University of Cincinnati - Cincinnatian Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

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The importance of this gift 1:13- in the fact that from it grew the present Art School of Cincinnati. a more tlctailctl account of which will be given later. The University has been fortunate since its founding in that the 111c111hers of its Boards of Directors have ever hecn known as among our host and most representative citizens. The many obstacles in the way of the University's progresst which have been successfully surmounted. testify to their Wisdom. foresight. and devotion. Rather than organize an institution of low collegiate standing. they were determined to organize 1HJ11E. Thum in the seventh annual report, made in 1567, they say: The lPirt-vtuna i'lL-c-m it proper to repeat, for tht- illfornmtion of those who are unncquaintcd 601lbifton Of fBe with our earlier reportg, that the I'niversity contemplated lay Mr. Mt'MiCken can not be estalr Qgequcaf. .3333 lishml u'tlltnut rebuildingr must nl. tllL- pn'ipurty which. 111- ileie-iud to tilt City The Ert'CIlml 01' the IVnix-uraity, 115' well 3:; its maintenance aml stmcugizx art- ilepemlunt cntin-ly upon. the rents nt thrae properties. It was, therefore. considered inulispeunnhle that the.- pmlwrty shnultl bu put in a condi- tinn tn ylulll kl st-t'un- invumc nf HI. lL-ust $3ru'liu :mnunlly, licrliru attL-Iltpling tn put tht- institution ill operation. That in prnhulil-v thL- Iuwusl L-HtiIIlutu at which the achcme indicated in Mr. MCMitkun$ will can he sustaincrll This plan war. immHliuthy HCWIl ulmu, and tho Directors Vt'llrt rapidly llrugrE-ssiug with thu wgrk. but were Sttllipt'rl lJ-x' thc cHI-cts Hf thc war. This evunL unfortunately. proved tht- correct- new of their previous views. Aml again. from the ninth annual report, math: in 1869. we quotL- 112-: fnlluws: erking forward to the timc uhL-n ll'lt' I'nivcr- g5 f0 qafam Of Jnefruc: sity is to lJL' put in tlt'lllnl, the lJin-vtors haw: fion of f5: gniuemifz. carcfully CuiIr-ixlwutl ulmt plan of instruction shall then he punurrl; uml hum: decided. unani- mnuealy. somt- lime :lgut to provide for pursliingr tllt' thl'iUlHi hranchL-s of study 'lnflt'lit'llrlt'tlll-Y, inxtt-z'ul of requiring HlllliL'lllFu to conform to :1 fixed Hllll uniform rmxrsun .'I3-; has llUl'tlUflJt't: lau-n thc- Cll'stum in most culluges in this. runntryunnl with that view. to cstnhlish :IS many tlislinrt clcpurt- mt-ntst t-uvh nith it-x IJrUfCFhfII'S :Iml tutura. us the rt-Vcnnt- 0f Hm estate mu prrmulmntly supimrt. This- plnn hut; lJCCll :Illrnpted. nut nnly with rLAl't-rt-nve tn the.- Immif'est tL-II-lmu-y 11nwupparunt in the hunt American vullch-H tnwnr-l :1 mun.- rlm-tive Hyhtcm. zmll lllC fl'ct-r nunpc and opportunity which it gives for Elli aitlrs in the mmlc tI1' choice of uiucatitm. hut :llsu. lnecalmu in smut- J1 M, RLmINS-ox. HIL'thtl't m-ut-ssmy in carrying out rL-rtnin nleL-uts tlirL-vtt-Il in Mr. MC, Mickenfs will. shitting the few paints which lie prescribes. the institution is tn in: fur huh :mll girls. equally. itllli tllt'i'l tllltcnltull is to 'th sm'h .15. will Fit them For the nctivu duties. of liFt-t as m-ll :15. in all the higher 'llrullCllL'h of knowledge. Without uniting 1n Ctlllhllillllliltt' thin plan tlll Z'Ll. Dllt't'. it is prnpnst-cl tn put thest- clt-l'mrtmuuts into 01mm- tiun suvn-nniu-l'n in thin: and uccasinn fur each shall .wem to make it tulx'iwthle. 22

