Esq., was called to the Chair,
and Caleb Cope appointed Secretary.'
Mr. Gilpin, on hehalf of the Board6f President and Directors', presented 'a report, whereupon the following resolutions were ,~dopted : -Resolved; That the thanks of the St6ckholders are hereby
tendered to' the :Board of Direct'ors for the vaiuable services
rendered to the lnstitution during the past year, and for the Report 'presented to the meeting on this occasion.
Resolved; That~he Report be referred to the Board o'f Directors to be chosen at this meeting, with a request that they
publish the same ~n such forin and manner' as they may deem'
, expedient.
BERNARD HENRY, Chairman.
CALEB COPE, Seeretary.
/
I'
\
\,
-
'\.
'
i'
J'
p.R.ES;rOI; N ·T ;
J0SEPi ' R.; INGERSOLL. --'
,
.'.
.
,
,
( •
~
-::"
,;
.'
i ·"
.
'J AMES
R. LAMBl)iN, .
.tOirN- ~. .~~wi~: .:,' _,j,
' \
r
.
,
_
.. 1
•
-lJYMAN:
,
,
"
JOHN T.
I. .
.
!
'.
-'
)~ ... :n:
GRATZ, ;.
;P.F. R9THER~E~,
.'
~
I
f.
"
. : R~v~ H. J~ ¥(:)RTON, D.D.,
M. ,ROBINSON, J' ; ..
. J .··]'itANCis·FisHER,
GEORG~' S. PE,PPER, -
COr;E~ .; . ,.' /, .. ;
lIYMA~
.'~
'
- Cir..utLE~ J\iACALESTER, .
."
. \ ~ALEB/
~·I·.
•
.'~ 01 RECTC)RS,_
D. G:J;LPI-¥,
HENRY
~
. ,S.il\iUE~ W~LiJ:f~ .
,
Ji' ...
GR4TZ,
J":'
!l:reaf!/Jff'.~/
'J) ,
,I'
,:,'
.
LEWIS,
Secretary.
EtIZA:S,USS; Janitress.,.
:)
-
' r.
OF 'THE PRESIDENT, ANDDIR'EOTORS
'v ANIA
:OF
AOADEMY ,OF THE FIN'E ARTS
:ijOLDERS, 'JPNE, 2, ),8&1.. '- ,
'
J
THEPENNSYt.
THE STOOK~
TO
S'INCE .the 'destruction ,o f '3, large portlo~ ,of~h~ huilding~)
and property of th~ Pennsylvania A~ademy of- the Fine Arts
by fire,-'- on. the" ,11th, of "June; ) L84.5,'nearly six' years have'
pass~aaway., ' In the,-progres:s 'of these~ the liberaJ encouragement ~of the .citiz·ens :of Phiiadelphia, ·and:· the efforts, made hy
; those mor,e irritrtediately .:con~ec~ed with the ,Institution, ·generously' aided by that encourag;etri,ent, have enlarged the, num) ber .of 'i ts stock401ders, restor-ed, andatigmente~ its ruined
edifice, increased its 'p roperty, impio:ved ' i~ manYl!'espects its
organization, and ,advan.tageously- furthered the ,object'S' for
which it was originally es't~blished . . It has 'been"thought by
thePr,esident 'a'n d Dil1ectcirs that"at the presentanntial meet ..
ing;)tcwo;uld .be :satrsfactoryto ' tp'os~ iritere'sted jn the pros~
peTity .0£ :the Academy, :that, ,in ',\adaitibm to; the ;summary
stat.emen·t of .i,t s 'fi:naneesu.sttaHy presented, an a'ccoup.t of its '
progress and present ;situat~on 'should be ' ,~x1?:i9ited to them . .
