The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry Francis du Pont
5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur,
Delaware 19735
Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF
THE COLLECTION
Creator: La Farge, John, 1835-1910.
Title: Collection and letters
Dates: circa 1860-1940
Call No.: Col. 443
Acc. No.: [various – see
descriptions in finding aid]
Quantity: 1 box, 1 volume (about 19
items)
Location: 9 C 3
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
New York born John La Farge (March 31, 1835-November
14, 1910) was a muralist, landscape and still life painter, and stained glass
designer. He studied in Europe between
1856-1858, but returned to America to study landscapes and flower painting with
William Morris Hunt. About 1876, he
turned to designing murals and stained glass.
La Farge was also noted for his scenes depicting the South Seas. He wrote several books on travel and art
criticism.
He was the son of Jean Frederic de la Farge, a
native of France. After several
adventures,the father moved to New Orleans where he made his fortune in
shipping. He then moved to New York
where he invested in land. In 1832, he
married Louisa Josephine Binesse de Saint-Victor, whose family had fled France
to escape the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution. The couple’s first child, the eldest of nine,
was born in 1835 and named John Frederick Louis Joseph de la Farge, but he is
known more simply as John La Farge, the artist.
His maternal grandfather was a miniaturist and gave his grandson his
first art lessons. John was well
educated and his father apprenticed him to a law office in 1853, but John
continued to dabble in art. In 1856, his
father sent him to Europe, and there, John decided to become an artist. Upon his return to the United States, he
moved to Newport, Rhode Island to study with artist William Morris Hunt. In 1860, he married Margaret Mason Perry, and
they had eight children.
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
This collection contains a sketchbook, letters by La
Farge, one photograph, and biographical material. The sketchbook bears pencil sketches that are
studies for paintings. Most are human
figures, many annotated. It includes a list
of works sold, with prices. Nine short
letters from La Farge are also in the collection. One is to the publisher Small, Maynard &
Co. of Boston, and in this, La Farge mentions a manuscript about the South
Seas. (Unfortunately, his handwriting is
not the easiest to read.) A photograph
of La Farge, his wife, and one of his sisters forms a part of the collection.
The scrapbook includes reproductions of murals and
paintings by La Farge and a few newspaper articles about him. The biographical materials, now in a separate
folder, may once have been part of this.
This material includes Six sets of tear sheets from magazine articles by
or about La Farge, and a 1936 typescript by Charles Cunningham of the Boston
Museum of Fine Arts, comparing the work of La Farge and Winslow Homer.
ORGANIZATION
Arranged by type of material: scrapbook,
biographical material, letters, photograph.
LANGUAGE OF
MATERIALS
The materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS
ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Purchases from various sources.
ACCESS POINTS
People:
La Farge, John, 1835-1910 - Correspondence.
La Farge, John, 1835-1910 - Notebooks, sketchbooks, etc.
Topics:
Artists – Correspondence.
Artists'
preparatory studies.
Paintings - Prices.
Artists - Biography.
Sketchbooks.
Drawings.
Cartes de visite.
Artists.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location:
Volume on
shelf:
67x109.5 Scrapbook
about John La Farge.
Includes
reproductions of murals and paintings by La Farge and a few newspaper articles
about him. One item is loose. Assembled by unknown person.
The number
31/2 written twice on the front cover refers to the auction lot of which this
was a part.
Box 1:
Folder 1: papers
about La Farge
(from scrapbook?) (acc. 67x110.1-.8):
paper by Charles C.