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He further speaks of the loss to the city. by a decision of the Humane Court of Louisiana. at the instance of some of the heirs-at-law, of that portion of the gift of Charles h'ICE'Iit-keu to the Citg,r of Cincinnati, which included lands to the prohahle value of four hundred thousand dnllars in the State of Louisiana. He later notes that On Fehmary 25. 1861. telegraphic reports informed them that the suit of Franklin Perrin against the City in the Supreme Court of the United States. tn set aside the entire devise for founding the University, had been decided in favor of the City of Cincinnati. In the minutes of the meeting held 011 October 15, IH63. it was stated that: The Committee appointed to inquire if any. QJI'OWEGF f0 GafasfiEB a :1an what. steps can he taken toward rom- migljf 151:5 gcgoof, vale! mencing the K'uiversity.heg leave to report that at present the state of the funds dues not admit 01 Lmy organization thzlt would give the I'niversity the means of a thorough course of Collegiate instruction. but they think much good may be done by opening :1 Night High School during the ensuing Xt'iliter at no great outlay. in which lilathematirs, the natural sciences. language, zlml drawing could be taught. A. B. maemcr. But, at the meeting of November 5, 1863. the General Committee 011 Night School reported that: They had mh'ertised in three daily papers that a school would he opened on the t-rvti-nintr 01 the. first Monday in November if 150 applicants should tile applications.mn1 thut forty-scven only had been presented. XVhereupon it was Ra'xar'z'mf, That the subject he dropped and the.- Cmnmiltvt: Ilischnrgellt , , . On line It. 186. Dr. C. G. Come ? mmounc-d that. in t1 at C1 1: Eonahon of Emma J j 4 hla k 1 iar es tBaWerg of $11 m: MCMiCke-n had been by far the most munificeut contributor to the funds of the Ladiest Gallery of Art of Cincinnati, which owed to him its entire collection of statuary. and since it seemed no longer expedient for the ladies to persevere in their attempts to enlarge their collection, and as it was the desire of Charies McMiCken that the collection be used as a bzmis upon which to found 2111 art school. therefore. the Ladies' Gallery of Art proposed to donate to the McMicken University the pictures and statuary belonging to them. This donation was accepted. and the thanks of the Board returned to the donors. 7!

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In pursuance of this: view. the McMin-kcn Svhuol 0F lirnwing :mrl Iluhign was anim-ll esfqafiagmenf 0f ch 011 thc First Mnlilluy uf January. 'llllIlL'r LhL- iuhlrui'tion of 311: Tllulllith FL Nlplilt: Thu gquliclhn gesoofaf special object of this. svlinul is tht- promotion of turtltr unit design in tin: illfltlHtrile Qraming cmb Qesign. arts; :11! ubjcct in which tlw pnpulation and prosperity of thia L'ily H11- 'wa intinth-ly concerned that. having Ell haunt the l'mlh-ry nf Art gin-n lu tht- I'nivthity by lllt' Lmlics' Academy. the Ilii'cctm-a I'cgurulul it :15 um- nf the mmt :qiprnliri- :LLL' modes of holding out to the yciuth 01' the city Mr. Mcillivkulfs chir- ishctl design of fitting them For the active rhlticn uf lifo This. perhaps, was the lltUF-t important practical work accum- plishetl by tllL' Hoard tit llirectnrs 0f McMickun I'tlii'crsity. Thu: Schonl of Design was continued by the University Of Cincinnati until Fchrnary I. IHH4, when it was turuL-Ll over to the Cincinnati Museum AHSHClHIiOH. Since tn tht- Board of Directors nf McMicl-zcn University l'mlungs the credit of llutmtling the Art Schmul, a lnriuf outline of its career while 1111th'l'll'll3ll' and their successors man- agement will ht given at this puint. The School Ill. Iilusig'n war; the first tlupztrt- $$$$ iaiaforg of Elie thcmicllen gem? of Eraming arlb Eeaign. mutt cstnhliahucl in thc I'llix'L-Thily. It was organized in IICCIIl'dHllCt with that lmn'i- sirm of the will in which it is enjoined that Jnux W. Ll'ux. such instruction shall be given as will Fit the student for thc ttL'lit'L' duties of life. :15 well 215 the higher branches or km'm'lulgc, It was 11:11 intcndud fur the men: sake of an accomplishment, nor indeed in the interest 0f the line arts. The nhjcct mu to have in view the principles :15 well :15 the art of drawing, and thus to lil-Y thu l'uunclzttimi fur its suh- sequeut application in any and all operative persons-wl1cthe1' :15 machinists, engineers. KITClllttClS, or artists. There was mught at the same time the cultiuttlun nf lilhll: :mtl tlcrilgllt and the clavul- opmcut of the inventive faculty of atpl'ilyiitg new forum tn tlizttci'inl t'm' thc huncht ul' zlll tliu umnifnld works of industry. It was the purpose that the studcnt of dccm'ntiw art. intuit upon pursuing the art of drawing: rn' design. painting 01' sculpturu til'l'tt'lllg' ur clccumtiun, in the;- highur walks. should timl the amplest room for development, so that there would follow hllCll :1 culture as would not only hcautify our homes, hut would mitkt the manufactures uf miz' city rival in design the tapestry of Gobelin or. the purcelain 0f Sevres. The great success in the McMicken I'niversity School led tu liberal cndmnneuts. The huirs 0f Nicholwt Longworth contributed an cndmvment of $093300 on condition that the Board 01$ 23