, Qn ',the-J?~st orga;nization 'Of the Acade~y, ,in they~ar .1807,
, ead:f share of' ;sto,ck in t1'e ' corporation , had 'bee~ fixed at the'
su~ ,o f :fifty dollars, :subject to an annual! contribution of ,two
, d.olla.rs,~U!d ~a: righ~ oi fre.e: :admission intQ the Ac.ademy at all
,times)xithin ith~ ,ho;tirs 'appoint~dfor p~bH,c exhibition. . In
the 'Jea.t J843,the amount ,@f each .8,ha1'e ' 0f 'stock was r,edu((ed .
to ·tw.e.nty-fiWe ' dolhrs,spbject to 'a;,n " an~ua;I . pa;yment ,of ' op.e
,dollar, or., ,iP,Jieu thereOf, ,a~0m:mutation :p,a yment of five dol·
} .1I11's,; .1h:e .righ.t of free ' ,admi'ssion continuing as ,before; In
themonth of June, 1845, the p.u~ber of shares of stock was
three hundted and four'. Among the ' many ' evidences, 'in '
various forms, of generous interes,~ ,:which ' were called forth
by the disastrous confiagra,tion whieh ' then o~curred, ' was an
immeuiate -:-and voluntary increise ,of the number of subscrip- '
,tipns to shares of stoQk;e~bracing;' in ~very instance, th~
commutation for allnual payments. " This hl),s been I,contiilUed
through the suc~eeding period, 's othat' the 'numb~r of ' shares
has now risen to six hundred and fourteen~, While this inci~eas
ed ' number of pe;manent co~tributots has ,been of esse~t'ial
, benefit to-the, Academy, inthe,augn;e!ltation ofits', pr,o petty
'and ~resources, there are oth~r' considerations which make
it still~ mor~ :valuabl~ ~ri.d gratifying.,', To- spread' as .widely ,as
,possiblett4rorighoutour community, an interest in t~is Institution; to .enlist ,among thos~ imme'diatelyco~nec~ed w:ith it as ' ,
large a portion as possible :of our fellow.,.citizens; to obtain for
it thflt ,counten~nce ,and pa~ticipation 51;1 itsprogress ,~whieh
stiqh ,a connection creates ,and promot~s, are objects which
have been rega,:rded ,as primary from its first' foundation. It
~is, therefo~re, to be hoped th~tth.e increase of its stockholders,
whichar~se ih the , des'ire r~tl'ievethe ,disasters ,of 1845,
- may ~9ntinue" ,so ~s to- furthe~ the 'useful ends ' for ,which it '
, ,w asorigin'ally est~blish~d.,
,"
' ,'
In , 1845; the , :buildings ' appropriated to the 'uses of the
Academy,:and occupying tile valuable site 'on 0hestnut Street~ ,
b~l~ngi~gt'o' t~e sto'ckh6lder.s, con1?is'ted ,of the 'large central
rot:Uhda; tltenortherIi, gallery ap.pr9priated ~to pictures -; :, and
the ,easterl1 gallery; in whic};l :was placed -the valuable ,qollection ,: of plaster ,casts; ' embracing ~ weH-preserved 'PJQdels of
nearly every dhef ,d' ceuvre ., of ancien'tandmodern sculptut~..
Of ,th~sebuildings, the two gal1erieswere entii'elydest:royed;, '
an;d the rotunda was,'greatly injured . . Of ,the pictures, ~any
,Of the Inost valuable. wereconsu~ed 01: irreparably da:m~ged. ;
many su:f[eredso, mucrr.as to be-capable of i'ep'aration only by ,
the . greate~t,: caution, .expense, and care; ,of the :nobi~ ,coHec:tibn ,~of " cast~, ,scarcely .~ vestige remained; . and , the ~,.- models,
before which ,the ~rawing-table of the 's tudent of art 'wa~ so
I
to
~
,
~.~
. --
,
I
, ,
,\
;
/.
'0
constantly plac~d, we~e 'totally obliterated. Possessing, no
, resources but in the acc~inulated' property thus destroyed or
largely injured-:-with , an income bare.!y sufficient, , evenwitb:
Hconoiny, to meet its ,passir;tg expenses-:-the Academy must
, , have peri~hedunder this' disast€n~; butfo~' the .-prompt ,and.
