Portrait of Charles Ammi Cutter
Image ID: ART017
An oil painting of Charles Ammi Cutter, well known Library Systemizer and First Librarian of Forbes Library, 1894-1903. Signed and dated u.r.? 350.00. Displayed in the Forbes Library Reference Room, Northampton, MA.
William Harry Warren Bicknell
Forbes Library's first Librarian was Charles A. Cutter (1837-1903). Born in Boston to a family of "Revolutionary stock," and educated at Harvard and Harvard Divinity School, Cutter became involved with library work while still a student, soon becoming an acknowledged expert in the field. His system of cataloging, Cutter's Expansive System, is universally known. Cutter also had a distinguished literary career writing for the North American Review and the Nation for decades.
During his tenure as librarian of the prestigious Boston Athenaeum, he joined with such notables as Melvil Dewey to establish the American Library Association and the Library Journal. He came to Forbes in 1894, and served until 1903, committed to building a fine book collection and an atmosphere of "cultural uplift" through fostering an interest in art and music.
The artist, William H.W. Bicknell (1860-1947), also born in Boston, is represented in a number of museums around the United States. He was commissioned by the trustees to do the portrait in 1906, three years after Cutter's death. The artist portrays Cutter with his trademark wire glasses, Van Dyke beard, (Forbes-like) bow tie - and just a trace of a smile.
William Harry Warren Bicknell
Forbes Library's first Librarian was Charles A. Cutter (1837-1903). Born in Boston to a family of "Revolutionary stock," and educated at Harvard and Harvard Divinity School, Cutter became involved with library work while still a student, soon becoming an acknowledged expert in the field. His system of cataloging, Cutter's Expansive System, is universally known. Cutter also had a distinguished literary career writing for the North American Review and the Nation for decades.
During his tenure as librarian of the prestigious Boston Athenaeum, he joined with such notables as Melvil Dewey to establish the American Library Association and the Library Journal. He came to Forbes in 1894, and served until 1903, committed to building a fine book collection and an atmosphere of "cultural uplift" through fostering an interest in art and music.
The artist, William H.W. Bicknell (1860-1947), also born in Boston, is represented in a number of museums around the United States. He was commissioned by the trustees to do the portrait in 1906, three years after Cutter's death. The artist portrays Cutter with his trademark wire glasses, Van Dyke beard, (Forbes-like) bow tie - and just a trace of a smile.
Image Details
| Dublin Core | |
|---|---|
| Title |
Portrait of Charles Ammi Cutter
|
| Subject |
Librarians
Charles Ammi Cutter
Forbes Library (Northampton, Mass.)--People
Portrait paintings
Oil paintings
Portraits
|
| Description |
An oil painting of Charles Ammi Cutter, well known Library Systemizer and First Librarian of Forbes Library, 1894-1903. Signed and dated u.r.? 350.00. Displayed in the Forbes Library Reference Room, Northampton, MA.
William Harry Warren Bicknell Forbes Library's first Librarian was Charles A. Cutter (1837-1903). Born in Boston to a family of "Revolutionary stock," and educated at Harvard and Harvard Divinity School, Cutter became involved with library work while still a student, soon becoming an acknowledged expert in the field. His system of cataloging, Cutter's Expansive System, is universally known. Cutter also had a distinguished literary career writing for the North American Review and the Nation for decades. During his tenure as librarian of the prestigious Boston Athenaeum, he joined with such notables as Melvil Dewey to establish the American Library Association and the Library Journal. He came to Forbes in 1894, and served until 1903, committed to building a fine book collection and an atmosphere of "cultural uplift" through fostering an interest in art and music. The artist, William H.W. Bicknell (1860-1947), also born in Boston, is represented in a number of museums around the United States. He was commissioned by the trustees to do the portrait in 1906, three years after Cutter's death. The artist portrays Cutter with his trademark wire glasses, Van Dyke beard, (Forbes-like) bow tie - and just a trace of a smile. |
| Creator |
William Henry Warren Bicknell
|
| Date |
u.r. signed W.H.W. Bicknell, dated 1906, restored 1985.
|
| Format |
Oil
|
| Identifier |
ART017
|
| Still Image Item Type Metadata | |
|---|---|
| Physical Dimensions |
27.5" x 22"
|
Citation
William Henry Warren Bicknell, “Portrait of Charles Ammi Cutter,” Forbes Library Images from the Archives (Legacy site: Pre-2022), accessed May 18, 2024, https://images.forbeslibrary.org/items/show/763.