Introduction
The portrait of the British diplomat and author James Justinian Morier (c.1780–1849) (Fig. 1), together with fifty-seven other portraits, came to the Columbia University Libraries as an extension of other gifts from the Plimpton family to the Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML). (The portrait is studied extensively by Yixu Chen in "Encounter with a Dreamland: A Reading of James Justinian Morier's Portrait in the Columbia University Art Collection" and by Allyson Richardson in "Questions of Attribution: The Portrait of James Justinian Morier in the Columbia University Art Collection.") This collection was assembled by George Arthur Plimpton (1855-1936), who was the head of the educational textbook publisher Ginn and Company, the founder of the Friends of the Columbia University Libraries, and an avid collector of old printed books, medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, and portraits of writers from the United States and Europe.1
This paper uses the Morier portrait as a lens through which to examine the lives of Plimpton and his descendants. It also examines how the Plimpton family came to own a collection of portraits, and how these works were displayed.
George Arthur Plimpton (1855–1936)
George Arthur Plimpton was born in Walpole, Massachusetts, on July 13, 1855, the son of Calvin Gay Plimpton and Priscilla Guild Lewis Plimpton. His father, as well as his grandfather, Henry Plimpton, were both in the business of manufacturing agricultural tools. His grandmother, Susanna Gay, was a granddaughter of John Gay (1685–1732), an English poet and dramatist. She and her sisters established the first library in Walpole, named “The Ladies’ Literary, Moral Society.”2
This suggests that George Plimpton’s interests in general education, as well as education for women and support to libraries, came from his grandmother.
While George’s father’s business was going well, a tragedy happened in 1865 when George was only nine years old. Calvin suddenly passed away from an accident in the factory, leaving behind his beloved children and wife. The latter decided to sell her late husband’s company and run the family farm in order to raise their nine children. All the children learned how to milk cows, raise crops, and other practical skills associated with farming. Priscilla believed in education and religion, and thanks to her support, George was able to graduate from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1873 and from Amherst College in 1876.3
After a year at Harvard's Law School, he began working as a salesman in an educational publishing company, and eventually became the head of Ginn and Company in 1914.4
In addition to running his business, George Plimpton enthusiastically engaged in many philanthropic activities. For example, he served the Trustees of Barnard College as treasurer of the finance committee from the school's foundation in 1889 until his death on July 1, 1936. As mentioned earlier, he also founded the Friends of the Columbia University Libraries, for which he served as Chairman from 1928 until his death. He was a member of the Grolier Club; the Academy of Political Science; and sat on the Boards of Trustees of Phillips Exeter Academy, Amherst College, the World Peace Union, the Church Peace Union, the Constantinople College for Women (now part of Robert College), and the Union Theological Seminary.5
The Collection of Portraits
As a collector, Plimpton’s passion lay in old printed textbooks, manuscripts, and portraits of authors. His interest in educational textbooks stemmed primarily from the subjects of these books, which offered insight into the influence of education throughout the history of mankind. From this interest flowed a natural desire to collect the portraits of authors who were also educators. Accordingly, Plimpton assembled a collection that centered first and foremost on figures who were eminent in the context of educational history, paying less attention to the creators of the portraits themselves. As a result, some considered Plimpton’s assemblage of portraits a curious collection, since it focused on famous subjects rather than prominent artists, to the point where some of the artists were unknown.6
A glimpse of Plimpton’s acquisition activities is offered through his correspondence with multiple dealers, libraries, and museums, kept in the Plimpton Papers at RBML. One such dealer is Chas. J. Sawyer, Ltd., based in London. Their activities are documented by numerous invoices and letters. Plimpton frequently acquired old books and portraits from the company. Particularly relevant for our purpose is an invoice stating that Plimpton purchased a portrait of Morier from Sawyer on September 5, 1928 for £65. The invoice also states that George Henry Harlow (1787-1819), a British artist, painted the portrait around 1810 (Fig. 2). A subsequent letter from Sawyer to Plimpton, dated September 16, 1928, indicates that the Morier portrait would be on board the S. S. “Homeric” ship on September 19, which would leave from Southampton and on which Plimpton himself was intending to sail back to New York (Fig. 3).