,generous interposition 'of'the citizens of Philadelphia. On
the d,a y afte~ the confi~gration" a~ a publid meeting, 'they '
adopt,ed measure,s for the -restoration of the Institution ; many
l'adies gen~rouslj enlisted themselves inihesame ;cause; and
the cpmmunitj generally answeted the appeal with a spirit
and liberality which gave evid~nce that, amongst,them, a love ,
"of the arts and , readyassi,stanM in sudden' and unavoidable
misfortune gO"together, hand 1;0: hand.' ,rnaddition to the increased suhscriptioristo ,t he ' stock" numerous and liber'al con- "
, tributions',were ,volunt'a dly made, among which the munificent
sum of $9550 ,95w1Ls received from ,the committee of ladies,
'a~ ~heptoceeds of their successful efforts.
~
With this ,encouragem~nt, no time was lost ~in repairing the '
, disaster. of 1845. c O~ .the22d ' O! JY.lay, 1847, the Aca,delll:Y was again 'opened to the public. ' The edifice had been' rebuilt,
, ') , e~l~rged; and improved, so, as to form a s~ries of ' galleries at
once commodious in,arrangement, and in construction adapted
,to, display to the most advantage the works of art wIth' which '
-they were , to be filled. ' Thewalls, ~h~ floors"'~;nd, the ~60f '
were, all made completely fire~pioof, and of 'the most substan~tial character. The best, plans fOF warmth, ventilation, and'
light, as welr'in the evening as through tne day, were adopted. '
In li~u 6f :the two galleries' which were destroyed, five new
ones of excellent proportions were,erected around the 'rotunda, ,
comm~1ficating fr,om"it and:also witIi each other, S'O as to pre-, ,
, sent a continuous suite. _ A' separate school for pra'ctical i:p.~
structions in art was provided. Arrangements 'were made with
a'view tq a largelecture-ro.om ;:at some ,fu~u!e period; and
a'ccommodations ',vere 'provided for the ' comfortable- residence '
of the C]lrator within the building. It, ~may be ~a,f~ly s,aid
that, in no city of-the Uni't,ed States, is there an edifice so well
combining allJha~ is requisite for the uses for which it -has been "
I
I'
, .I"
"
'
8,
design~~. , Situate~ too, ~,E\ ,it is,.in t~e ~e,a:rt -of -the city, the)
intrin~ic, valu~ of t);le 'propert;r ~s ver;r, 'Colls,iderab,le. " N 0 i~~'
cumbr~~c~ " caa!gable , upOn: it ,e"ist~, with the , exc~ption ' of a ,,'
,~0rtgage of :~8000;, anda ,ground~rentoriginally, annexe,d. Ito ,
the lQt" for the payment of w:hicli;,the,rent re' ceiv~ from the ,
'buildiI!-g§ ther~on, .not ,atta~;h~d ' th~" Academy, is In,ore .than '
sufficient. " ",' ' , : , , ; ( ' ,
~
Many :of' the ,yaluabl~and 'ib eautifut works df 'art which .,
adorn t4e g~l1~fie~ of ' the ',Acad~rp:y,and~ffOl~d, ~ source of
great attraction and: interest at , al~tiines--:-in~epehdently })f
the additions which ,a re spe'cialJy but temporariLy made during,
the, periods of the AnnualJ~Jxhibitions-::"",,,"have be'en deposited
', there by the, generosity ~f per~ons t o;who~ they' belong. It ,
has '-ever' been ' the ieffort . ,Qf the Institution )'to make it a/,fit
re~,epta-cle for \s~~h , dep9s(ts;;~nd,' egu'ally,by the ,care taken
for the preservation ot ~orks so, 'colf~ded,~ a~d their, ~ppro
priate display, to prokotethewis4es,Q,f .the deposit9rs" ,a nd, to
prot~, ct their " prop'er't~. \ Xh~se .objedt"s m:l,ynow;" ,moi'e , tpan'
e! erl;>ef,ore;, be acc0I?:pli~he4 ~i'om " the enlarg~plent of.s;pac~ ,
and s,ecurity ,3[gai~st;. risJr", whic~ result .from the reconstl'nc-,
, tlon o~ the buildings: '"
,'"
' , ' '\ ~ ,'/,'",'
.
