Catharine Lorillard Wolfe
Encyclopedia
Catharine Lorillard Wolfe (8 March 1828 – 4 April 1887) was an American philanthropist
and art collector. Though she gave large amounts of money to institutions such as Grace Episcopal Church
and Union College
, her most significant gifts were two bequests to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
in New York City
. She left her large collection of popular contemporary paintings to the museum, together with $200,000.
furtune. Wolfe led a private and sheltered life. After the death of her parents, she continued their philanthropic activities. She supported the Newsboys'
Lodging House and Industrial School (an outgrowth of Charles Loring Brace
's movement to help care for New York's homeless children; she financed archaeological missions, including one that unearthed Nippur
; she was also involved with the American Museum of Natural History
, which her father had helped to found.
's Holy Family and Jules Breton's Procession of Pardon in Brittany. The opening of the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Wing displaying these popular paintings, coupled with the Museum's simultaneous acquisition by gift of Rosa Bonheur
's enormously popular painting The Horse Fair (1853–55), brought to the Metropolitan, for the first time, large numbers of people from beyond the elite circles that traditionally constituted its audiences. The large crowds that Wolfe's collection attracted encouraged other American museums to similarly reach out to members of America's emerging urban middle classes.
Wolfe's gift of $200,000 was the first permanent endowment fund
for buying art ever given to a major American museum. It helped launch the competitive cycle of giving that transformed museums in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago, from the private pursuits of rich art lovers to professional institutions dedicated to educating large audiences and promoting modern art. Among the masterpieces of world art that the Metropolitan has since acquired using the Wolfe Fund are Pierre-Auguste Renoir
's Madame Charpentier and her Children, Jacques-Louis David
's Death of Socrates, and Winslow Homer
's The Gulf Stream.
and several parishioners, Wolfe founded the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club in 1896. The purpose at the time was to provide aid, counsel and exhibition opportunities to young women in the arts in New York City.
Through the years, the Club's focus changed to reflect the members professional standing and interests. Today's members are represented in museums, prestigious art collections, the Who's Who in American art and in homes around the world. Their media include oil, watercolor, pastel, graphics and all forms of sculpture.
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
and art collector. Though she gave large amounts of money to institutions such as Grace Episcopal Church
Grace Church, New York
Grace Church is a historic parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York, located at 800 and 804 Broadway at the corner of East 10th Street, where Broadway bends to the north, with Grace Church School and the church houses – which are now used by the school – behind it at 86-98...
and Union College
Union College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
, her most significant gifts were two bequests to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She left her large collection of popular contemporary paintings to the museum, together with $200,000.
Life
Wolfe's father was a real-estate developer; her mother Dorothea was partial inheritor of the LorillardLorillard Tobacco Company
Lorillard Tobacco Company is an American tobacco company marketing cigarettes under the brand names Newport, Maverick, Old Gold, Kent, True, Satin, and Max. Lorillard is a member of the National Black Chamber of Commerce.- History :...
furtune. Wolfe led a private and sheltered life. After the death of her parents, she continued their philanthropic activities. She supported the Newsboys'
Paperboy
A paperboy is the general name for a person employed by a newspaper, They are often used around the office to run low end errands. They make copies and distribute them. Paperboys traditionally were and are still often portrayed on television and movies as preteen boys, often on a bicycle...
Lodging House and Industrial School (an outgrowth of Charles Loring Brace
Charles Loring Brace
Charles Loring Brace was a contributing philanthropist in the field of social reform...
's movement to help care for New York's homeless children; she financed archaeological missions, including one that unearthed Nippur
Nippur
Nippur was one of the most ancient of all the Sumerian cities. It was the special seat of the worship of the Sumerian god Enlil, the "Lord Wind," ruler of the cosmos subject to An alone...
; she was also involved with the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
, which her father had helped to found.
The Wolfe Fund
The bequest of her art collection was her most significant philanthropic endeavor. Her collection gave the Metropolitan its first significant representation of the kinds of paintings that appealed to the general public. Star attractions in her collection included Ludwig KnausLudwig Knaus
Ludwig Knaus was a German genre painter of the younger Düsseldorf school. He was born at Wiesbaden and studied from 1845 to 1852 under Sohn and Schadow in Düsseldorf. His early works, like "The Gamblers," in the Düsseldorf Gallery, are in the manner of that school, being dark and heavy in color...
's Holy Family and Jules Breton's Procession of Pardon in Brittany. The opening of the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Wing displaying these popular paintings, coupled with the Museum's simultaneous acquisition by gift of Rosa Bonheur
Rosa Bonheur
Rosa Bonheur, born Marie-Rosalie Bonheur, was a French animalière, realist artist, and sculptor. As a painter she became famous primarily for two chief works: Ploughing in the Nivernais , which was first exhibited at the Salon of 1848, and is now in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris depicts a team...
's enormously popular painting The Horse Fair (1853–55), brought to the Metropolitan, for the first time, large numbers of people from beyond the elite circles that traditionally constituted its audiences. The large crowds that Wolfe's collection attracted encouraged other American museums to similarly reach out to members of America's emerging urban middle classes.
Wolfe's gift of $200,000 was the first permanent endowment fund
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
for buying art ever given to a major American museum. It helped launch the competitive cycle of giving that transformed museums in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago, from the private pursuits of rich art lovers to professional institutions dedicated to educating large audiences and promoting modern art. Among the masterpieces of world art that the Metropolitan has since acquired using the Wolfe Fund are Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty, and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to...
's Madame Charpentier and her Children, Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David was an influential French painter in the Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era...
's Death of Socrates, and Winslow Homer
Winslow Homer
Winslow Homer was an American landscape painter and printmaker, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th century America and a preeminent figure in American art....
's The Gulf Stream.
Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club
In addition to bequeathing her art collection to the museum, Ms. Wolfe left an endowment to Grace Church in Manhattan to promote "women's work." At the urging of Rector Dr. William Reed HuntingtonWilliam Reed Huntington
William Reed Huntington was an American Episcopal priest and author.-Life:Huntington was born in Lowell, Mass. He graduated at Harvard in 1859 and in 1859–1860 was an instructor in chemistry there. Entering the Episcopal ministry, he was rector of All Saints Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, in...
and several parishioners, Wolfe founded the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club in 1896. The purpose at the time was to provide aid, counsel and exhibition opportunities to young women in the arts in New York City.
Through the years, the Club's focus changed to reflect the members professional standing and interests. Today's members are represented in museums, prestigious art collections, the Who's Who in American art and in homes around the world. Their media include oil, watercolor, pastel, graphics and all forms of sculpture.