Fitz Hugh Lane, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and the Gloucester Lyceum Author(s): Mary Foley Source: American Art Journal, Vol. 27, No. 1/2 (1995/1996), pp. 99-101 Published by: Kennedy Galleries, Inc. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1594607 Accessed: 30-04-2015 17:51 UTC

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This content downloaded from 192.80.65.116 on Thu, 30 Apr 2015 17:51:29 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions NEW DISCOVERIES IN AMERICAN ART

FITZ HUGH LANE, Fig. 1. Announcementof RALPH WALDO EMERSON, the "Twenty-firstCourse AND THE 'GLOUCESTERLYCEUM. of exercises" commencing thisin- GLOUCESTER LYCEUM The Twenty-firstCoarse fexercises before before the Gloucester slitutionwill commence daring the latter part of the Lyceum in November of presentmonth The Directorshave madearrange- 1850. Reproducedfrom the metriswith able lecturers,and a profitableand in- GloucesterTelegraph, vol. The Luministpaintings of Fitz terestingcourse may be confidentlyanticipated. 24, no. 91 (November9, 3. Hugh Lane (1804-1865) are con- Due noticeof theIntroductory Lecture will be sea. 1850), p. Collection, Free sideredby many art historians to be sonablygiven. Ticketsfor the Courseor forsingle Sawyer Library, Gloucester,Massachusetts. a visual corollaryto Transcenden- lecturesmay beobtaine!l of Mr. E. H. STACY.Gen- talistbeliefs in God's presencein ilemen's Season Tickets$1 ; Ladies and minorsdo. theworld and man'sharmony with ,50 cts; Eveuingdo. 25 ets. nature and, by extension,God.1 JOSEPH:L. STEVENS, Jr.,Rec. Sec. Untilrecently, only one document Nov. 9, 1850. connecting Lane, a native of Gloucester,Massachusetts, with the Transcendentalistphilosophy that flourishedin nineteenth-century New Englandwas known:Lane's name on a list of membersof the American Unionof Associationists, Januaryof 1824.The mainfunction had fornned in everystate in the a Boston-basedorganization con- ofthe British adult education move- Union. Before 1890, there were sisting mostly of formerBrook mentwas "to providepractical sci- approxinnately three thousand such Farmadherents who sought to unite entificinstruction for workmen, associations in theUnited States. Transcendentalismwith social and to haveas a resulta moreintel- Holt)rook's manifesto con- reform.2Additional evidence has ligentworker as well as a better taineda draftof a constitutionthat since come to lightthat provides product."4Seeking to establishan outlinedthe institution'smission anotherlink between the artist and adult education programin the and provided guidelines upon Transcendentalism. recent- Notices UnitedStates, Holbrook published whichcc )mmunities throughout the ly gatheredfrom Gloucester period- a manifestoon lyceumsin the1826 nation could base their own icals establishthat Lane was active issue of the AmericanJournal of lyceums.Newly formed groups in the Gloucester afterhe Lyceum Education.'According to Holbrook, adhered to Holbrook's model in returned to his home- permanently public educationwas "intimately many respects, including the townin 1848 and that his through connectedwith the diffusionof appointnnent of officersand their involvementwith the Lyceum, intelligence,and withthe elevation responsilbilities. According to Hol- Lane was to the of exposed theories of characteramong the agricultural brook'sconstitution, officers were Waldo Emerson Ralph (1803- and mechanicclasses; and to the to be ele;cted annually by members who lecturedthere on nu- 1882), friendof moral improvement,it overeigl iteen years of age andwere merousoccasions.3 offersa sourceof peculiar gratifica- to oversece all thegroup's activities. The lyceummovement was dis- tion,as a surepreventive of those One particular group of officers, the seminated in the United States insidiousinroads of vice, which are Boardof Directors, was responsible largelythrough the effortsof one everready to be made on hoursof for deteirmining the programand individual, Josiah Holbrook leisureand relaxation."6The move- lecturesl chedule. The lectureseries (1788-1854). A Yale graduatewith mentproved to be extremelypopu- became; an importantlyceum activ- an interestin science, Holbrook lar.Within two years of the publica- ity as thie movementexpanded its very likely made a studyof the tionof Holbrook'splan and his cre- missionfrom the improvementof Britishmechanics' institutes,the ationof thefirst American lyceum, the cormmon schools to a broader firstof whichopened in Londonin in Millbury,Massachusetts, groups disseminiation of knowledge.7

