Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Spring 2008 - (Page 64) LOUISIANA STATE MUSEUM descriptions of these exhibits are included in the journal of Thomas K. Wharton, published by the Historic New Orleans Collection as Queen of the South, New Orleans, 1853-1862. Thomas Wharton and his son Tommy frequently visited many of the museums, circuses, and exhibit halls in New Orleans. Some private collectors also magnanimously allowed the general public to view works in their “museum.” James Robb, a banking and railroad tycoon, was probably the biggest collector in mid-19th century New Orleans. He purchased many of his artworks from the sale of the Joseph Bonaparte collection in 1845. Following the financial panic of 1857, Robb sold his collection at auction to meet debts. John Burnside, a wealthy Irishman, bought Robb’s Garden District mansion and part of his collections. Unfortunately, Burnside was unable to take care of the house and grounds. He gradually allowed it to become “dustcovered and rotten, until at the time of his death both his house and grounds had fallen into disrepair and its former beauty and T. P. Thompson in his home library, 1899. others. In November 1887 the Times Democrat reviewed the Egyptian Gallery of Science or Museum of Anatomy in an article entitled “Very Like a Fake.” The review stated, “The first object that greets the eye at the entrance is a large wax figure of a woman reclining, with but one garment on, and exhibiting an anatomy by no means pleasant to look at … after entering there are seen rows of very crudely made cases of portions of the human body, and some four or five wax figures in such a dilapidated condition they appear to have traveled years with a circus.” The article indicated that the student of anatomy “is confronted with a ghastly couple of toughs, which are labeled ‘body snatchers,’ opposite to which is an old dogfighter, marked ‘Martin Luther.’” As an antidote to the Egyptian Gallery of Science, the Times Democrat article suggested that anyone interested in anatomy should visit the museum in the medical department of the University of Louisiana. The University’s museum included fifty times as many These “museums” wer e often pa rt a rt galler y, ex hibitio n s o f histo ric a rtifacts, zoologica l display s, diora ma s o f sig nific ant ev en ts, exhibitions of odditie s, a nd musica l pe rfor man ces. specimens as the Egyptian Gallery, all of which came from Naples, Italy at great expense. Another respected anatomical museum was the New York Museum of Anatomy Branch at 40 St. Charles Avenue. For those with more refined tastes, the Armory Hall on Camp Street and the Masonic Hall at St. Charles and Perdido streets exhibited paintings, dioramas, and panoramas. Wonderful An exterior view of the James Robb Mansion when in use by Newcomb College. (George Francois Mugnier photographer, c.1910.) 64 LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES\Spring 2008 glory were but a memory.” The New Orleans Museum of Art now owns The Toilet of Psyche by Charles J. Natoire, which was originally part of the Robb collection. The Robb mansion on Washington Avenue, however was demolished in 1954. Fortunately, architect Henry Krotzer saved pieces of a Dominique Canova fresco from the house, fragments of which are now in the Louisiana State Museum collection. Norman’s New Orleans and Environs 1845 guide to the city includes a description of what came to be known as the National Gallery of Paintings. Mr. G. Cooke, a local artist, cared for the gallery. “The principal object was to form a rallying point for the exhibition of the works of celebrated artist, both of foreign and American origin, and to dispose of such as might please the fancy of the public, at a certain fixed price.” The gallery was located at 13 St. Charles Avenue and opened in 1844. James Robb was the main lender to the gallery, but other collectors in the city also loaned pieces. Among them were Joseph Kennedy, the superintendent of the New Orleans Mint, and R.D. Shepherd, LOUISIANA STATE MUSEUM http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/
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