, }3u,t ~ the )rincipal ,lP<?,ftiop. the ,p~ctures; 'statl1eS, , ~ndcasts ,
which,' permailE{ntlyado~nthe, Academy, are the ,property of
the " stockhold~r~ theJ?1se~ves. ,'The copect~on , ~as been, gra.. ,
du~lly mad~ ' tlirougha 'selie~ of years; ,partly fro¢generous ,
do~ati~ns; an4 'Pa~tly by ,'s~ch pur~h~se~ fl'omtime to tini'e as '
t~e rrieal?-s ,.0£ the Institution .Rave; a~thor~z,ed.. " ' .- ,\ ,, '"
" The pictures tlms forming a portion' of -tpeproperty' of ,tne
Academy ar~ \of;g~'eat i~trinsi~ vaiue. ',Th~y e'rrib.r~c;efihe
specimens of-the ,g~nius of ,distinguished painters, both: American andEur~opean, " Th~y include' the.· pr~ductions of m'ariy , '
of those
celebrated schools
of pictQrial
art which.have
existed.'
,' ,
....
.
.
"'
.
r
in d,~fferent cpl!ntri~s ,dut ing ~he , pr~sent 'anq. the ,last' three ,
centuries. , Some of th,em~ it IS to be ,'regretted, were Srrep:a~ably injured,in 1845, hut m~st of ,those,whichwel:e then~ ,
!dam~ged r-av~: ~een 'skilfuily repaired 3J~d resto~ed;: a~d~': it i~ ,
scarcely :qecessary to, s~y, that~o e,x:pe.nse or 9are was spar.ed,
'I
to
',',I
..
,
(
.
.,"
•
:'
•
-...
, '
•
.
-, r
-..-'-.
of
.
...,
'
.
~
..
,-"
f
'.
I
~.,
~
.
.
.
"
j.
I
,
.
\
;
,
•
,
.
- t'Oeffect this. ' Si~ce, -the reconstl;ucti6n ' ~f' the bui1di~g~, it'
has beenani?ng the mostconst~nt ' and pers~vetirig 'efforts o_f _
- the:'Aclidell;1y -tocontiri~e this plan 0f :a grad'uaJ ,andjudicious ,
,collection of pictures.
80 doing ,it has ,b~enaide:d by
the:generous efforts of many ftiend:s -of ,the ,Institution, and'
has 'been able' also' Jo ,appropriate 't o this object, from , its
own resourc~s, -a sum 'b ut little short offiv~ thousand dollars.
The ' paintings thus obtained are ' ;nototily' ,permaneI).tand /
valuableaddition:s to thea-ttr,actions of the galleries, hut-they
,
are ,specimens
art wellcalchlated ,exhibit, ,to the student
and the aml1~eur~:the merits of thi sch.o'ols to which they belong', - T.hough 'SOme efforts hadbee~ made,- ftom an ,early-period,
, to inClude wQrks of 'sculpturearq.ong t~e other, objects of ,art IIi'
the collection' pei>man€mtly acquired by ,the, Ac~demy; yet the' ,
fewer opportu.nities which occurred of .obtainIng, them, their
'cost, alid the- risk of transportatiori; combined to Jimit these
acqujsiti~ns 'almost -entirely 'to busts 'an,d 'figUres of merit in
design ;ani execution; but not l!'~piriJ;lg to the higher effo:rts of
thesc,ulpt&r's art. , ' The taste 'a'n d se~tiIb.ent of the American '
pe'ople ha:s already-~vinced ' a; ;strorig predl'lectiem for t\his class'
, ~ of Fhe pro,d1!ctions 'o f artistic ,.ge:nius; '
it has 'met ~ i~e~
, , mar1r.able response ill- the' many e'Vid'e:nces; latelyj~iven, of thtl
skilla'nd talent of 'our 'sculptors-....more than one of whom sJ~em-.destined to be justly pI_aced irl: the highest rank of those whose '
works, are to merit) ~nd receiVe theipprobation 'of out own ,
times. The Academy has not, been /insensible to the advantage
:of forming in ,their 'gal[eri~s! ~pernia~e,ntcollecti6n of marbles; (
w40se beauty,.andapknowledged excell~nce shall accord with
'th~s growing sentiment. :Since ;[847", a sum, equal to that
eXjp'eD,ded ' forthe:'~cquisitiorr of 'pibtur~s,; has ~een d~v-oted. to '
this--object,-; the fOlnidatitm has been laid for the successful ,
devel(')pnierrt,it 'is 'hop~d, ' 6f ,tHi~ .desigp:; ·' ana-the time cannot ,
be 'f4r 'dist~nt, ifth~e same' liberal spiritwhi<Jh has 'herefofoi'e .
