Renwick Gallery ("Corcoran's Art Building")
ca. 1864
Medium
Photography-Photoprint
Classification
Photography-Photoprint
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase
Accession Number
1978.119
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step back in time to 1864 with this rare photoprint capturing the Renwick Gallery, then known as the "Corcoran's Art Building in Washington, D.C Created by an unidentified photographer, this image documents one of the nation's earliest purpose-built art museums, designed by architect James Renwick Jr. and opened in 1861 amid the Civil War. The grand structure, with its elegant Second Empire style—marked by mansard roofs and ornate details—stood as a beacon of culture and aspiration during a turbulent era, funded by banker William Wilson Corcoran to showcase American and European art. As a mid...
About the Artist
Unidentified ( ) · –