On my father's side of the family, I am somehow related to a man named Irad Hawley, which if you ask me, is a great name.
Okay, so I intended to just look this up, just to read up on Irad... and my day has been swept away in a time vortex.
My great-great-great-grandfather, Irad Hawley, married Sarah Holmes and they built a wonderful house at
47 Fifth Avenue, NYC, NY. They had 8 children (Lucy Ann, Maria Louise, Judson Elisha, Chauncey Irad, Daniel Edwin, Addison Holmes, Henry Eugene, Sarah Lavina - all great names [except Chauncey]). My great-great-grandfather, Henry Eugene, was born in 1838 and was married to Elizabeth Jane Lockwood in 1862. He was a partner in a merchant company, Carter, Hawley & Co. They had four children (Elizabeth, Edith Judson, Sarah Sadie, Henrietta Eugenie). In 1897 Sarah Sadie married Dr. Thadeus Halstead (my great-grandfather) who was an orthopedic surgeon in New York City. They had two children Halstead Hawley and Ogden King. My grandfather, Halstead Hawley went to Yale, which is why he was not drafted into the army during the first world war. He married Muriel Battey (daughter of Donald Elerby Battey and Muriel Crawford [He married Muriel Crawford September 17, 1915, daughter of John Crawford and Mabel Nast {granddaughter of Thomas Nast}). My father was the youngest of their three sons, Matthew King.
The house that Irad and Sarah built is now where the Salmagundi Club resides. The Salmagundi Club originated in 1871 as a sketch class in Johnathan Scott Hartley's studio and purchased this mid-nineteenth century brownstone house in 1917 as its second home. It was cited in 1957 for its architectural distinction by the Society of Architectural Historians and the Municipal Art Society.
Originally formed as the Salmagundi Sketch Club in 1871, the Club adopted its present name a hundred years ago after Washington Irving published his potpourri of wit and wisdom called "The Salmagundi Papers". The name also serves as the club dining room's famous "Salmagundi Stew". For a more complete history of the artists, read the exerpt from Alexander W. Katlan's book,
"The Salmagundi Club Painting Exhibition Records 1889 to 1939: A Guide to the American Exhibition of Oil Paintings and the Annual Exhibition and Auction Sale of Pictures."
About The Salmagundi Club
Founded in 1871, the Salmagundi Club is one of the oldest art organizations in the United States. Housed in an historic brownstone mansion in Greenwich Village, New York City, the Club offers programs including art classes, exhibitions, painting demonstrations, and art auctions throughout the year for members and the general public.
The Salmagundi facilities include three galleries, a library, an elegant period parlor, and a restaurant and bar with vintage pool tables. All facilities are available for special events and private rentals.
The Club owns a collection of over 1,500 works of art spanning its 140 year history and has a membership of nearly 850 artists and patrons. Its members have included important American artists such as Thomas Moran, William Merritt Chase, Louis Comfort Tiffany, N.C. Wyeth and Childe Hassam. Today the Club builds on this legacy by providing a center for the resurgence of representational art in America.
Alley and I traipsed down to the Salmagundi Club on Monday (after going to sit on Santa's lap at Macy's) and to attend the
104th Annual Thumb-Box Exhibition. There were some really wonderful pieces on display, my favorite was this pastel of a china teacup and a lemon slice by Barbara Groff.
Alley is an
amazing illustrator, founder of
Dutch Kills Theatre, and is also a model, maybe she'll join the club! I wanted to buy a tote, but they didn't have any left so I bought a t-shirt instead and I'll put it in a memory quilt... whenever I get to making a memory quilt for my own shirts.
