Contents and Arrangement Expanded View
Online

Collection Overview

Creator:
Martin, Homer Dodge, 1836-1897
Collector:
Princeton University. Library. Special Collections
Title:
Homer Dodge Martin and Elizabeth G. Martin Letters to William Crary Brownell
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/qv33rw664
Dates:
1874-1901
Size:
1 box and 0.2 linear feet
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1
Language:
English

Abstract

Consists of personal letters by the American landscape painter Homer Dodge Martin and his wife, Elizabeth G. Martin, to friend and editor William Crary Brownell and his first wife, Virginia Shields Swinburne.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of postcards and letters by Homer Dodge Martin and his wife, Elizabeth G. Martin, to their friends William Crary Brownell and his first wife, Virginia Shields Swinburne. Posted from different cities where the Martins were traveling or living, the letters are personal in nature. Some date from England in the 1870s when Homer met Whistler and, later, when he was commissioned by Century Magazine to sketch in George Elliot's country. There are letters from Concord, Massachusets, where Martin was sent by Scribner's Monthly to make the illustrations for The Homes and Haunts of Emerson. Included are several letters dated between 1882 and 1886 when the Martins lived at Villerville in France. The letters discuss Homer's paintings, including "Ontario Sand Dunes," Elizabeth's poetry and writings, and their desperate financial situation. They could not afford to buy eye glasses for Homer, had many creditors, and needed to ask Brownell for a loan. Two of Homer Dodge's letters contain sketches in pencil and in ink. In the letter dated September 25, 1896, Elizabeth writes to Brownell about her husband's deteriorating health and about the growth in his throat, which was later discovered to be cancer of the throat.

Arrangement

The letters are arranged chronologically.

Collection Creator Biography:

Martin, Homer Dodge, 1836-1897

Homer Dodge Martin was an American landscape painter. His earlier works are in the style of the Hudson River School, while his later work shows the influence of the Barbizon School. He was elected as an associate of the National Academy of Design in New York in 1868. In 1861 Martin had married Elizabeth Gilbert Davis, a woman of cultivation and ability, who was able to help the family's meager budget with her writing. During a trip to Europe in 1876, he made friends with, and was influenced by, the painter James McNeill Whistler. Homer's paintings were not selling well, and in order to obtain an income, he did illustrations for Scribner's Monthly and for the Century Company. Between 1882 and 1886 the Martins lived in Villerville in France. However, Homer was still not successful in selling his paintings and his wife was not getting paid for her literary work. The Martins eventually ran out of money and had to borrow from their friend William Crary Brownell. In 1887 the Martins returned to New York, where Homer's health and eye sight steadily deteriorated, and in 1896 he was diagnosed with cancer of the throat. His last years were spent in St. Paul, Minn., where, nearly blind, he painted "Adirondack Scenery" from memory. It was only after his death that he became famous and his paintings were being forged.

William Crary Brownell, a literary and art critic, was born in Westport, Mass. After graduating from Amherst College in 1871 he became a reporter with the New York World, and then an editor. He had many literary and artistic friends, among whom was Homer Dodge Martin. From 1879 to 1881 he was on the staff of the Nation. He was married in 1878 to Virginia Shields Swinburne, who died in 1911, and in 1921 he married Gertrude Hall, a poet and translator. In 1888 he became editor and literary adviser with Charles Scribner's Sons, a position which he retained until his death, forty years later.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Letters were a gift of Mrs. William Crary Brownell on June 11, 1934 .

Custodial History

The collection was formed as a result of a Departmental practice of combining into one collection material of various accessions relating to a particular person, family, or subject.

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Dina Britain on July 5, 2006. Finding aid written by Tenley Eakin on July 7, 2006. Folder inventory added by James Clark '14 in 2012.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Homer Dodge Martin and Elizabeth G. Martin Letters to William Crary Brownell; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/qv33rw664
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1