TheAmerican Art Journal/ Volume XXVII * Numbers1 and 2 99

This content downloaded from 192.80.65.116 on Thu, 30 Apr 2015 17:51:29 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . . ST 2. Announcement Holbrook'sconstitution. Submitted 4~.." :?: ?:r'Zi;Sili{iSi!iii?a ~iij Fig. of O LOUC.EBT13Wt*vtvbt ;;:;;::xt;t officers elected to the by Joseph L. Stevens, Jr., the GloucesterLyceum. Repro- Lyceum'sRecording Secretary for duced fromthe Gloucester the announcement Joiinm,h. BAW:on :?MjPrWI ::: w ttj,e. .-R E."...... ' . many years, ...... e~i?-tllE:. ....,:;.:-,,:-;,;i~:i i...... :.. . ::;:;r.-. *->.-- ...... Telegraph,vol. 23, no. 75 states:"The Directorshave made (September19, 1849), p. 2. arrangementswith able lecturers, tlie!theXe6suiln''g Ing..r :.. a ' . Collection, Sawyer Free Library. and a profitableand interesting course may be confidentlyantici- 1). * ,O.HNL.. 4.h.iiminn fi 'S . . pated"(Fig. oowIg .l . gendame ere..u.P i e. Accordingto noticespublished Drev.-J W between1848 and 1865,the officers of the Gloucester were retorsv. -;"":..: :.. *; g . .. .i. - i Lyceum electedin late springor earlyfall, andmembers appointed Lane to the Board of Directorsthree times: in Septemberof 1849(Fig. 2), Septem- berof 1851,and May of 1858 (Fig. 3). Lecturescommenced in early falland continueduntil late spring. As no indicationof summeractivi- ties has been found,the Lyceum's schedule followedthat of ' * probably * -Ax < r .U 1 Fig. 3. Announcementof ourmodem school year. As stipulat- GLoucz8TEn Lcsuxe.-At Ct*iB^tieAfl4' of officers elected to the ed in Holbrook'splan, the Board of GloucesterLyceum. Repro- Directors determinedthe duced the Gloucester verylikely from lectureschedule. son*. ' ::le..:i; offi4 ? f fliY Telegraph,vol. 33, no. 38 As these announcementsalso a Presidentl-Sam?uilr-LPierce. (May 12, 1858), p. 2. Col- lection, Sawyer Free indicate, Ralph Waldo Emerson Vice Pr,udoll;' ' "t' "i s ~S~~ODnOU~.~ ri..dison,ltQihd7tc'. '..S,.r. Library. was muchsought after as a speaker Recording&crcWy-J2WelEW*sII at theGloucester Lyceum. He lec- inbury.';' ' - .'-S.s:" _i - . s' v, ,: turedthere on at leastten occasions dined.) *.S I I;;Jrulu A sn: i- between1849 and 1863.9Lanemay have even attendeda lecturegiven Trcattrer^Jobn C.Valet. ff w &5 .i-mn!l by Emerson. Indeed, since the Lyceum'sBoard of Directorsmost Dircctori-'YitsThe lyceumin Lane'sH. .a.e,hometown G.TT$n Wm t listings likelysecured the speakersthem- selves,Lane mayhave been direct- William P. Dolliver. (Mr. haveWi*liam beenHol- P6 patternedDofi#er . ,(Mi.after Doliiv.t'ha.*a. Dsolitdit.*aepubishrc 514q." lyresponsible for scheduling Emer- clined----.brook'sguidelines. Unfortunately, ir;;: and ..r ; f the son's lecturesat the Gloucester the records of the Gloucester announc Lyceumon February13, 1850,and December24, 1851 (Figs.4 and 5), thetwo dates that coincide with his tenureon theboard. The evidence gatheredfrom examininglecture announcements, of Dire the Gloucesterperiodicals estab- of officers,and other lishesnot only that Emerson was a was foformed ned in 1830 and appears to notices of the group's activities popular lecturerat the Lyceum have been patte*ed after Hol- publishe-d in the Cape Ann Light there,but also thatLane was prob- brook's guidelines. Unfortunately, and the Gloucester Telegraph. An ably directlyinvolved in contract- the records of the Gloucester announe:ement in the Gloucester ing him to speak and also had Lyceumwere destroyedby firein TelegrajTelegrap)h on November9, 1850, numerous opportunitiesto hear 1864.8Knowledge of its workings, shows that, with regard to the the philosopher's lectures. The however, can be obtained by selectiorselection of lecturers,the Board frequencyof Emerson's lectures examininglecture announcements, of Direictors did, indeed, follow wouldalso have contributedto the

