Richard H. Driehaus Museum
September 8, 2018 – January 6, 2018
George Peter Alexander Healy (American, 1813 –1894). Jeannette Ovington, 1887. Oil on canvas. New- York Historical Society, Gift of the Estate of Ina Love Thursby, through Walter M. Brown, 1944.18
Beauty’s Legacy: Gilded Age Portraits inAmerica, organized by the New-York Historical Society, looks at the popular revival of formalportraiture in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
During this time the established elite and the newly wealthy of the Gilded Age sought to commemorate their social status and personal affluence by commissioning the most sought-after and well-known artists of their time to paint elaborate portraits of themselves and their families.
Displayed in the Museum’s second floor galleries, the exhibition will feature nearly sixty artworks,
including oil paintings, miniatures, and bronzes. Beauty’s Legacy contains works by artists such as
Gilbert Stuart, Rembrandt Peale, John Singer Sargent, Eastman Johnson, and William Adolphe
Bouguereau. It features portraits of members of socially prominent families such as Washington,
Bonaparte, Livingston, Vanderbilt, and Astor, names that left a lasting impression on the cultural and
financial legacies of our nation.
Théobald Chartran (French, 1849 –1907). James Hazen Hyde, 1901. Oil on canvas. New-York Historical Society, Gift of James Hazen Hyde, 1949.1
Gilded Chicago: Portraits of an Era explores how the resurgence of portraiture manifested itself in
Chicago. The exhibition includes ten paintings of Gilded Age Chicagoans—with familiar last names
such as McCormick, Field, Pullman, and Nickerson. “I find of particular interest the contrast of the
portraits of the plainly dressed men hanging next to the fashionable and brightly attired women,”
said exhibition guest curator, Jeannine Falino, “It allows us to consider the role these women played
as leaders of Gilded Age Chicago’s social society in a whole new light.”
One of the most striking portraits, by famed American artist William Merritt Chase, features a name
that may not be as familiar to visitors. Myra Reynolds became one of the University of Chicago’s first
English fellows in 1892, she earned her PhD and eventually became a full professor, making her
career at the Hyde Park institution for over 30 years. Chase’s commission came from members of
the university women’s residence, Nancy Foster Hall, which Reynolds led for decades. ]
The portraits will hang in the Gallery on the Museum’s first floor, the same room where the Nickerson family originally displayed their art collection which was donated to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1900.
In addition to the two Gilded Age portrait exhibitions, Treasures from the White City: The Chicago
World’s Fair of 1893 will be on display in the Museum’s third floor galleries. Objects are drawn from
the Museum’s permanent collection, as well as the collection of Richard H. Driehaus, featuring
original works and memorabilia designed for and exhibited at the fair. The exhibition will include
objects by Louis Comfort Tiffany created for his magnificent World’s Fair chapel, a selection of
substantial silver pieces designed by both Gorham Manufacturing Company and Tiffany & Company,
and relics from the exposition such as tickets, maps and programs. Treasures from the White City:
The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 is presented in celebration of the fair’s 125th anniversary.
Gilded Chicago: Portraits of an Era and Treasures from the White City: The Chicago World’s Fair of
1893 are organized by the Richard H. Driehaus Museum and are part of Art Design Chicago, an
initiative of the Terra Foundation for American Art exploring Chicago’s art and design legacy, with
presenting partner The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation.
During this time the established elite and the newly wealthy of the Gilded Age sought to commemorate their social status and personal affluence by commissioning the most sought-after and well-known artists of their time to paint elaborate portraits of themselves and their families.
Displayed in the Museum’s second floor galleries, the exhibition will feature nearly sixty artworks,
including oil paintings, miniatures, and bronzes. Beauty’s Legacy contains works by artists such as
Gilbert Stuart, Rembrandt Peale, John Singer Sargent, Eastman Johnson, and William Adolphe
Bouguereau. It features portraits of members of socially prominent families such as Washington,
Bonaparte, Livingston, Vanderbilt, and Astor, names that left a lasting impression on the cultural and
financial legacies of our nation.
Théobald Chartran (French, 1849 –1907). James Hazen Hyde, 1901. Oil on canvas. New-York Historical Society, Gift of James Hazen Hyde, 1949.1
Gilded Chicago: Portraits of an Era explores how the resurgence of portraiture manifested itself in
Chicago. The exhibition includes ten paintings of Gilded Age Chicagoans—with familiar last names
such as McCormick, Field, Pullman, and Nickerson. “I find of particular interest the contrast of the
portraits of the plainly dressed men hanging next to the fashionable and brightly attired women,”
said exhibition guest curator, Jeannine Falino, “It allows us to consider the role these women played
as leaders of Gilded Age Chicago’s social society in a whole new light.”
One of the most striking portraits, by famed American artist William Merritt Chase, features a name
that may not be as familiar to visitors. Myra Reynolds became one of the University of Chicago’s first
English fellows in 1892, she earned her PhD and eventually became a full professor, making her
career at the Hyde Park institution for over 30 years. Chase’s commission came from members of
the university women’s residence, Nancy Foster Hall, which Reynolds led for decades. ]
The portraits will hang in the Gallery on the Museum’s first floor, the same room where the Nickerson family originally displayed their art collection which was donated to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1900.
In addition to the two Gilded Age portrait exhibitions, Treasures from the White City: The Chicago
World’s Fair of 1893 will be on display in the Museum’s third floor galleries. Objects are drawn from
the Museum’s permanent collection, as well as the collection of Richard H. Driehaus, featuring
original works and memorabilia designed for and exhibited at the fair. The exhibition will include
objects by Louis Comfort Tiffany created for his magnificent World’s Fair chapel, a selection of
substantial silver pieces designed by both Gorham Manufacturing Company and Tiffany & Company,
and relics from the exposition such as tickets, maps and programs. Treasures from the White City:
The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 is presented in celebration of the fair’s 125th anniversary.
Gilded Chicago: Portraits of an Era and Treasures from the White City: The Chicago World’s Fair of
1893 are organized by the Richard H. Driehaus Museum and are part of Art Design Chicago, an
initiative of the Terra Foundation for American Art exploring Chicago’s art and design legacy, with
presenting partner The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation.
