Ichabod T. Williams
Encyclopedia
Ichabod T. Williams (1826 - 1 March 1899) was a prominent American businessman and art collector.
. He became an officer in the 27th Regiment, which was the predecessor of the famous 7th Regiment, New York National Guard, and took part in the famous Astor House Riots.
He entered the lumber
business of Williams & Smith, in which his father was a partner. In 1870 he formed his own company under the name of Ichabod T. Williams. Two sons became partners in 1880 and 1882 (with two more to follow in the early 1890s) and the name became Ichabod T. Williams & Sons. Their sawmill
and veneer
plant was a leading firm for the manufacture and distribution of fine domesticated and foreign hard woods. He was for several years President of the Lumber Trade Association. He was a director of the People's Bank and a member of the Manhattan Club.
In his latter years Ichabod T. Williams was an extensive art collector and his collection of paintings of the Barbizon School
was one of the largest in New York. It included works by Corot
, Diaz
, Dupré
, Rousseau
and Millet
. He also possessed an extensive collection of glassware
and porcelain
. Williams liked to buy paintings directly from the artists and was instrumental in launching the career of American artist Frank Mura
.
His son Henry Williams (1859-1944) was also a notable art collector.
The Ichabod T. Williams & Sons lumber and cabinetry company closed in 1972.
Life and works
Ichabod T. Williams was born in New York CityNew 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...
. He became an officer in the 27th Regiment, which was the predecessor of the famous 7th Regiment, New York National Guard, and took part in the famous Astor House Riots.
He entered the lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
business of Williams & Smith, in which his father was a partner. In 1870 he formed his own company under the name of Ichabod T. Williams. Two sons became partners in 1880 and 1882 (with two more to follow in the early 1890s) and the name became Ichabod T. Williams & Sons. Their sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
and veneer
Veneer
A veneer is a thin covering over another surface. More specifically, it may refer to:* Wood veneer, a term used in architecture and woodworking...
plant was a leading firm for the manufacture and distribution of fine domesticated and foreign hard woods. He was for several years President of the Lumber Trade Association. He was a director of the People's Bank and a member of the Manhattan Club.
In his latter years Ichabod T. Williams was an extensive art collector and his collection of paintings of the Barbizon School
Barbizon school
The Barbizon school of painters were part of a movement towards realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. The Barbizon school was active roughly from 1830 through 1870...
was one of the largest in New York. It included works by Corot
Corot
Corot may refer to:* Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, French landscape painter * COROT, a space mission with the dual aims of finding extrasolar planets and performing asteroseismology* COROT-7, a dwarf star in the Monoceros constellation...
, Diaz
Narcisse Virgilio Díaz
Narcisse Virgilio Díaz de la Peña was a French painter of the Barbizon school.Diaz was born in Bordeaux to Spanish parents. At the age of ten, Diaz became an orphan, and misfortune dogged his early years. His foot was bitten by a reptile in Meudon wood, near Sèvres, where he had been taken to live...
, Dupré
Jules Dupré
Jules Dupré , French painter, was one of the chief members of the Barbizon school of landscape painters. If Corot stands for the lyric and Rousseau for the epic aspect of the poetry of nature, Dupré is the exponent of her tragic and dramatic aspects.Dupré exhibited first at the Salon in 1831, and...
, Rousseau
Théodore Rousseau
Pierre Étienne Théodore Rousseau , French painter of the Barbizon school, was born in Paris, of a bourgeois family.-Youth:At first he received a business training, but soon displayed aptitude for painting...
and Millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
. He also possessed an extensive collection of glassware
Glassware
This list of glassware includes drinking vessels , tableware, such as dishes, and flatware used to set a table for eating a meal, general glass items such as vases, and glasses used in the catering industry whether made of glass or plastics such as polystyrene and...
and porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
. Williams liked to buy paintings directly from the artists and was instrumental in launching the career of American artist Frank Mura
Frank Mura
Frank Mura was a French-born American painter and water colourist who also worked in charcoal and pencil. His work includes landscapes, buildings, marine settings, human subjects and animals...
.
His son Henry Williams (1859-1944) was also a notable art collector.
The Ichabod T. Williams & Sons lumber and cabinetry company closed in 1972.