Cunningham, Assistant Curator of Paintings, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston;
article:
“John La Farge,” by Russell Sturgis (Scribner’s Magazine, July 1899);
two articles by La
Farge: “An Artist’s Letters from Japan,” from unknown publication, p. 571-576
and p. 419-429;
article: “The Case of
John La Farge,” by Guy Pene du Bois; [the end of this article is found in the
scrapbook];
article: “John La
Farge,” by Henri Focillon;
“John La Farge,” from American Masters of Painting, by Charles
Henry Caffin;
reproduction
of a work by La Farge, from a newspaper
Folder 2: Sketchbook,
1860s (acc. 89x20);
appended
to this finding aid is a list of sketches which have been associated with
finished works by La Farge;
the
sketchbook is the size 9 of T.J. & J. Smith’s Metallic Books; it is housed
in a custom-made box made to resemble a book; an almanac for 1860 is glued
inside one of the covers; another label, bearing an emblem, is also glued
inside that cover; the name and address of Mary F. Howell of Philadelphia is
written on flyleaf.
Folder 3: Letters
67x109.1 La Farge, Tuesday, to Mr. [illegible]: can Mr. ? and Mr.
Maynard go to meeting of delegates of Society at the Arch. League on
Thursday? Feels that the same people
should see it through;
67x109.2 La Farge, 51 West Tenth St., March 28, 1898, to Miss Smith:
must decline the invitation to lecture as not well enough to do so; wishes he
could help her good cause; glad Prof. Stevens can do something;
67x019.3 La Farge, The Century Association, no date, to My Dear Sir:
“The drawings seems to be a charm or prayer for rain, by a divinity. The dragon of course is a symbol of
rain. The signature is I think by
Beisen….”
67x109.4 note signed by Jno La Farge, Jany 14, 1902: “The limits of
Art[?] consist of the works of certain men, by which works alone we know of
Art.”
76x105 La Farge, 51 W. 10th St., March 24, 1900, to
Chas. H. Woodbury: received letter about three watercolors at the Boston
Watercolor Club; needs someone to tell him which they were and would like to
know names of purchasers; hopes Woodbury can see the exhibition of the Society
of American Artists
76x106 La Farge, The Century Association, May 26, 1900, to Miss
[illegible]: replying to her letter of the 19th; [letter difficult
to read]
76x107 La Farge, W. 10th St.,
Oct. 20, 1910, to J. J. [or T.T.] Boure[?], Messrs Small, Maynard & Co.,
Boston: mentions a manuscript of the South Seas and a magazine offer
[La Farge’s Reminiscences of the South Seas was
published in 1912 by another publishing company.]
76x108 La Farge, W. 10th St.,
Saturday about 8, to Mrs. Ward: regrets not having been able to meet her
because of his illness and her other occupations; had wished to host Mr. and
Mrs. Ward at his workshop
06x149 La Farge, Everett House, New York, May
17, to Messrs Williams & Everett: requests a “cast of ivories which [were]
published by the Arundel Society” [mentions the specific one he wants]; if
don’t have that one, send another instead
Folder 4: Photograph
(acc. 66x87)
Carte-de-visite photo of
John La Farge, his wife Margie [Margaret Mason Perry], and girl, identified
only as J.H.L’s sister.
John La Farge had four sisters: Marie Louise (1843-1899),
Emily (1846-1932), Marie Angele (1850-1907), and Aimée (1852-1938). Most likely, the sister in the photo was the
youngest, Aimée.
List of sketches which have been associated with works
by La Farge:
(list prepared by unknown person)
leaf 1 recto: notes "13 x 21 size mounting paper for
Browning" (refers to the unpublished Browning illustrations, c, 1860-1862)
leaf 2 recto: standard bearer in Civil War garb; related to
the Shaw monument project for which La Farge executed studies in 1863
leaves 3-4: drawing of tiger's head and tiger in motion:
relate to 1862 oil painting of a tiger (Jeffrey Brown, Boston) or perhaps to
subject of the Sphinx later in this sketchbook
leaves 7-9: Sphinx and
standing cloaked figure: may relate to Emerson's Sphinx illustrations 1862-1864,
or to another illustration of the subject of the Questioner and the Sphinx
leaf 10: Figure
in cloak evidently related to the above; figure looks just like a drawing once
owned by Royal Cortissoz that he identified as "Virgil meeting Dante"
(Cortissoz may have been in error)
leaves
12-14: cloaked figures, griffins, other
figures evidently related to the Sphinx theme
leaf 15 recto:
drawing for St. Cecilia illustration (very similar to lost Coolidge drawing of
same subject). La Farge dated the St. Cecilia
to 1864 in an early auction catalogue.
