The Life and Times of Missouri's Charles Parsons by Launius John;

Author:Launius, John;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
Published: 2020-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Sanford Robinson Gifford (American, 1823–1880), Rheinstein, 1872–74. Oil on canvas, 31⅜ x 27¼ in. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis. Bequest of Charles Parsons, 1905. WU 2182.

Jules Breton (1827–1906) was another painter with whom Parsons corresponded and perhaps met in person on his numerous trips to Europe, beginning in the late 1850s. Breton was a naturalist whose mastery was recognized in his ability to convey the power and beauty of idyllic, pastoral scenes of his native northern France.369 Following the publication of Strahan’s Art Treasures of America, Parsons sought to add a Breton to his collection and sent a letter to the artist. Breton responded in French in a letter dated April 1881, from his hometown of Courrières, translated here:

Sir,

I am so very flattered that you are manifesting this desire to own one of my

paintings and at the same time I really wish to please you and it will be a

joy to create it for you.

When could I possibly do it! There is the ultimate question. I am already late with my other customers who do not appreciate my work as you do.

All I can do at this time is to take some good notes of what you wish for me to create for you. I will create it when I have time.

In the meantime, I am praying that you please accept my sentiment here for your good words that describe your acknowledgment.

I wish you the highest of praise.

Jules Breton370

Breton was a prolific artist and was probably telling the truth to Parsons regarding his schedule, but this letter may have been an attempt by Breton to raise the price of the commission if Parsons wanted it sooner. It seems as though Parsons was unsuccessful in purchasing a new painting and settled for a work from 1858, entitled Le Lundi (Mondays).371 In another letter to Breton, Parsons pressed the artist to provide “details of the characters” displayed in the painting, although Breton’s response has not survived.372

Charles Parsons’s collection of paintings was among the best private collections of its time in the United States, recognized as including works of “high technical quality carefully composed and finely executed.”373 Parsons truly loved art in all its expressions, and his collecting tastes demonstrated that he was educated in the arts and aware of the most modern and popular collecting trends.374 He was not merely collecting to demonstrate the mid-nineteenth-century sentiment that art ownership demonstrated “power and superiority.”375 Charles Parsons was genuinely moved and inspired by having the means to surround himself with objects of art and dedicated nearly thirty years of his life to contributing to the education of students who would go on, in many cases, to inspire a nation with their creations. To the general public, he dedicated his time and resources to create a central repository, the first museum west of the Mississippi, for all to enjoy.

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