Part 522: J. Francis Murphy
Yesterday, I concluded an article written by Thomas G. Moses that was published in the Palette & Chisel Club newsletter during 1927.
Moses wrote, “Some of the leading American artists were scenic artists. J. Francis Murphy was an assistant to Mr. Strauss, who was the artist at Hooley’s Theatre in 1874. The well-known illustrator and water colorist, Charles Graham, was also an assistant to Mr. Strauss at this same time.” Moses mentioned Murphy and Graham early in his career when he was working as a decorator for P. M. Almini.
In 1874, Moses wrote: “In June I was sent to Hooleys Theatre to work. On the scenery was employed J. Francis Murphy and Chas. Graham. I was put in charge of the proscenium boxes, mostly gilding. I could see the work being done on the paint frame. I was more convinced that scenery was what I wanted to do; more opportunity to do landscapes.”
Hooley’s Opera House, the Parlor of Home Comedy, was dedicated on 21 October 1872. It was later referred to as simply “Hooley’s Theater.” Located at 124 West Randolph Street, the cut stone and iron building occupied twenty-three feet of street frontage until 1924. A 1500-seat theatre, the stage measured 50 feet wide and 65 feet deep. Mr. Hooley and his stock company first appeared at the venue on the evening, 31 August 1874. This upcoming performance and the renovation of the theatre was why the eighteen-year-old Moses was working on the opera boxes that June. Over the next three installments, I will explore Murphy and Graham, two scenic artists who Moses considered at he top of their profession.
John Francis Murphy (Dec. 11, 1853 – Jan. 30, 1921) was renowned for his small and intimate views of nature. He was one of the leading Tonalists of the American Barbizon school, even referred to as the “American Corot.” The Tonalists were known for their dawn or dusk scenes; intimate compositions depicting toned atmospheric views. Their artworks were intended to express mood and insights into the human spirit.
Born at Oswego, New York, Murphy moved to Chicago at the age of seventeen, just a few years before Moses. Later in life, the “Chicago Tribune” reported that Mr. J. Francis Murphy went to Chicago as a boy, “beginning as a type-setter, advancing to a scene-painter’s and then to a wood-engraver’s position” (25 April 1880, page 18). At the age of 21 years old, Murphy was painting the scenery for Hooley’s Theater with Charles Graham. Graham was also 21 years old at the time.
Murphy studied very briefly at the Chicago Academy of Design in 1875 and then moved to New York where he opened a studio. The “Brooklyn Daily Eagle” reported that Murphy’s studio was located at the corner of Tenth Street and Broadway in New York (26 Jan. 1880, page 9). He also studied in Paris before 1880. During this same time, he worked as a painting teacher in the Orange County region of New Jersey. By 1876, Murphy was exhibiting at the National Academy of Design. He became an associate of the National Academy of Design by 1885 and a full academician in 1887. In 1887 he also built a studio in the Catskills at Arkville, New York; there he spent the summer and fall with his wife who was also an artist. In winter, they worked at their respective studios in the Chelsea district of New York.
Murphy was a member of the Society of American Artists, the American Watercolor Society, and the Salmagundi Club. He exhibited at the National Academy of Design (1876-1921), the Brooklyn Art Association (1878-1885), the Boston Art Club (1881-1909), the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art (1884-1885, 1898-1901, 1908-1911, 1916, 1921), the Society of American Artists (1887,1902), the Columbian Exposition (1893), the American Water Color Society (1894), the Art Club of Philadelphia (1899), the Paris Exposition (1900), the Pan-American Exposition (1901), the Charleston Exposition (1902), the St. Louis Exposition (1904), the Corcoran Gallery (1907), the Salmagundi Club (1911), and the Pan-Pacific Exposition (1915).
He received numerous awards throughout his life, including two Hallgarten Prizes at the National Academy, a medal at the World’s Columbian Exposition (1893); the Evans Prize at the American Water Color Society (1894); a silver medal at the Pan-American Exposition (1901); a gold medal at the Charleston Exposition (1902); the Inness medal in (1910); and a silver medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915). Art historians have described Murphy as an affable, even-tempered man who made friends easily.
To be continued…