George Francis Stephens
Encyclopedia
George Francis Stephens (1859–1953), known as Frank Stephens, was an American sculptor, political activist and co-founder of a utopian single-tax
community in Arden, Delaware
.
, to Henry Louis Stephens and Charlotte Ann Wevil. He briefly attended Rutgers College in New Brunswick, New Jersey
, and entered the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
in 1875,
where he studied under Thomas Eakins
at various times between 1879 and 1885. He served as Eakins' teaching assistant in 1880, and married Eakins' sister Caroline "Caddie" Eakins on June 14, 1884. They had three children, Margaret, Donald, and Roger. Caroline died after giving birth in 1889. Stephens' second marriage was to Elenor Getty on November 29, 1905; they had no children.
, Jesse Godley, and Walter J. Cunningham. He worked for several years on the sculpture of Philadelphia City Hall
, and was an instructor in modeling at several art schools, including Drexel Institute. He was a member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club
from 1881 until his death in 1935.
Stephens, his cousin Charles, and Thomas Anshutz, all PAFA instructors, next took their accusations to the Philadelphia Sketch Club: "We hereby charge Mr. Thoms Eakins with conduct unworthy of a gentleman & discreditable to this organization & ask his expulsion from the club." A committee investigated, concluding that: "Eakins has used his position as an artist and his authority as a teacher to commit certain tresspasses on common decency and good morals." His honorary membership in the club was revoked.
The charges of sexual misconduct and incest were unproven, but Eakins's personal reputation was ruined, something from which he never totally recovered.
, who argued in his 1879 publication Progress and Poverty
for a more equitable distribution of wealth, through a single tax levied on the actual value of land irrespective of improvements a person might make. George platformed on this philosophy in his 1886 New York City mayoral bid, and despite losing was successful enough for a subsequent run. Stephens joined his campaign in 1895.
Stephens first came to Delaware
along with Will Price
, a Philadelphia architect, in 1895-1896 during the single-tax campaign to win political control of the state. The single-taxers hoped that by gaining control of a small political entity they could put their principles into action and prove the legitimacy of Henry George's aims. Although the campaign failed — many activists (including Stephens) were jailed — but Price and Stephens did not give up their dream of creating a utopian community.
, a wealthy soap manufacturer and single-tax proponent, Stephens purchased the Derrickson property, a 162 acre (0.65559132 km²) farm six miles north of Wilmington
on June 12, 1900. Price and Stephens named their newly-founded community after the idyllic Forest of Arden from Shakespeare's
As You Like It
, and adopted "You are welcome hither" (a line from King Lear
) as the community motto because they wanted the village to be a place open to people of all economic levels and political views.
Along with their economic philosophy, Price and Stephens shared a belief in the principles of William Morris
, John Ruskin
, and the Arts and Crafts Movement
. Morris, an Englishman, rebelled against modern cities and industry, advocating a return to craft production, good design, and village life. Price designed a town plan that provided communal open space, encouraged people to mingle with their neighbors, and preserved the woodlands along Naaman's Creek
.
Stephens continued to live and lead in Arden for three decades after its founding, earning the nickname "Patro" (a word meaning "Father" in Esperanto
) by the villagers. He died June 16, 1935 at age 75 in Gilpin Point, Maryland
(another Georgian community he had helped start).
Georgism
Georgism is an economic philosophy and ideology that holds that people own what they create, but that things found in nature, most importantly land, belong equally to all...
community in Arden, Delaware
Arden, Delaware
Arden is a village and art colony in New Castle County, Delaware, in the United States, founded in 1900 as a radical Georgist single-tax community by sculptor Frank Stephens and architect Will Price. The village occupies about 160 acres, with half kept as open land. According to the 2010 Census,...
.
Early life, education and family
Stephens was born December 28, 1859 in Rahway, New JerseyRahway, New Jersey
Rahway is a city in southern Union County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the New York metropolitan area, being 15 miles southwest of Manhattan and five miles west of Staten Island...
, to Henry Louis Stephens and Charlotte Ann Wevil. He briefly attended Rutgers College in New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
, and entered the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
in 1875,
where he studied under Thomas Eakins
Thomas Eakins
Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator...
at various times between 1879 and 1885. He served as Eakins' teaching assistant in 1880, and married Eakins' sister Caroline "Caddie" Eakins on June 14, 1884. They had three children, Margaret, Donald, and Roger. Caroline died after giving birth in 1889. Stephens' second marriage was to Elenor Getty on November 29, 1905; they had no children.
Art career
Following art school, Stephens formed a Philadelphia decorative arts business with classmates Colin Campbell Cooper, Jr.Colin Campbell Cooper
Colin Campbell Cooper, Jr. was an American Impressionist painter, perhaps most renowned for his architectural paintings, especially of skyscrapers in New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago. An avid traveler, he was also known for his paintings of European and Asian landmarks, as well as natural...
