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91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ Gallery
This exhibition celebrates the bicentennial of the arrival of James 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ III’s bequest.
Selected Works
GILBERT STUART, American, 1755–1828, "Sarah 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½," ca. 1805, oil on canvas. Bequest of Sarah 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ Dearborn, 1826. 1870.7
GILBERT STUART, American, 1755–1828, "Thomas Jefferson," 1805–1807, oil on canvas. Bequest of the Honorable James 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ III. 1813.55
WILLIAM SEARLE, attributed to, English, 1634–1667, active in Ipswich, Massachusetts, 1663–1667, "Joined Great Chair," 1663–1667 white oak. Gift of Ephraim Wilder Farley, Class of 1836. 1872.1
About
Born in Massachusetts, James 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ III endowed 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ in 1794 in honor of his father, James 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ II, and bequeathed his extensive collection of paintings and drawings which came to the College in 1813. As a merchant, diplomat, and philanthropist, James 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ III (1752-1811) witnessed during his lifetime great transformations in American governance, education, and culture. Colonists prevailed over British rule, creating an enduring democracy that promoted principles of education, personal achievement, and refinement. As a collector and patron of the arts, 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ understood European artistic traditions to be essential to education in America. As they had in previous generations, Americans turned to Great Britain—and now to their ally France—for sources of design in painting, furniture, and dress. New goods available with the resumed trans-Atlantic trade, as well as published pattern books, helped to disseminate fashionable designs. Even while emulating European style, Americans sought their own identity in art as they had in nation-building. This exhibition celebrates the bicentennial of the arrival of James 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ III’s bequest. His gift laid the foundation for a formidable art collection in early Maine.