100 New Discoveries

This content downloaded from 192.80.65.116 on Thu, 30 Apr 2015 17:51:29 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 4. Announcement 4. Carl Bode, TheAmerican Lyceum: Town -A-T I - r.- - - Fig. of a lecture by Ralph Waldo Meetingof theMind (New York, 1956), pp. Emerson before the 7-8. For moreinformation on lyceums,see GLOUTCESgTER:LCR Josiah "Associationsof Adults for Lecture RALPHWALDO C6iocD1g, GloucesterLyceum on Feb- Holbrook, by EMIRSOoiQf Mutual AmericanJournal EV.E , nWEtt ruary13, 1850. Reproduced Education," of (WEDNESDAY) NIN. Education,vol. 1 (1826),pp. 594-597;J. S. , the Gloucester Tele- at 7 o'clock. . :... .T . : from Schools, vol. no. 13 Noffsinger, Correspondence ,J. :L.: STEYE,NSiJr,:!R:3 graph, 24, (Feb- (New York,1926); -' 3. Collec- Lyceums,Chautauquas Gloucester,Feb. 13, 1850. ;^?:'. ruary13,1850), p. Cecil B. Hayes,The AmericanLyceum: Its r -T< tion,Sawyer Free Library. Historyand ContributiontoEducation, Unit- ed StatesDepartment ofthe Interior, Office of Education,bulletin no. 12 (Washington,D.C., 1932);Kenneth Cameron, The Massachusetts Fig. 5. Announcement of Lyceumduring the AmericanRenaissance activities in (Hartford,Conn., 1969); and Willis D. More- 1r The followinglectures and exhibition, forthcoming Gloucester. Reproduced land and ErwinH. Goldstein,Pioneers in are announcedfor the four remaining evenings from the Gloucester Tele- AdultEducation (Chicago, 1985). of thisweek:- vol. no. 103 graph, 25, 5. Holbrook,"Associations of Adultsfor 2. Waldo Emersonlectures before the (December 24, 1851), p. MutualEducation," pp. 594-597. Ralph Collection, Sawyer Free Lyceumthis evening. Library. 6. Ibid.,p. 594. The exhibition theSabbath School con- by 7. Morelandand Goldstein, Adult Education, nectedwith the Elm Street Society, takes pp.40, 47. place tomorrowevening, at theirchurch. 8. Therecords were lost when the building in Mrs. E. Oakes Smith lecturesat theTown whichthey were housed burned. See Paul B. Hall on Fridayand Saturday,evening. Kenyon,People and Books:The Story of the GloucesterLyceum and Sawyer Free Library, 1830-1980(Gloucester, Mass., 1980), p. 8. 9. Accordingto announcementspublished in the GloucesterTelegraph, Emerson was scheduledto speakat theGloucester Lyceum on the followingdates: February 13, 1850 (see Fig. 4); January22 and December24, disseminationof Transcendentalist Collection:Nineteenth-Century American 1851(see Fig. 5); March9, 1853;March 29, JohnWilmer- ideologythroughout the Glouces- Painting(New York,1986); 1854; January31, 1855; February6, 1856; ding,Paintings by Fitz HughLane, exhibi- March and thewinter and ter area and perhapswould have 18, 1857; during tion catalogue,National Gallery of Art springof 1862and 1863. furtherinfluenced Lane. Whilewe (Washington,D.C., 1988);John Wilmerding, do notknow whether Lane's expo- AmericanLight: The LuministMovement, sure to Emerson through the 1850-1875; Paintings-Drawings-Pho- influencedhis tographs,exhibition catalogue, National THE FIRST APPEARANCE Lyceumdirectly art, Galleryof Art (Washington, D.C., 1989). it is interestingnonetheless to dis- OF CHEVREUL'S COLOR cover that Lane was actively 2. ElizabethGarrity Ellis, "Fitz Hugh Lane THEORY IN AMERICA involvedwith the intellectuallife andthe American Union of Associationists," of his The AmericanArt Journal, vol. 17, no. 2 community. (Spring,1985), p. 89. In the early decades of the nineteenthcentury, most American MaryFoley 3. Fortheir support of thisresearch project, painterswere less concernedwith Archivesof American Art I wouldlike to thankthe faculty of theArt color than with line. This was at the of SmithsonianInstitution HistoryDepartment University in the wordsof Massachusettsat Amherstand, mostespe- clearlyexpressed Washington,D.C. cially,William T. Oedel,Professor of Ameri- GilbertStuart (1755-1828): "Color- can Art.My researchwas facilitatedby a ing at bestis a matterof fancyand grantfrom the Alumni Fund, M.A. Program taste.... Good drawingis thelife 1. Formore information on Lane andLumin- inArt History, University ofMassachusetts at of withoutwhich is ism,see BarbaraNovak, American Painting Amherst. all, coloring of theNineteenth Century: Realism, Ideal- Forhis kind assistance in locating original moonshine."'Nevertheless, there ism, and the AmericanExperience (New copies of the Gloucesterperiodicals, I am were otherAmerican artists, espe- York,1969); JohnWilmerding, Fitz Hugh gratefulto DavidMcArdle, Director, Sawyer cially the Romantics,who were Lane (New York, 1971); BarbaraNovak, FreeLibrary, Gloucester, Massachusetts. For interestedin theuse ofcolor and its Natureand Culture:American Landscape providingthe photographs reproduced here, I Painting,1825-1865 (New York, 1980); wish to thankDavid Stotzerof Cape Ann effects.Publications on thesubject Barbara Novak, The Thyssen-Bornemisza Photography. were issued abroad, and some

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