Plimpton’s home in New York City was located at 61 Park Avenue. He also kept his mother’s house, Lewis Farm, which had been in his mother’s family since 1729. The farm had a wing called “The Barn.” The Barn was a converted cattle barn that included a small stage and a badminton court. Its walls were painted in white, and the room was decorated with different kinds of collected items, thus acting as Plimpton’s gallery (Fig. 4). A photograph shows Fanny Hastings (Ann) Plimpton, George's second wife, sitting in front of the decorated wall in The Barn (Fig. 5).7
Family Heritage
George had three children. Francis T.P. Plimpton (1900–1983) was his son from a first marriage to Frances Taylor Pearson Plimpton, who passed away upon Francis’s birth. Francis was a diplomat, lawyer, and the president of the City Bar Association. He also founded the prestigious New York-based law firm Debevoise and Plimpton, and was a prominent figure of New York’s high society.8
George Plimpton later married Fanny Hastings (Ann) Plimpton and they had a son, Calvin Hastings Plimpton, and a daughter, Emily Smith. As the President of Amherst College from 1960 to 1971, Calvin H. Plimpton was responsible for allowing the admission of women to Amherst College. Later, he became the president of the American University of Beirut. He also served in the army, practiced medicine in New York, and was an Assistant Dean of the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University.9
In the same way that Francis and Calvin’s outstanding contributions to society illustrate how George’s great heritage was passed down to his decedents, his collection of books and portraits was also handed down, eventually becoming a part of the family’s heritage. At some point, Calvin made a list of the portraits he inherited from his father. This list includes the names of prominent authors, such as John Locke, Thomas Moore, William Wordsworth, and many others (see the link to Calvin Letters at the end of this essay). He also shared memories related to these art works, reporting that when he was a child, it was a sport to have some pundit in English literature over dinner. Invariably, Calvin’s father would point to a portrait with his flashlight and quiz his visitors. In many cases, the guests knew about the authors and their writings, but would not recognize their likenesses.10
Calvin continued his father’s tradition: his daughter Polly Plimpton recounted that when she lived in the President’s house at Amherst College with her family, Calvin would move the labels of the portraits that his wife Ruth Talbot had created, and tested professors’ knowledge to see whether they were able to recognize the sitters. The portraits were everywhere in their house, all the way up to the stairs, which is where the Morier portrait was displayed. Polly also shared that because the portrait of Erasmus stared her down every night at dinner, she was inspired to write a paper on In Praise of Folly in high school. As a result of this upbringing, Calvin’s children learned to recognize the likenesses of Erasmus, Chaucer, Locke, and others. Calvin believed that this portrait collection added a visual component to our understanding of these authors, and increased our enjoyment of their writings.11
Epilogue
Although George Plimpton lost his father at an early age, he lived on with a strong bond with his mother and siblings. They did not have abundant wealth, but were filled with faith and belief in education. Plimpton also built on the rich philanthropic spirit of his grandmother. Eventually, these beliefs led him to a successful life which benefited not only him, but also his family and many institutions. The life of one man may seem short, but when his convictions and worldly accomplishments are passed down to the next generations, his life’s work becomes a legacy. George’s unending efforts to collect the portraits of writers and men of learning may be considered a reflection of his desire to promulgate the importance of education and pass down his belief in education to generations to come.
- 1George A. Plimpton, A Collector’s Recollections, ed. Pauline Ames Plimpton (New York: Columbia University Libraries, 1993), 51–67.
- 2Plimpton, A Collector’s Recollections, 17-18.
- 3Plimpton, A Collector’s Recollections, 22-33.
- 4“Our Tools of Learning”: George Arthur Plimpton’s Gifts to Columbia University, Columbia University Libraries, accessed Feb 25, 2018, https://exhibitions.cul.columbia.edu/exhibits/show/plimpton/george-arth….
- 5“Our Tools of Learning”: George Arthur Plimpton’s Gifts to Columbia University.
- 6Calvin H. Plimpton, "George Arthur Plimpton Collection of Portraits of English Authors", January 10, 1956, George A Plimpton Papers, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University.
- 7Plimpton, A Collector’s Recollections, 4-5.
- 8“Francis T.P. Plimpton, 82, Dies,” Obituaries, New York Times, Published July 31, 1983, https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/31/obituaries/francis-tp-plimpton-82-di….
- 9“Calvin H. Plimpton Dies at 88; Led Way for Women at Amherst,” Obituaries, The New York Times, Published February 4, 2007, https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/us/04plimpton.html
- 10Calvin H. Plimpton "Collection of Portraits".
- 11Polly Plimpton, email messages to author, February 19, 2018 and March 18, 2018.