, Jesse Godley, and Walter J. Cunningham. He worked for several years on the sculpture of Philadelphia City Hall
Philadelphia City Hall
Philadelphia City Hall is the house of government for the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At , including the statue, it is the world's second-tallest masonry building, only shorter than Mole Antonelliana in Turin...
, and was an instructor in modeling at several art schools, including Drexel Institute. He was a member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club
Philadelphia Sketch Club
The Philadelphia Sketch Club, founded on November 20, 1860, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is one of America’s oldest artists' clubs. The club's own web page proclaims it the oldest. Prominent members have included Joseph Pennell, Thomas Eakins, Howard Chandler Christy, and N.C...
from 1881 until his death in 1935.
Accusations against Eakins
On February 9, 1886, Stephens accused brother-in-law Thomas Eakins of sexual misconduct with his PAFA students and with his deceased sister Margaret. The charges ignited such a controversy that Eakins was forced to resign from PAFA.Stephens, his cousin Charles, and Thomas Anshutz, all PAFA instructors, next took their accusations to the Philadelphia Sketch Club: "We hereby charge Mr. Thoms Eakins with conduct unworthy of a gentleman & discreditable to this organization & ask his expulsion from the club." A committee investigated, concluding that: "Eakins has used his position as an artist and his authority as a teacher to commit certain tresspasses on common decency and good morals." His honorary membership in the club was revoked.
The charges of sexual misconduct and incest were unproven, but Eakins's personal reputation was ruined, something from which he never totally recovered.
Single-tax movement
Stephens was influenced by the theories of Henry GeorgeHenry George
Henry George was an American writer, politician and political economist, who was the most influential proponent of the land value tax, also known as the "single tax" on land...
, who argued in his 1879 publication Progress and Poverty
Progress and Poverty
Progress and Poverty: An Inquiry into the Cause of Industrial Depressions and of Increase of Want with Increase of Wealth: The Remedy was written by Henry George in 1879...
for a more equitable distribution of wealth, through a single tax levied on the actual value of land irrespective of improvements a person might make. George platformed on this philosophy in his 1886 New York City mayoral bid, and despite losing was successful enough for a subsequent run. Stephens joined his campaign in 1895.
Stephens first came to Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
along with Will Price
Will Price
William Lightfoot Price was an influential American architect, a pioneer in the use of reinforced concrete, and a founder of the utopian communities of Arden, Delaware and Rose Valley, Pennsylvania.-Career:...
, a Philadelphia architect, in 1895-1896 during the single-tax campaign to win political control of the state. The single-taxers hoped that by gaining control of a small political entity they could put their principles into action and prove the legitimacy of Henry George's aims. Although the campaign failed — many activists (including Stephens) were jailed — but Price and Stephens did not give up their dream of creating a utopian community.
Founding Arden, Delaware
With the financial help of Joseph FelsJoseph Fels
Joseph Fels was an American soap manufacturer, millionaire, and philanthropist.Born of German immigrants in Halifax County, Virginia, Fels moved with his family to Baltimore in 1866; by 1876 he'd assumed control of a soap manufacturing company based in Philadelphia, and brought two of his brothers...
, a wealthy soap manufacturer and single-tax proponent, Stephens purchased the Derrickson property, a 162 acre (0.65559132 km²) farm six miles north of Wilmington
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
on June 12, 1900. Price and Stephens named their newly-founded community after the idyllic Forest of Arden from Shakespeare's
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
, and adopted "You are welcome hither" (a line from King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
) as the community motto because they wanted the village to be a place open to people of all economic levels and political views.
Along with their economic philosophy, Price and Stephens shared a belief in the principles of William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
, John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
, and the Arts and Crafts Movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
. Morris, an Englishman, rebelled against modern cities and industry, advocating a return to craft production, good design, and village life. Price designed a town plan that provided communal open space, encouraged people to mingle with their neighbors, and preserved the woodlands along Naaman's Creek
Naaman's Creek
Naamans Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in northeast New Castle County, Delaware and southeast Delaware County, Pennsylvania The stream rises near the intersection of Foulk Road and Naamans Creek Road at in Bethel Township, Pennsylvania, flows through Arden, Delaware, and discharges...
.
Stephens continued to live and lead in Arden for three decades after its founding, earning the nickname "Patro" (a word meaning "Father" in Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
) by the villagers. He died June 16, 1935 at age 75 in Gilpin Point, Maryland
Gilpin Point, Maryland
Gilpin Point, Maryland is an unincorporated community on Maryland's Eastern Shore in Caroline County, Maryland, United States. The crossroads is at Harmony, on Maryland Route 16. It is the home of American Revolutionary War soldier William Richardson who distinguished himself in the Battle of...
(another Georgian community he had helped start).