Spring 2017 Exhibitions at the New-York Historical Society

Selected PR Images

This spring, the New-York Historical Society offers a range of fascinating exhibitions. From an intimate look at Thomas Jefferson as a private citizen to the extraordinary beauty of the , from the work of John James Audubon to the complicated origins of the Stock Exchange, these diverse exhibitions provide new perspectives on eminent figures and institutions and showcase the depth and scope of New-York Historical’s collections.

A Hudson River School Legacy: The Newman Bequest and Other Gifts

Martin Johnson Heade (1819–1904) Storm Clouds over the Marshes, ca. 1871–75 Oil on canvas 13 1/8 × 24 1/4 × 1 3/8 in. Collection of Arthur and Eileen Newman, Bequest of Eileen Newman, 2015.33.7 Photography, Glenn Castellano, Courtesy of the New-York Historical Society

Storm Cloud over the Marshes is one of Heade’s signature marsh landscapes, of which he painted more than 100 between 1861 until his death in 1904. It is one of four paintings by the artist in the exhibition.

Jasper Francis Cropsey (1823–1900) Wickham Pond and Sugar Loaf Mountain, Orange County, 1876 Oil on canvas 32 1/8 in. × 40 in. × 1 1/4 in Collection of Arthur and Eileen Newman, Bequest of Eileen Newman, 2015.33.9 Photography, Glenn Castellano, Courtesy of the New-York Historical Society

Wickham Pond―situated outside Warwick, New York, near the artist’s house―is in the foreground. with the surrounding peaks of Mounts Adam and Eve, Bellvale Mountain, and Sugar Loaf Mountain visible in the distance.

Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900) Home by the Lake, 1852 Oil on canvas 26 1/2 × 40 1/2 × 1 1/8 in. Collection of Arthur and Eileen Newman, Bequest of Eileen Newman , 2015.33.13 Photography, Glenn Castellano, Courtesy of the New-York Historical Society

In this quintessential Hudson River School composition, Church conveys the peaceful imagery of an American Arcadia. The location may be Grand Manan Island, off the coast of Maine and New Brunswick, Canada.

The Inspiration: The Hudson River Portfolio

William Guy Wall (1792–after 1864) Preparatory Study for Plate 19 of “The Hudson River Portfolio”: View of the Palisades, New Jersey, 1820 Watercolor, graphite, and scratching out with touches of gouache on paper, laid on card Gift of John Austin Stevens, 1903.13

The vertical cliffs of the Palisades stretch along the west side of the lower Hudson River, from Jersey City some forty miles to High Tor Mountain near Haverstraw. Wall shows their stark splendor dwarfing sailboats and steamboats that ply the Hudson’s waters.

William Guy Wall (1792–after 1864) Preparatory Study for Plate 10 of “The Hudson River Portfolio”: View Near Fort Edward, New York, 1820 Watercolor, scratching out, selective glazing, and touches of gouache and black ink on paper, laid on card, laid on canvas James B. Wilbur Fund, 1941.1119

During the French and Indian Wars, Fort Edward on the upper Hudson River was a military post of considerable importance. By 1820, Fort Edward had become a quiet river town. Wall stresses the pastoral quality of the landscape but also human settlement of the former wilderness.

Taming Traders: Origins of the New York Stock Exchange

Samuel Hollyer (artist and engraver) Tontine Coffee House, 1796 Line engraving. From Samuel Hollyer’s Old New York Views (1901 - 1912) New-York Historical Society Library

When it was completed in 1794, the Tontine Coffee House served as the unofficial “home” for stock brokers, who, by tradition, had traded on the street, in public.

James Sharples Sr. ( 1751–1811) Portrait of Leonard Bleecker (1755–1844), ca. 1796-1801 Pastel on paper, 9 3/16 x 7 3/8 in. New-York Historical Society Museum

Bleecker was a noted stock trader with an office at 16 Wall Street. He was one of the 24 signers of the Buttonwood Agreement.

Archibald Robertson (artist) View up Wall Street, ca. 1798 Watercolor, black ink, and graphite on paper New-York Historical Society Museum

A contemporary rendering of Wall Street at the time of the Buttonwood Agreement.

Thomas Jefferson: The Private Man From the Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society

Thomas Jefferson Declaration of Independence, manuscript copy, 1776 Collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society

Between July 2, 1776, when the Continental Congress voted for Independence, and July 4, when Congress voted that the Declaration of Independence be “authenticated and printed,” Jefferson’s original text (with changes suggested by members of the drafting committee) was subjected to substantial additional revisions by the entire membership of Congress. Extremely unhappy with many of the changes, Jefferson made copies of the Declaration "as originally framed," including this one, to show close friends and colleagues how his text had been “mutilated.”

Thomas Jefferson Monticello, first floor plan of the second version, 1796-1797 Collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society

The years Jefferson spent in France, 1785-1789, expanded his architectural vision. In the 1790s, he radically revised the earlier plan for Monticello, roughly doubling the floor space while reducing the size and ceiling height of the second floor.

Thomas Jefferson Letter to John Adams, March 25, 1826 Adams Family Papers, Collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society

Interrupted by their bitter political rivalry, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams resumed their correspondence—and friendship—in 1812. They never reunited but grew even closer through the exchange of hundreds of letters on diverse subjects. Yet they often returned to the causes and consequences of the , and their roles in it.

BIG BIRD: Looking for Lifesize

John James Audubon (1785–1851) Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), Study for Havell pl. 211, 1821; 1834 Watercolor, oil, pastel, graphite, gouache, black ink, and collage on paper, laid on card; 36 3/16 x 25 3/8 in. Purchased for the New-York Historical Society by public subscription from Mrs. John J. Audubon

Audubon attempted a difficult action pose for the Great Blue Heron. He had to render the gigantic bird that stands around 50 inches tall using double- elephant-size paper measuring only 40 inches. Audubon’s ingenious solution was to position it in its feeding posture. It is compared to the 16th- century watercolor of a heron which is only half lifesize because large paper was unavailable.

Unidentified sixteenth-century avian artist Western Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio), Adult, ca. 1555–81 Watercolor, gouache, white lead pigment, with selective glazing and touches of black ink over traces of black chalk on ivory paper; 15 1/2 x 11 3/8 in., irregular Gift of Nathaniel H. Bishop, New-York Historical Society, 1889.10.1.48

The artist has portrayed this chicken-sized wader standing erect as though alerted to an intruder. Because of the size of available paper, he has represented it one-half lifesize (the birds range from 15 to 19 inches in length).

John James Audubon (1785–1851) Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), Study for Havell pl. 111, ca. 1824–29 Watercolor, graphite, pastel, and black ink with touches of gouache and selective glazing on paper, laid on card; 37 7/8 x 25 3/16 in. Purchased for the New-York Historical Society by public subscription from Mrs. John J. Audubon, 1863.17.111

Audubon’s family of lifesize Pileated Woodpeckers consists of an adult male and female with two “young males fully fledged.” He aimed to portray both sexes as well as juveniles in order to more fully describe the species and its behaviors.

Pierre Vase called Eskrich (ca. 1520–after 1590) Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius), ca. 1548– 55 Watercolor, gouache, black ink, and white lead pigment on ivory paper, laid on paper; 9 5/8 x 8 3/8 in., irregular Gift of Nathaniel H. Bishop, New-York Historical Society, 1889.10.2.37

Eskrich portrayed his female Western Capercaillie slightly less than half-lifesize. The average length of the female is between 21 and 25 inches, and the larger male between 29 and 33 inches.