BRATTLEBORO — Through gifts and bequests over the past 150 years, Brooks Memorial Library has assembled a rich and varied collection of art and artifacts that rivals even some museums. The collection includes sculpture, ceramics, paintings, rare books, maps, photographs and other ephemera and archaeological objects.
Many, if not most, of these pieces have not been displayed for years. Some have never been displayed.
As a way of sharing them with the Brooks members and others in the community, the Brooks Trustees, Friends of the Library and the library's Fine Arts Committee are hosting an event they're calling “The Hidden Art Treasures of Brooks Memorial Library.”
You are invited to attend this rare and special occasion on Friday, October 10, at 5:30 PM. Featured speaker will be Richard Michelman, Fine Arts collector and appraiser.
Michelman is a retired high school teacher and served on the library's Board of Trustees from 1973 to 1982. He is the co-author of “Before Our Time: A Pictorial Memoir of Brattleboro, Vermont, from 1830 to 1930”
The Library has more than 300 works of art that have been donated over the years to Brooks. These donors include a pantheon of Brattleboro notables including Colonel William Austine, the famous Hunt family of Brattleboro and Charles and Henrietta Loud, among others.
A sampling of the treasures that will be available for viewing includes:
• John J. Audubon's “The Birds of America” - from drawings made in the United States and their territories, 1870;
• “History of the Indian tribes of North America” - with biographical sketches and anecdotes of the principal chiefs embellished with 120 portraits from the Indian gallery in the Department of War in Washington D.C., 1842;
• Smith's terrestrial globe - containing the whole of the latest discoveries and geographical improvements, also the tracks of the most celebrated circumnavigators, 1863;
• Paintings and sculpture from nationally noted Brattleboro artist William Morris Hunt, which include, “Flight at Night,” “A Spire by Moonlight,” “The Prodigal Son,” “Italian Landscapes,” and “Horse.”
• Artifacts traced to the alleged highwayman robber, Thunderbolt - a.k.a., Dr. John Wilson - which includes his sword cane, false heel, and physician's bag.
According to Philip Zea, President of Historical Deerfield: “Brattleboro possesses a legacy in American Art that few small cities and towns can boast. Before the First World War, an impressive group of painters, sculptors, and architects passed through Brattleboro or called it home … Several original works of art of national importance along with a few supporting documents are owned by the Brooks Memorial Library.”
Light refreshments will be served. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the library at 802-254-5290, ext. 101, or [email protected].