Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation
8-2007
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
Fine Arts
Committee Chair
Hufbauer, Benjamin
Author's Keywords
Washington; D.C.
Subject
Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919; Freer Gallery of Art
Abstract
This qualifying paper examines the contradiction of a public museum dedicated to one man's vision of art collecting. Charles Lang Freer established the Freer Gallery of Art in 1906, regarded as the first national public art museum on the National Mall. Section One presents the biographical history of Freer, and clarifies his place in the contexts of collecting and aestheticism at the turn of the century. Section Two presents the political situation in Washington, D.C. that gave way to President Theodore Roosevelt's efforts to use Freer's private collection for a public museum on the National Mall. This paper concludes with a review of the original visitors' reactions at the museum's 1923 opening. The reactions of the first visitors are then connected to the present condition of the museum and its relevance today.
Recommended Citation
Guardiola, Patricia L., "Charles Lang Freer and his gallery of art : turn-of-the-century politics and aesthetics on the National Mall." (2007). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 543.
https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/543