fostered the efforts Jof the ACltde!D-Y shall still attend it, 'when
its :c611ection of ' ~tatu:e's shall ' be 'among the ' most ' attric#ve
objeot,s it possesses,andshallconspicu.ously anda'dvantage..
ously exhibit the works of our own sculptors, ~s just objects of
In
,of
to
ana
>
10
pride .~nd:admiratibl1,alnd models to encourage, and guide the\
futUre artist
the same:'career.
'
"
'" Thy loss .resulting from-theconfiagration of, 1845, .which'wa~<
Ir?-ost complete an~ \irreparable, was th:a t of the gajlery 'o f cast~~
It w~s en~irely desttoy~a;. r Originally formed, at an , e~rly
day, by a genei'ousdona~ion, ~rbm. l\[r; , Joseph4,llen Smith,9f
', excellent mo~els ofseyeral of the niost' celebrated of the an""
tiguel,statues, it had, been "increased and a~orn~d by .Plany
, o~he~ models, pre~ented, it is ''understood, bytheI~peri~1
,govetnmento{ France, ,throrigh Gener,al,ArmstrQng, at . that
t,ime' the ,minister , .there~ qf,.the .United ': States. :Dccasionat
' p'Ul~chases, together ' with Jionatio.nsby artists aJ;l d i'ndividuals, '
had so augm~nted the.·conec~ion a,s to make it morety.a~
usually complete; and 'it ,was a portion,6f the ,property of the '
Academy, which posses,Sed a 'val~e ' beyond .its il~.trinsiccost,
,hecause it had 'been a 'school, s~arcely t9 ,be found ,elsewhere,
to which ,the stvdent ' aaily'resort~,d to study ahdcopy the
forms an'd, designs
fittecl ' to ::'eultiy~te a "classic . taste. - " <
The 'resour~es ' of the ' Aca~emy have not enabled .it" since
the reco~1struction 'of the b:uildiJ1gs, to replace this .excellent .
collecti.on; but to do. so, as' ,e arly ;and as judiciously as pos.sible,
is ·among the ,.':first objects i(is desi'red to pursue. ,':Cowards' it
s~ID;e ,effort~ 'have been 'already direc,ted? and jt is to be 'hoped
that the /time i§.. not far: distant when it will have .been succe~sfully accomplish'e(f
"
,,",'
" ForttlIiat~ly, the small but valuable library of the Acagemy
~,as r~s,cued" with littl~ i~j'ury, from , the ' pei'il :of 'the ;co~fia- ,
'gration of1845. This collection,' embracing some ,oJ ,the most ,
celebrated' wor~s llUblislled, in France and Italy, t'? il~us~rate
ancient and ID?dern art, ,was ,commenced by 'a donation from
the Eml:leTOr Napoleon,.made', also through Q-eneral Arms~rong.'
It has beelicarefully preser~ed; 'ahd has :alwa;y:s, ,when ,ooca- '
, sio~, offered,heenmade : s,ubseryi~nt to the ,purposes ', 'Of in.,'' ,
- strlictiori, ,and study. ' Every care wasta,ken tOlepairas m:uc~
as ' p0ssible whatevel: injury it ,suffered ; and ,every oppor;. , ,
timity ha~ b'een ,since sought to increase ' it, as well by the
in
,
"'
, I
, 0 '
qest
"
'
, "
"
,
,
11
addition of engravings . ,a s 'of works - c~n~ected '.wHh ..;art'.
