Henry Northey Hooper
Encyclopedia
Henry Northey Hooper was a preeminent 19th century American manufacturer and merchant of decorative lighting, Civil War artillery, and bells and chimes. He was a Boston politician and foundry owner and in his firm he cast the first life-size bronze statue in the United States.
Born in Manchester, Massachusetts to Captain William and Sally Northey Hooper, he descended from a line of Northey silversmiths of Salem, Gloucester, and Manchester, MA, and the Hooper family of ship masters. Hooper initially produced nautical equipment, in which field he was educated and worked until 1825.
He was an apprentice of Paul Revere
in the latter’s Boston foundry. He later purchased the foundry and established Henry N. Hooper & Co. to produce lamps and lighting fixtures, bells, and by 1862, artillery for the Union Army.
Hooper was probably best known as a manufacturer of fine decorative lighting fixtures, including chandeliers, girandoles
, Argand lamps, and other cast and gilt bronze lighting. He was commissioned by the U.S. Congress to manufacture a massive chandelier for the Hall of the House of Representatives, which was hung in December, 1840. The lighted 13-foot diameter, whale-oil burning fixture, weighing 7,500 lb, was described by witnesses as “exceedingly beautiful and extremely brilliant” and “without exception, the largest, most elegant, and splendid chandelier we ever beheld.” At a cost of $4,000, it featured over 10,000 cut glass pieces and 78 burners, with all of its visible metal parts finished in gold.
However, only a day after its first lighting, the massive chandelier fell to the floor owing to a defective suspension chain, destroying several desks and chairs and itself in the process. One person was injured, but fortunately Congress was not in session. A committee investigating the incident exonerated Hooper of blame, and the chandelier ultimately was replaced with a gas model.
Other chandeliers of Hooper’s are displayed in the library of the Longfellow National Historic Site
and are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
collections, while specimens of his Rococo Revival candelabras, Argand lamps, and candlesticks survive in private collections. Replicas of his solar chandeliers have recently been commissioned.
Hooper was also well known for his highly prized bells and chimes dating from 1838. His many clients included the City of San Francisco fire department and the Monhegan, ME, lighthouse
, whose bell, now on display at the Monhegan Museum, became the subject of the Jamie Wyeth
painting, “Bronze Age”.
His Boston foundry yard, the scene of construction of chimes for Christ Church in Cambridge, MA, were featured in a sketch by Winslow Homer
for Harper's Weekly in 1860. Today, his bells are still found in churches, court houses, and universities, mainly in New England. Notable examples include:
William Blake, Hooper’s partner, continued to operate the foundry starting in 1868, supplying bells to churches in New England, to Amherst College, and to New York’s City Hall.
Hooper’s company was one of 5 contracted by the Union Army to produce the Napoleon
, a 6 ft., 1200 lb bronze field gun that was the most popular smoothbore artillery in the Civil War
. Hooper's firm was the second leading supplier behind the Revere Copper Company
, supplying about one-third of the 1,156 Napoleons made for the North. Over 100 of Hooper’s guns survive, with some on display at Gettysburg
, Arlington National Cemetery
, and in the Rhode Island State House
.
He cast the first life sized bronze statue in the U.S., of Nathaniel Bowditch
, the “father of modern maritime navigation” which was placed at Mount Auburn Cemetery
, Cambridge, MA. The casting was later replaced in 1886.
Hooper was active in Boston politics, serving on the Boston City Council in 1841, and as a Representative to the General Court. He was president of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association
, a position previously held by Paul Revere.
He married Priscilla Langdon Harris of Boston in 1826. Hooper’s sons, Henry Northey and Isaac Harris Hooper, both served as officers in the Civil War. His brother, William Northey Hooper
, was a merchant and a principal founder of the sugar industry in Hawaii
. Hooper died in Roxbury, MA, in 1865.
Born in Manchester, Massachusetts to Captain William and Sally Northey Hooper, he descended from a line of Northey silversmiths of Salem, Gloucester, and Manchester, MA, and the Hooper family of ship masters. Hooper initially produced nautical equipment, in which field he was educated and worked until 1825.
He was an apprentice of Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
in the latter’s Boston foundry. He later purchased the foundry and established Henry N. Hooper & Co. to produce lamps and lighting fixtures, bells, and by 1862, artillery for the Union Army.
Hooper was probably best known as a manufacturer of fine decorative lighting fixtures, including chandeliers, girandoles
Girandole
A Girandole is an ornamental branched candlestick or lighting device often composed of several lights...
, Argand lamps, and other cast and gilt bronze lighting. He was commissioned by the U.S. Congress to manufacture a massive chandelier for the Hall of the House of Representatives, which was hung in December, 1840. The lighted 13-foot diameter, whale-oil burning fixture, weighing 7,500 lb, was described by witnesses as “exceedingly beautiful and extremely brilliant” and “without exception, the largest, most elegant, and splendid chandelier we ever beheld.” At a cost of $4,000, it featured over 10,000 cut glass pieces and 78 burners, with all of its visible metal parts finished in gold.
However, only a day after its first lighting, the massive chandelier fell to the floor owing to a defective suspension chain, destroying several desks and chairs and itself in the process. One person was injured, but fortunately Congress was not in session. A committee investigating the incident exonerated Hooper of blame, and the chandelier ultimately was replaced with a gas model.
Other chandeliers of Hooper’s are displayed in the library of the Longfellow National Historic Site
Longfellow National Historic Site
The Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site, also known as the Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House and, until December 2010, Longfellow National Historic Site, is a historic site located at 105 Brattle Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For almost fifty years, it was the...
and are in 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...
collections, while specimens of his Rococo Revival candelabras, Argand lamps, and candlesticks survive in private collections. Replicas of his solar chandeliers have recently been commissioned.
