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William Wallace Gilchrist, Jr., Collection
1861-2000, n.d.
1.5
linear feet
Catalog Number:
M243
Series List:
- Correspondence, 1861-1992, n.d., 0.3 linear feet.
- Family Materials, 1878-1999, n.d., 0.3 linear feet.
- Artwork Documentation and Ephemera, 1900-2000, n.d., 0.5 linear feet.
- Miscellaneous Research Materials, 1880-1993, n.d., 0.2 linear feet.
- Images, 1902-1988, n.d., 0.2 linear feet.
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Agency History / Biographical Note:
William Wallace Gilchrist, Jr., was born on March 2, 1879, to Susan "Maudie"
Gilchrist and William Wallace Gilchrist, Sr., a celebrated musician and
composer. Gilchrist and his siblings were raised with an appreciation for the
arts, and William, Jr., showed an early affinity and talent for painting. He
began his formal training at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in
Philadelphia, where he studied under some of the period's most influential
artists, including Cecilia Beaux, Thomas Anshutz, and William Merritt Chase.
Gilchrist also received instruction from Winslow Homer during annual summer
vacations in Maine. Gilchrist married Lucretia deSchweinitz in 1901; they
had three children: Peggy, Nelly, and Bill. The family settled in
Philadelphia and spent time each year in Maine. Gilchrist died on November
4, 1926, of heart disease. Peggy's son, Robert Griffin, wrote
Affectionately, Wallace, a biography of his grandfather, published in
2001.
Scope and Content:
The collection was gathered by Robert Griffin while researching and writing
Affectionately, Wallace. The collection includes correspondence,
family materials, information concerning Gilchrist's paintings, Robert
Griffin's research materials, and images. The correspondence is principally
between family members and includes letters written to Gilchrist, Sr., while
a drummer in the Civil War and a series of letters by W.W. Gilchrist, Jr., to
his father during his first trip to Europe. Family materials include
genealogies of the Gilchrist and deSchweinitz families, a Gilchrist family
scrapbook, and a journal with poetry kept by W.W. Gilchrist, Sr. The
collection also contains a comprehensive list of W.W. Gilchrist, Jr.,'s
paintings with accompanying data sheets and photographs of the paintings.
Cite as:
Cite as: William Wallace Gilchrist, Jr., Collection, George J. Mitchell
Department of Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library.
Access Restrictions:
None.
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