Though this does ~ot present a 'cbstlyportion otthep:roperty
of the Institution; ,and ~the department_is, one :subordinate to,
and' necessarily less promiu'ent than ,others, it merits and wiLl
receive' its ,due share .of that attention~ which seeks tbcombine'
,e verything that can contribute to 'the proper : progr~ss ,arid
promotion of art. '
","
',~
', '
, . Fromthis review of,the 'present' situation of. the Academy; ,
Of ' itsact~al resources, a,Iid',especi!;1llyof ;the .result Qf the
efforts ~aae,= since ~81:5,f0r its r~stotationand progress, it will-be ,seen I that' it :is possesseq of~ a 'large amount of pr6pel;ty,1 "
servicea;bl~to the arts, 6fgreat intrinsic v'allie, .and that; step
. by step; in .the', collT.seoftime:it has gradually grown into 'an ,
Institution :fulfilling ,theobject,anii'ounced by tho.se ~ who
foun'ded ~it 'inore -than fo~ty y~11rsago," ih~prornotioIi and
cultivation of ,the Hne arts, in tbis 'country; and theerectioR.
) . of a building, in the city of Philadelphia, ,for the reception
and exhibitioR of ~,statuaryan",dother, specin'lens of art."
, With ,the reconstruction. of ,t he 'buildings ' and 'the restor!1tion :anqirrcrease', otthe ~prope:?ty 'and: resolirces of'the Aca', demy,'- another :object was un~ted, and has be~n steadilypur- ,.
,sued. . At 't he same ,time :that it wa,s re~open.ed ,in tn~ ,spring'
,of 184'7, s~chchanges 'were' ' maaeinit_~' arrangeIl!-ents and
organization, as experience and ref1ectiqn seem~d to dictat~. '
,'Theprivileges , oft~e.rnstitution,and a participation in its
,property;have'beeh (,ex.tended, ,so tha~ .any 'academicjan who ,
'.shill :present .to' it' a~ ,origihal spe,cimen ,of his productions, in
'the arts, ?f 'the value of thirty' dollars, receiving ,the~ approval
of theboard;" of directors/ mllty -become, a stockholder ang
memper" 0fthe" C0rp~ra Hon; ..rr~efrom a.ny anIlUal ,or cOnlnl:uta'-: .
', tiDnpaYmeri~. ' Persol'fs' 'payinK',ten, dollars in ,advance ar~
created life "rp.ember,s.' The: privileges ·ofan electib~ to hono.,.
~arimen{b~rship are ,exte.nded ,to lib.era! .patrons ·of the AC~4
de my and distinguished fi'iendsof the Fine Arts, and·als.o to
distingtlis4ed n0n~resident artists, freE)' from :contribution o~
charge:;' a~(r
the ' privileges .of·visl:ting th~ AcadelIly ,ha ve bee!l.':
,
'
~',
~
.)
J
'F
,
\ '
generally. placed· \lpOn :the most liberal footing. " Artists ' of'; : good character, wh,ose works have been received at a 'public'
~~,hibitiori, are admitted ,u~der 'su:itab~e regulations, .and while,
t.hey· l ~o;ntinue in .phe ;actualprac'tice of their 'art, tostudy
. ,d,,1it6Qg the academic ,term,: in such parts .of the Academy :as'
lti\~· ;Ilotfor the time occupied by th~ schaeTs .or by anY .ptlblic
exhibition; they are also. . entitled, on' application, to ' receive·
tJcRets ~f< admission tQ the~xJ:1ibitiqits. Provision 'has" be.eR
Imtde for :.f?elec:ting from 'a mongtliese artist's, a number, not;.
exc,eeding fort-y, ·gf . '~ Associates ;of ·the' l?ennsylyan~a 'Acadeniy·
Qfthe Fine ,Arts," .()ll whom the ' privil~ges of Life Members
Qrre conferred, ~, a~d .from ,among "wPcom ,thirty . '~' Ac!1demi
cians": may be chosEm,wnqare 'to have the privilege .qfstock..·
holders.
"'., , ,
'
, It has' been ·aJr~ady ,statedtl1at,: in' the ,plan ,(ortM recon,.
stru~tionof the ebuil~ings~ arr~~gements; were .m~de 'for a,
a,chool ,o f practical jnstruction. ' This 'is lllade to embrace the,
various 'de,partuteRts of the' arts:, or 'Such of-them {as ~ 1llay from
time: totirp.e "be. Judged ce.xped~ent.i' :All 'academic 'terIl} ~has
heen established;commenciri:.g :in"AItgust; ':a:hd continuing till .