Hooper was also well known for his highly prized bells and chimes dating from 1838. His many clients included the City of San Francisco fire department and the Monhegan, ME, lighthouse
Monhegan Island Light
Monhegan Island Light is a lighthouse on Monhegan Island, Maine.It was first established in 1824. The present structure was built in 1850. It was Alexander Parris's last significant design. It is the second highest light in Maine — only Seguin Light, on a significantly higher island, is higher...
, whose bell, now on display at the Monhegan Museum, became the subject of the Jamie Wyeth
Jamie Wyeth
James Browning Wyeth is a contemporary American realist painter. He was raised in Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania, son of Andrew Wyeth and grandson of N.C. Wyeth...
painting, “Bronze Age”.
His Boston foundry yard, the scene of construction of chimes for Christ Church in Cambridge, MA, were featured in a sketch by 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....
for Harper's Weekly in 1860. Today, his bells are still found in churches, court houses, and universities, mainly in New England. Notable examples include:
- Savage United Methodist Church, MD (1838)
- Pinewood Lutheran Church, Burlington, MA (1846)
- Town Hall Bell Tower, Plymouth, NH (1849)
- Arlington Street Church, Boston, MA (1860)
- Christ Church, Cambridge, MA (1860)
- Grace ChurchGrace Church (Providence, Rhode Island)Grace Church is an historic church at 175 Mathewson Street in Providence, Rhode Island.The church building was constructed in 1845 by architect Richard Upjohn in a Gothic Revival style, then remodeled in 1912 by Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson with a parish house addition...
, Providence, RI (1861) - First Church, Charlestown (Boston), MA (1868)
- Usen Castle bellThe Castle (Waltham, Massachusetts)The Castle, also known as Usen Castle, is a historic building at 415 South Street in Waltham, Massachusetts.It was built in 1928 by John R. Smith as part of the now-defunct Middlesex College of Medicine and Surgery, became part of the Brandeis University campus in 1946, and was added to the...
at Brandeis University
William Blake, Hooper’s partner, continued to operate the foundry starting in 1868, supplying bells to churches in New England, to Amherst College, and to New York’s City Hall.
Hooper’s company was one of 5 contracted by the Union Army to produce the Napoleon
Canon obusier de 12
The Canon obusier de 12 , also known as the "Canon de l’Empereur" was a type of canon-obusier developed by France in 1853...
, a 6 ft., 1200 lb bronze field gun that was the most popular smoothbore artillery in the Civil War
Field artillery in the American Civil War
Field artillery in the American Civil War refers to the important artillery weapons, equipment, and practices used by the Artillery branch to support the infantry and cavalry forces in the field. It does not include siege artillery, use of artillery in fixed fortifications, or coastal or naval...
. Hooper's firm was the second leading supplier behind the Revere Copper Company
Revere Copper Company
The Revere Copper Company was North America's first rolled copper mill. It was started by Paul Revere in 1801 in Canton, Massachusetts and developed a commercially viable process for manufacturing copper sheets....
, supplying about one-third of the 1,156 Napoleons made for the North. Over 100 of Hooper’s guns survive, with some on display at Gettysburg
Gettysburg Battlefield
The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the 4 acre site of the first shot & at on the west of the borough, to East...
, Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
, and in the Rhode Island State House
Rhode Island State House
The Rhode Island State House is the capitol of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It is located on the border of the Downtown and Smith Hill sections of the state capital city of Providence...
.
He cast the first life sized bronze statue in the U.S., of Nathaniel Bowditch
Nathaniel Bowditch
Nathaniel Bowditch was an early American mathematician remembered for his work on ocean navigation. He is often credited as the founder of modern maritime navigation; his book The New American Practical Navigator, first published in 1802, is still carried on board every commissioned U.S...
, the “father of modern maritime navigation” which was placed at Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery", or the first "rural cemetery", with classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain...
, Cambridge, MA. The casting was later replaced in 1886.
Hooper was active in Boston politics, serving on the Boston City Council in 1841, and as a Representative to the General Court. He was president of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association
Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association
The Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association of Boston, Massachusetts, was "formed for the sole purposes of promoting the mechanic arts and extending the practice of benevolence." Founding members included Paul Revere, Benjamin Russell, and others...
, a position previously held by Paul Revere.
He married Priscilla Langdon Harris of Boston in 1826. Hooper’s sons, Henry Northey and Isaac Harris Hooper, both served as officers in the Civil War. His brother, William Northey Hooper
William Northey Hooper
William Northey Hooper was born in Manchester, Massachusetts to the Massachusetts Hooper family of shipmasters and merchants. He founded and operated, with 2 other investors in 1835, Ladd & Co., the first large scale sugar producer in Hawaii at Koloa, marking the birth of Hawaii's leading...
, was a merchant and a principal founder of the sugar industry in Hawaii
Old Sugar Mill of Koloa
The Old Sugar Mill of Kōloa was part of the first commercially successful sugar plantation in Hawaii, which was founded in Kōloa in 1835 by Ladd & Company. This was the beginning of what would become Hawaii's largest industry. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark on December...
. Hooper died in Roxbury, MA, in 1865.
External links
- The Art Institute of Chicago
- The Historical Marker Database
- Guild of Carillonneurs in North America
- Longfellow National Historic Site
- Monhegan Museum
- Woldman & Woldman
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Hazard's Register at Google Books
- Chambers' Edinburgh Journal at Google Books
- The Congressional Globe at Google Books
- San Diego History Center