From the Bryant Room Archives
By Myrna Sloam

W.C. Bryant letter given to library

Th Bryant Library Local History Collection is pleased to report that an original handwritten letter by W.C. Bryant has been donated by Roslyn Estates resident, Molly Sumers.

Written in June of 1848, the letter was an invitation to Charles Cromwell Ingham, a Dublin born portrait painter and President of the "Sketch Club," to join Bryant at his home in Roslyn for a July 4th gathering:

New York June 26, 1848

My Dear Sir

Will you do me the favor to pass the fourth of July
with some friends at my house in Roslyn. Come out on Monday afternoon.
Yrs truly,
WC Bryant

Based on additional research, it seems that Bryant had invited several other members of the Sketch Club to visit him for this holiday. The Club was originally an informal group of artists and writers who were connected to the journal, "The Talisman." Members included Bryant, Ingham, Gulian Verplanck, Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand and Thomas Cole. The Sketch Club and its members would go on to be instrumental in founding several New York City cultural institutions, including the New York Gallery of Fine Arts, the American Art Union, the Century Association (which grew out of the Sketch Club) and the Metropolitan Museum.

Bryant's connections to the literary and artistic world would continue throughout his life. On his 70th birthday, in 1864, he was honored at a gathering of 400 people, hosted by the Century Association. Tribute speeches and poems were written and read by such notables as George Bancroft, Henry W. Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Julia Ward Howe and Ralph Waldo Emerson. On this occasion Bryant was also presented with a portfolio of sketches by member artists, which included Albert Bierstadt, Frederick E. Church and Asher B. Durand.

The library would like to thank Ms. Sumers for her generosity and thoughtfulness in donating this original Bryant letter. It serves to remind us of Bryant's connection to Roslyn and also of his standing in the arts community of his day. Bryant's memory continues to remain strong, here in the Bryant Library, and we would like to encourage other residents to continue to support the growth and development of the library and of the Local History Collection.

Permission to reproduce, publish or display whole text articles must be obtained from the Bryant Library Archivist.

 

Email: localhistory@bryantlibrary.org

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