One of the Most Prominent Portraits in the Art Collection Is Restored to Gilded Age Splendor and Soon Will Be Hanging in Carroll
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NEWSLETTER # 8 ne of the most prominent portraits in the Art Collection is restored to Gilded O Age splendor and soon will be hanging in Carroll Parlor. Elizabeth Drexel Dahlgren, by Adolfo Felice Muller-Ury, depicts the Georgetown University benefactress in life size, full length, in a formal, fur-trimmed satin gown. The imposing 79 by 46-inch painting hung in the foyer outside Riggs Library for many years. Unfortunately, the lower part of the canvas and its original antique frame suffered damage, but are now repaired and restored. Elizabeth ("Bessie") Drexel, of the prominent Philadelphia family, married >President Georgetown alumnus John Vinton Dahlgren (B.A. 1889; M.A. 1891; L.L.B. 1891; Eisenhower and L.L.M. 1892) of New York in 1889. She donated the funds for Dahlgren Chapel, or University President the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, at the University's Edward B. Bunn, S.J. at the Walsh Building. physical epicenter in the quadrangle bounded by See page 5. Healy Hall, "Old North", and the former Jesuit residences. The chapel was a memorial to the UPCOMING EVENTS Dahlgrens' first son, who died in infancy. The September 22 Dahlgrens commissioned Muller-Ury to paint her An Afternoon With Gershwin portrait in 1894, and gave it to the University in (in conjunction with Georgetown's Program in the 1898, shortly after its completion. Performing Arts) Muller-Ury (1862-1947), a Swiss immigrant, Georgetown University studied in Germany, Rome, and Paris; after coming to the United States in 1887, he pursued his October 11 considerable talents as a portraitist in a circle of The Making of the Fittest socially and politically prominent citizens. He was Sean Carroll > Detail of Elizabeth Drexel (in conjunction with The one of many portrait artists catering to the Dahlgren by Adolfo Felice Carnegie Institution) increasingly wealthy population created by the Muller-Ury. Washington, D.C. industrial and economic expansion during the decades following the Civil War. Virtuoso portraitists such as John Singer Sargent and More events to come! Cecilia Beaux are among the most famous names in the field. IN THIS ISSUE Muller-Ury's portrait of the Dahlgrens' close friend James Cardinal Gibbons, archbishop of the diocese in Baltimore, probably brought him to their attention. The Power of Print 2 Muller-Ury's painting of the cardinal is one of three by the artist in the collection of Welcome 3 The Catholic University of America; the National Portrait Gallery, the Corcoran Upcoming Exhibits 4 Gallery of Art, and the White House also hold examples of his work. A biography the artist is being written by an art historian in Britain, who recently contacted us for Summertime Selections 4 information on and photographs of the portrait. IAQ; 5 Notice of Elizabeth Drexel Dahlgren's installation in Carroll Parlor will be A Taste of Special Collections 6 announced in a forthcoming issue of the Library Associates Newsletter. The portrait can be viewed online at Poster Sessions 7 www.library.georgetown.edu/dept/speccoll/guac/muller-ury_1894.htm. Note of Appreciation 8 This Newsletter is issued four times a year. It is distributed to all Library Associates, members of ARL, the Georgetown University Board of Directors, Board of Regents, Board of Governors, and llustrator John E. Sheridan, a student at Gibson formed the Division of Pictorial selected others. IGeorgetown College in the late 1890s, Publicity and over 300 artists and created a series of posters to promote his cartoonists, some of whom made their UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN alma mater's athletics in the years after names through their work for this Artemis G. Kirk his departure. The posters are a charming Division, contributed their talents. The EDITOR evocation of the Victorian era and the print depicted here provides a number of Stephanie Hughes reproduction prints have been popular powerful messages very relevant DESIGN EDITOR items for purchase during Reunion and today-including the continuing need for Maeve A. O'Connor Homecoming weekends at the money to buy books! University. According to his obituary in Readers of The New Yorker will have ARTS EDITOR the New York Times (July seen the June 12, 2006 David C. Alan 5, 1948), Sheridan "was Summer Fiction issue: CONTRIBUTORS credited with the idea of "Life during Wartime." David C. Alan using posters to advertise In addition to the Lynn Conway Aurilla Fusco college sports." stories, the issue features David Hagen The Special a compelling cover by Stephanie Hughes Collections Department of Mark Jacobs artist Owen Smith called Artemis Kirk Lauinger Library, home to "Foxhole Fiction," Sandra Marroquin the originals of these showing three soldiers LuLen Walker prints, recently received entrenched away from ED ITOR another Sheridan entitled the fire storm of combat. 