, Ap!ili; and{t isconteinplat~d.to , widen' s.tilrf~rthe'r the ,scope
~nd :?en~fit ,.of ,the sc4ools~ ,by ,the ' ~ppointrrient '.of -such '.p~'o-, .
feSSOfs, : as ,may he j~dged · :e~p,edi~nt, ,t '@ lectl1re -publiqly ·in' .
the several (departments ..of -the fine :arts,. 'and in thesdences .
connected therewith; , ,Where young persons ~·areJcommerided .
by: .theil' talents; . meritorious ,charader, and w~rit. of pecTI'ni-·.
ary' 'ability, otherwise to.'prosecute their '. s:tu:dies, they 'are nro ..
vide.d' ,with gratuitous,· ins:t ruction; {and students ·of'.the 'arts, '
not pupils' ;of ,* ,e , ,scho9is; :m~y; also uhQeir. due ' regulations,
enjoy the·, privileges :o.f v5siting the Acad'emy; ,and: using its
Gonection~' .of art. · ,J rhere is ev:ery ir'eaSOn"to, ~o,pe that in the
persevering' :a nd sJlCCessLul' .dev:eiopm:ent , of ,these pl~ns,. the
Academy ma;y . service:a blycontribute ,to the ' ctiltivationof'
el1rly gellills, and.that the~tores ~Iidm(j)d:e1s' which ' it,.col1e·Cts'
aJ'}:d ;e.xhibits" .may, notalotte ' affo~d .gra;tific'a ti,on tothOS'e ' who~
view: them, putbecoIIJ:e)he means.of ~!lspiri~g, fostering, aIic1 .
. guicifing the youthfulintellect in it .career ~hich presents the
l
'. '
..
;b~ightest promise of' ,attractive :occupation andhon6blble ' dis~
tinction. '_
, '
,' Nor 'has it b~en solely to;tpe' e]lcour-agemen( -of the student
'of 'a rt, that t~he, arrangements '--of tp.e Academy have been
:'directe'd. AnniIa;!: exhibitions:',of works ,or merit in the 'seve!:'
ral departments of the arts have been ,opened; in its capacious
galleries, with entire regularity during ever.y season ,since the
'reconstruction ~of the buildings. " At these ,exhibitions" two ' df
't he galleries have been' set , 3Jpart .for ~ th~ ' display of' original
' pI:oductions; not :befote exhibited at the' Ac~demy. ,The cost
of transporting ' these' p~odU:ctions; has been borne by: the
Institution? an.d a:rrangements have been carefully ,made for 'their selecti9n;' reception and :dispositioh. , , , :' " ,;' "
,,\
:: In: 'each'year since 1847, the nUinber of. visitors~ ri.md the
-amount' clthe I receipts: have", succe~sively ' increased., TJfte
interest 'and approbation of thecoinmun'ity-have rewarded the '
effor'ts and encouraged the hop'es-of ,t,he Acaaemy. Livi~g
artist$, n()~ froID ,our, own, state' alone, 'but from, var:io1;l.s parts
,'o f the Union, 'and-;even f1'o14, ,Europe, have, contributed tlieir
prodtiCtions~ : Individuals: '}Vhose travels and 'love ~of 'art have
. enabled them to procure ,worRsof beauty,and merit, ,have found _
" ,a 'sati~faction ,i,n furtliering, ;:, the , plans ",of the\;Acadeiny,~: by ',
' p1a~lng ,them upon, its "walls;. ' and ,'our city has ,witnessed '
, -during, these ,-e~hibitio~s, in each succeeding spring, place
:0'£ favorite resort f where th~ artist has seen , th~laborsof his
'hamf" and genius ,p appily displayed; and the .loyer of refined ,
. ,jntel1eetualgl.'atification has alway~ been-- rewarded. ' , ; ,- ' .
Inadd.ition' tQ,: an'dasa' part of, the 'Arinual Eihibition,the
'ip.stitution ,of premiums to living artists for original conip osi-. 'tions 'Was adopted, under,"such , regulations ' assh6itld' at once
'oirer ,a n adequate rewardforitheir 'efforts, and .insure ail im,.
