Albert Newsam
Albert Newsam (born May 20, 1809 in Steubenville , Ohio , † November 20, 1864 in Living Home near Wilmington (Delaware) ) was an American draftsman and lithographer.
Life
Albert Newsam was born deaf and dumb, the son of shipper William Newsam, who died early. Nothing is known about his mother. Newsam was taken care of for some time by the hotelier Thomas Hamilton and, at the age of eleven, was brought to Philadelphia by the allegedly deaf-mute William P. Davis . At this point his talent had already shown itself. While Hamilton was taking care of him, he had drawn a lying cat on the floor with a piece of chalk without ever having been instructed. This cat picture was Newsam's first attested drawing; Numerous sketches based on nature followed, which have not been preserved.
William P. Davis recognized Newsam's talent while staying at Hamilton's hotel and apparently decided to exploit the boy's drawing skills. Already on the trip to Philadelphia, on which he pretended to be Newsam's older brother, he had him drawn in front of witnesses at every opportunity and collected considerable sums of money that interested and sympathetic people gave to the two alleged brothers on their way to a newly founded school for the deaf and dumb.
In Philadelphia, Bishop White, president of the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, became aware of Newsam and his companion. Davis announced in writing that he had received training from Abbé Sicard in Paris and then traveled back to the United States to meet his family again, but found only Albert alive. Although Davis was suspected of faking his disability, he could not be convicted. He eventually agreed to leave Albert Newsam at the Whites Institution until he himself returned from looking for relatives in Richmond, Virginia . After his departure, all trace of the kidnapper was lost .
A committee from the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb secured Newsam an education at the institute. The boy was barely able to communicate at this point, only saying that Davis was not a relative. Eventually he produced a drawing of his hometown, which could be identified as Steubenville by a casual visitor. A Mr. Wright from Steubenville was able to contact Albert Newsam while visiting the institution. This drew not only Wright's house, but also another building in which Wright's memory had lived after a woman whose deaf and mute son had been kidnapped. Wright was able to provide information about Albert Newsam's late father, but not about other relatives. Newsam's visit to his homeland in 1840 also yielded no further results.
Albert Newsam was educated at the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb for six years, from 1820 to 1826. While on a trip to Harrisburg, the fourteen-year-old painted a portrait of General Andrew Jackson , which was widely acclaimed. After graduating from school in 1826, he worked as a drawing teacher for beginners for a year, but that did not satisfy him. His own teachers included Hugh Bridport and George Catlin .
In 1827 Newsam was incorporated into Cephas G. Childs Company, which produced engravings and lithographs. During his apprenticeship there, he also attended the Academy of Fine Arts and created numerous copies of well-known pictures, but also numerous own sketches and drawings. He was a well-known lithographer around the age of 22. From 1834 he worked under the new owners George Lehman and Peter S. Duval and eventually became their chief artist. Newsam mainly created portraits, which he designed first from life and later from photographs and daguerreotypes . In 1838, several portraits of famous artists and composers that Newsam had created appeared in Parlor Review .
Albert Newsam also went on to become a knowledgeable art collector, specializing in prints. A fire in Duval's lithographic establishment, where he had a studio, destroyed part of his valuable collection. Newsam, who was particularly interested in European artists, wanted a job with the lithographer Hermandel in London , but was unable to accept an invitation to London for financial reasons, as he regularly used his income to buy art.
Albert married Newsam on March 27, 1834. The marriage was divorced shortly thereafter, and Newsam lived the rest of his life alone.
In 1853 an exhibition of designs for the Gallaudet Monument was held. A draft from Newsam was accepted along with a picture by John Carlin . At the inauguration of the monument on September 6, 1854, Carlin and Newsam were present. At the age of 44, Newsam also turned to oil painting. In 1855 he became a student of the portrait painter RJ Lambdin , but he could no longer apply his new knowledge extensively due to illness.
In 1857 Newsam's eyesight began to deteriorate after an accident with a gas light, and in 1859 he suffered a stroke that paralyzed his right side. After he was out of therapy, he was sent to West Philadelphia, where he lived until 1862 but was very unhappy. After Newsam's letter for help was published in various newspapers, a group of people came together to enable him to live in the country. Several newspaper articles were published to raise funds. Finally he was able to move to the Living Home near Wilmington. Newsam lived there very happily. He started drawing with his left hand about a year before his death. Newsam was baptized at this stage in his life and confirmed on January 17, 1863. The ceremony took place at St. Andrew's, Wilmington, and drew a large audience to watch the translation of spoken language into sign language. Newsam's funeral on November 22, 1864 at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia after the celebration in St. Clement's Church was also attended by several hundred people.
Newsam's estate is with the Library Company of Philadelphia. It comes from the collection of John A. McAllister.
photos
literature
- David McNeely Stauffer, Lithographic Portraits of Albert Newsam , Philadelphia 1901
- Joseph O. Wyatt, Memoir of Albert Newsam (deaf mute artist) , Philadelphia 1868
Web links
- Albert Newsam Print Collection (PDF; 959 kB)
Individual evidence
- ^ Joseph O. Wyatt, Memoir of Albert Newsam (deaf mute artist) , Philadelphia 1868, p. 8
- ↑ Wyatt, p. 9
- ↑ Wyatt, p. 13
- ↑ Wyatt, p. 15
- ↑ Wyatt, p. 18
- ↑ Wyatt, p. 22
- ↑ Wyatt, p. 25
- ↑ Wyatt, p. 35
- ↑ Wyatt, p. 53
- ↑ Wyatt, p. 39
- ↑ Wyatt, p. 43 f.
- ↑ Wyatt, p. 70
- ↑ Wyatt, p. 91
- ↑ http://www.library.upenn.edu/collections/rbm/keffer/newsam.html
- ↑ Wyatt, p. 116
- ↑ Wyatt, p. 125
- ↑ Wyatt, p. 129
- ↑ Wyatt, p. 136
- ↑ http://www.librarycompany.org/mcallister/pdf/newsam.pdf
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Newsam, Albert |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American draftsman and lithographer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 20, 1809 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Steubenville , Ohio |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 20, 1864 |
| Place of death | Living Home near Wilmington , Delaware |