202.687-7833 "Hey, Fellows!," thanks to Two soldiers are resting, [email protected] a gift from Georgetown but the third is BOOK AND MANUSCRIPT University Library Board AhIerIcan Ubrarv Associattoh engrossed in a book he is DONATIONS member Richard Hanley, UnIIed_'fobk~·.~.,~ ..1'lIO reading by flashlight. Artemis G. Kirk University Librarian C'68. Our new Sheridan is The retro-style print 202. 687.7425 an important addition to our collection, seems to represent the generic soldier in [email protected] not only as part of the artist's oeuvre but no identifiable time, place or service ART DONATIONS also because the poster is representative branch. But what emerges for me as a LuLen Walker of a larger movement in U.S. history universal message is that a book is as vital Curator - University Art Collection during World War 1. It is especially now as it was in World War I and the 202. 68 7. 1469 relevant to us because it shows the printed word-physical or virtual-is a [email protected] American Library Association's active powerful means of getting us through the MONETARY DONATIONS involvement in the war effort. toughest of times. AND BEQUESTS In 1917 George Creel, head of the Aurilia Fusco Director of Development U.S. government's Committee on Public Postscript: Another Sheridan print 202.687-5666 Information, asked the well-known artist commissioned during the Division of [email protected] Charles Dana Gibson to appoint a Pictorial Publicity era was included in a GIFTS VIA THE WEB commission to produce artwork that Lauinger Library exhibit of World War I __--. http://www.georgetown.edu/ would assist in the war effort. [Rawls, posters in 1999-2000. To view this oaur/index.html Walton, Wake Up, America! World War I exhibit online go to: o Printed on recycled paper and The American Poster. New York: www.library.georgetown.edu/dept/ Abbeyville Press, 1988, p. 149-50.] speccoll/amposter.htm. 2 Library Associates elcome to Krisellen Maloney, who has joined the Library as the new Associate University Librarian for WDigital Services and Technology Planning. Kris will provide the Library with leadership and vision in planning, implementing, and evaluating its systems and services. At the campus level, she will be actively working to integrate library information systems seamlessly into the broader University context. At the national level, she is a primary contributor to the Digital Library Federation Services Frameworks Group (www.diglib.org) to describe a common architectural framework for libraries. Before her extensive experience in libraries, Kris worked in the area of digital imaging in medicine, where she gained extensive experience in the research, development and integration of systems that seamlessly and reliably integrate image information with the electronic patient record. Kris holds Master's degrees in Information Systems (M.S.) and Library Science (M.A.) and a Ph.D. in Information Science/Cognitive Science from the University of Arizona. Would you pick up a book whose jacket promised to tell you how to: • Increase your income for life? ·Decrease your taxes? ·Create a living legacy in your name or that of a loved one? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, the education that will allow him or her to make a Georgetown and the Main Campus Libraries have significant medical discovery or start a business that some easy reading for you. Just take a minute to will transform the lives of thousands or millions of complete, clip and people? Perhaps you r---G~~~etown-O~i~ersity-office-orGift-PTon-ni;g- - - -- - ---- - - , return the reply coupon 2115 Wisconsin Avenue NW - Suite 500 would like to put in the below. 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Perhaps you Send to: Office of Planned Giving, Georgetown University, share with you and the 2115 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20007 would like to vehicles to help you permanently honor accomplish your goals. your parents or another individual who helped you To get started on a new chapter, simply complete become the success that you are today. and return the coupon above. Happy reading! Would you like to help a talented student gain Summer 2006 3 ONGOING AND n celebration of the summer season, the Art Collection presents Summertime UPCOMING EXHIBITS ISelections from Historic Harper's Weekly, an exhibition of nineteenth-century wood engravings from summer issues of the historic literary and news journal.