leaf 16 recto:
"Lazarus," a highly finished drawing of Christ resurrecting Lazarus;
very impressive; perhaps related to the edition of the Gospels that La Farge
proposed to Houghton in 1864.
leaf 16 verso:
figure of Woman with Child seated under cross; perhaps related to the same
gospel project for Houghton; evidently Margaret La Farge and Christopher Grant
La Farge (age 2)
leaf 21
recto: View of the Last Valley, Newport,
inscribed "Background for the Judith" (there is no other known
reference to a Judith subject in La Farge's oeuvre - perhaps related again to
Houghton gospels)
leaves 22-23:
same woman and child seated under cross
leaves 25-28:
studies for the Shaw monument, prepared in 1863 for the architect Van
Brunt. One inscribed "Shaw"
is very similar to another drawing of Shaw.
leaf 30:
Margaret La Farge in bed, back to viewer, with child and voluminous covers
leaf 31: odd
drawing of "whirling of smoke/ from engine/ on RR"
leaf 34: "Emily singing" -- portrait of La
Farge's sister Emily who was subject of sketches in 1862-1864 several times
leaf 40 verso:
figure on beach with Bishop Berkeley's Rock, Newport, in background
leaf 41 recto:
view over the ridge of Bishop Berkeley's Rock, Newport
leaf 45 verso:
frame studies
leaf 46 recto:
view of Spouting Rock (inscribed as such), Newport
leaf 46 verso:
portrait of John Chandler Bancroft (inscribed "JCB") whom La Farge
drew in Newport several times in 1863
leaf 47 verso:
windmill slats and arms in close-up leaf 58 recto: view of the Spouting Horn,
Newport
leaves 62-63:
studies for a bookplate (?) for PAX or PEACE (as inscribed) with foliage at top
leaf 64 verso:
study of Venus Anadyomene, similar but not identical to 1862 Venus painting
(private collection, Texas); may be a study for an illustration rather than for
the painting
leaves 67-68:
facial and cranial features with Lavater-like physiognomy
leaf 72 verso:
list of pictures dated "From Sept.
1861-Feby 1864" with prices as follows:
350 Hollyhocks (Liebes
picture, dated 1863)
125 Lilies by a window
100 Lilies in a bowl
150 Boy on rocks
150 Spring Day on the
rocks
300 Venus Anadyomene
(private coll., Texas, dated 1862)
400 Wreath (private
coll., NYC, dated 1861)
80 Flowers in a bowl
(noted as belonging to Dr. Rogers)
100 Bayou Teche (noted
as belonging to Dr. Rogers) [in Louisiana]
70 Flowers in a Tray
(noted as belonging to Mrs. Perry, La Farge's mother-in-law)
Flowers in a Bowl (noted as belonging to
Mrs. Perry, La Farge's mother-in-law—in
1989, this was owned by Mary La Farge)
Lilies in a Tray (noted as belonging to
Mrs. Perry, in 1989 belonged to Mrs. Richard Lloyd)
Landscape sketch
St. John (dated 1862 and now in Spain)
Madonna (ditto)
St. Paul (dated 1860-62 and now lost)
Flowers in a bowl (noted in Edwards Ch?)
View over Newport (lost, but dated 1864)
Hill side (dating from c.
1865 and now in MFA Boston)
The Water Lily (dated 1862, now in MFA Boston)
M & Baby (probably 1864 portrait of Margaret La Farge
and Christopher, private coll.)
Sketch Glen Cove [Long Island, where La Farge’s parents had a
summer home]