'parti~l, decisio..n 'upon their ,merits. ' Tllis , portion of ·its plan
:tIle Academy was 'able to. carry int9 ,effect. for the 'fir's t tibie r
,at the exli-ibition of last: year.. " By,a circular widely addres~ed
~to artists :througliout, the ~United ~ StMes and jn,'Europe" it was '
. ;ahhounced:-tha't five premiums; 'amounting aTtogetherto two
,thousan:ddol!'ars~would :be~pla~ed ,at th,e disP9sition 9f compelI
-
,
,
-
,
,
>
a
j
14
tent judges, who should: awardthe ~three first premiums t~ the
artists, respectively, who might compete for them by- the de:'
livery at .the Academy; ofpi~tures , on 'SOme historical, scriptural or domestic subject, in size, not less than fifty inches by
forty, and este,em'ed oy the judges to be :perform~nces ,of
merit, ltnd entitled to ' ~prize ; The' two remaining premiums.
'were to be awarded, in silqilar manner, for ' pictures to consist
'of landscapes or marine views, in size not less phan fifty-Jour
by forty inches;, The' cost of; tnLnsportation: of. the pictures
offered for competition; ,both from and (if -returne~)' back to
the artist, was assumed, by the Academy: Thenve for which
the preniiu,ms were 'awarded became, its property, and the unsuccess~ul productions ,were to be , returned, or" if desire'd , by
,the artist, rrii'ght hmai~ for sale, being taken care Qf without
charge or expeIise, so as to be dispos~d of to the best advantage; , '
'"
This effort of the Academy to extend its encouragement arid
resources; for the, benefit ofth'e arts;' was received , and ' re:'
sponded to in a ~orrespon~ing spirit, in the United States and
abroad~ Fifty-one pictures, from thirty-eight :a rtists, of whom
thirteen were American and the, rest from various ,schools of
'Evropean ar.t, wei!') delivered at ,the' Academy incompetition
for the premiums, and adorned the' ,galleries throughout the
~xhibition. Embracing every variety of 'Subject, from the' historical and scriptural scenes, to landscapes, and domestic and
'still'Iife; many of them. were of mqre than COmmon excellence.
It was with no little regret that some of these were excluded
from the decision, of the judges; owing to acCide}lt, or inattention on the part of the artists, 'iIi ~regard to their dim ed'sio~s;, or by limitations as ' to' price, inconsistent wit~ tlie
classification of the' premillms~ which had relation 'to the .sub.,.
j ects ,as well as to the merits 'ofth~: productions. The ' deei'siori: of the judges, who were residents of New York, Baltimore '
and Philadelphia respectively, is' understood :to ,have b:een
tinanimous ; and. the five paintingsforwhich premiuIlls we~e )
'award~d, and which now adorn the ,walls of the, Academy as
a portion of its' permanent pi"opertj, are works '(:)f- 'EHich merit
15 .
aNd beauty, as to afford a proof that the design of the Institution was successfully and happily accomplished • .
In the, view thus presented to the stockholders and the
community of the position, property, progress and 'future plans '
of the Acad~iny, satisfactQryevidence is exhibited .of the
attainment to a high degree of the objects -it wasjntende~d by
its!establishment to promote. It needs butthe contiNuance
of that general interest and tosteringcaref.r:.om our community
which, especially through the last six years, it has happily experienbed, to promote these objects jn a still more extended ang
beneficial manner. -Will it receive this encourageme~t? To
a.sk the question'is to' know the answ,er. ~ Philadelphia has
been ever foremost in works of public utility; ever conspicuous for _the taste,the beauty, a}1d the ' devotion to trUe principles ,of ~rt which have been practically combined ,in those
:works. Is it too much to say, that ,the best if ,no,t the only
real source of these, must spring ,from an institution such as
this; and the adoption and development of such plans~ ,emanating from and connected with it, as h~ve' bee~ described?
If so, .the Academy may 100k forwai'd to that gellerOllS .aid.
which will give to It yet brighter prospects, and sanction and
effectually encourage its , voluntary and gratuitous, b1;lt not
less zealous, efforts in behalf of-the Fine Arts.
\
\
-