Guide to the Frederick S. Church letter, circa 1900s
Redwood Library and Athenaeum
50 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI 02840
Tel: (401) 847-0292
Fax: (401) 841-5680
email: redwood@redwoodlibrary.org
Published in 2013
Collection Overview
| Title: | Frederick S. Church letter |
| Date range: | circa 1990s |
| Creator: | Church, Frederick S. (Frederick Stuart), 1842-1924 |
| Extent: | 0.01 linear feet (1 folder) |
| Abstract: | This collection consists of one undated letter from Frederick S. Church (1842-1924), an American artist and illustrator. This letter also includes original illustrations done by Church of his studio in Far Hills, New Jersey, and of various animals. |
| Language of materials: | English |
| Repository: | Redwood Library and Athenaeum |
| Collection number: | RLC.Ms.541 |
Scope & content
This collection consists of one undated letter addressed to Toady from Frederick S. Church in which he briefly describes life at his studio in Far Hills, New Jersey. This letter also includes illustrations by Church of his art studio, a crying Pegasus, and other small animals. Toady was most likely Church's acquaintance, Alice Bremond Gerson Chase (1866-1927), the wife of artist, William Merritt Chase (1849-1916).Access Points
Subject Topics Geographical Names Subject Topics Document TypesArrangement
This collection is arranged in chronological order.
Biographical note
Frederick Stuart Church (1842-1924), an American artist and illustrator, was born on December 1, 1842, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of Thomas B. and Mary Elizabeth (Stuart) Church. As a young boy, he learned to draw from a local painter and engraver named Hartung, but his parents were eager for him to make a name for himself as a businessman. At the age of thirteen, his parents sent him to Chicago, Illinois, to work for the American Express Company. He worked there until the age of seventeen, when he enlisted as a private in the Chicago Light Artillery, in which he served during the American Civil War (1861-1865). After the war, Church settled in New York where he studied art and worked as an illustrator for Harper’s Weekly and other publications. Many of Church’s illustrations featured animals with human and humorous attributes earning him the attention of several devoted patrons. One such patron was Grant B. Schley (1845-1917), a New York City banker, who arranged for a specially built studio for Church at his estate in Far Hills, New Jersey. Church worked here intermittently from 1901 until Schley’s death in 1917. Frederick S. Church died on February 16, 1924, in New York.Access & Use
| Access to the collection: | Access is open to members and researchers at the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. |
| Use of the materials: | This collection is owned by the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the Special Collections Librarian of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. |
| Preferred citation: | Frederick S. Church letter, RLC.Ms.541, Redwood Library and Athenaeum. |
| Contact information: | Redwood Library and Athenaeum 50 Bellevue Avenue Newport, RI 02840 Tel: (401) 847-0292 Fax: (401) 841-5680 email: redwood@redwoodlibrary.org |
Administrative Information
| ABOUT THE COLLECTION | |
| Acquisition: | Gift of Mrs. E. M. Smith, 1988 October 5 |
| Processing information: | This collection was initially processed by Aimee Saunders in 2010. |
| ABOUT THE FINDING AID | |
| Author: | Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Delmage. |
| Encoding: | Finding aid encoded by Elizabeth Delmage 2013 October 23 |
| Revisions: |
2014 Apr 21 |
| Descriptive rules: | Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) |
| Sponsor: | Funding for processing and cataloging this collection was provided by the van Beuren Charitable Foundation. |
Additional Information
Inventory
| Manuscripts Box 1 | Letter to Toady |
circa 1900s |