Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Conn.
ArchitectDesigned by
Henry Austin
(American, 1804 - 1891)
PrinterPrinted by
E.B. & E.C. Kellogg
(American, 1840 - 1867)
PublisherPublished by
E.B. & E.C. Kellogg
(American, 1840 - 1867)
Date1847
MediumLithography and letterpress printing; printer's ink on wove paper
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 8 7/16 x 11in. (21.4 x 27.9cm)
Sheet (height x width): 17 15/16 x 12 13/16in. (45.6 x 32.5cm)
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineConnecticut Museum of Culture and History collection
Object number1995.182.180
DescriptionView of the Wadsworth Atheneum, a stone Gothic revival museum building with square towers flanking the main entrance, which is recessed behind flattened pointed arches. Windows appear to contain leaded glass and have hood molds with corbel stops. Crenellations line the roof. Lettering in the gable over the front entrance reads: "1842 / WADSWORTH ATHENEUM". A man and a woman stand within the porch. Another man and woman are walking on the dirt road to the left of the museum. A man, woman, and a small girl are walking on what appears to be a paved sidewalk in front of the museum. This man wears a cap and cloak and is leaning on a cane. A grassy lawn is in front of the museum. Trees and an iron fence are at the left. Trees, a picket fence, and a house are at the right. A lengthy letterpress text (see Inscriptions) is printed beneath the image.
Collections
Subject Note: The Wadsworth Atheneum, the oldest public art museum in the United States, was completed in 1844 to the designs of Ithiel Town and Alexander Jackson Davis. Henry Austin served as supervising architect.
Subject Note: The elderly man in the foreground of the image, who appears in profile, leaning on a cane, is based on a silhouette of Daniel Wadsworth in the Connecticut Historical Society collections. It is undoubtedly intended as a portrait of Wadsworth, who founded the Wadsworth Atheneum in 1842. (Finlay 12/20/2002)
Status
Not on viewMellissa Craig
2017 August 3
William G. Dudley
1916-1927
Coryse Villarouel
2014 August 7