Boston Public Library: library as museum
Designed in 1895 by Charles Follen McKim (of the renowned architectural firm McKim, Mead and White), the Library was crowned the "Palace for the People".
Front entrance of the Boston Public Library (BPL), Copley Square. The BPL was first established in 1848 as the first municipally funded public library in the US, and is one of the earliest libraries in the country. Image: USA Boston Public Library 2 MA" by Daniel Schwen - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
"Science", sculpted in bronze by Bela Pratt and installed in 1912. Pratt, a former student of celebrated American sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, was awarded the commission when Saint-Gaudens died, leaving his designs unfinished.
Detail of "Science" featuring the sphere.
Like its counterpart, "Art" embodies civic industry, progress and intellectual pursuit, all obtainable in and through the library.
"Art", a different view (detail).
"Minerva", the Greek mythological Goddess of Wisdom, is set in the central keystone above the main door entrance. Executed by Saint-Gaudens and Domingo Mora, this granite high relief bust welcomes all visitors as they arrive to seek knowledge and enlightenment.
"Truth" and "Romance", right entrance door.
Beyond the front entrance, and inside the vestibule, three bronze doors, weighing 1,500 lbs/door, greet you. These allegorical doors were created by another leading American sculptor, Daniel Chester French, whose most notable commission is the "Seated Lincoln" in the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC. A native of Concord, MA, French, also, designed the famous "Minute Man" statue, located at the Concord Bridge, in MA. French's designs echo the classical themes established outside by Pratt, Saint-Gaudens, and Mora.
"Music" and "Poetry" herald what awaits beyond these doors.
"Sir Harry Vane", by Frederic MacMonnies, located in entrance vestibule, served as Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636-1637. Vane was mythologized in 19th century American culture as a proponent of religious tolerance and Constitutional freedom--ideals especially prevalent within New England intellectual circles. Ultimately, he died for his liberal views when he was beheaded at the Tower of London by Charles II in 1662.
Looking back at the center, main doors from the Entrance Hall.
The intricate vaulted ceiling, a marble mosaic, was constructed by Spanish immigrant architectural craftsman, Rafael Gaustavino.
This detail of the mosaic features the names of philosophers, artists, and scientists throughout the ages, both global and local.
Detail of coffered ceiling.
The great twin lions, leading up to the second floor, were sculpted by Louis St. Gaudens (his preferred spelling of Saint-Gaudens), brother of Augustus, and serve as memorials to the MA Civil War 2nd and 20th infantry regiments. Image: ProtocolSnow.com
Climbing the Main Staircase, turn around, look up and you are greeted by "The Muses of Inspiration Hail the Spirit of Light" by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. It is a celebration of enlightenment ascertained through poetry, philosophy, art, music and science. Image: Boston Public Library
The Muses (left side).
The Spirit of Light "illuminating" the hall.
The Muses (right side).
Ceiling painting of "Triumph of Time" by Boston artist, John Elliot, installed between 1901-03 in the Elliot Room.
"Triumph of Time", in dreamy detail.
Portrait of George Washington, by Emmanuel Leutze, famous for his iconic painting "Washington Crossing the Delaware".
"Bates Hall", at 218 feet long, spans the entire length of the Library's second floor. Designed by Charles Follen McKim, it is considered "architecturally one of the most important rooms in the world". The hall is named in honor of Joshua Bates, an American banker who lived in London (born 1788 in Weymouth, MA), and donated $50,000 (equivalent to $1.3 million today) to the Library in 1852 for the purchase of books and establishment of a reading room.
Detail of barrel-arched ceiling (50 feet at its highest point).
Detail of half dome (present on each end of the hall).
Carved limestone balcony overlooking Bates Hall.
The Abbey Room, "Quest and Achievement of the Holy Grail", by Edwin Austin Abbey, contains 15 life-size murals featuring the Arthurian legend of Sir Galahad. The ceiling takes its inspiration from the Library in the Doge's Palace, Venice, 15th century.
Image: Boston Public Library
"Galahad Assumes the Seat Perilous" Abbey was close friends with John Singer Sargent with whom he shared the largest studio in all of England for the creation of the Boston Public Library murals commissions, which they received simultaneously.
"The Achievement of the Grail", after all of Sir Galahad's adventures and travails, he finally is allowed to view what no mortal has ever been able to see: The Holy Grail.
Sargent Hall has been referred to as "America's Sistine Chapel" with its barrel ceiling consisting of 15 panels featuring the progress of religion throughout the ages.
Sargent Hall Gallery
"Synagogue", installed in 1919, was the last composition to be placed 29 years after the first panel was unveiled to the public. Immediately, a controversy surrounding the content of "Synagogue" ensued, infuriating the nation and causing such an uproar that the Massachusetts Legislature passed a bill (later rescinded) to have the panel removed due to its perceived anti-Semitic message.
This controversy so upset Sargent (who stated his intended message was one of introspective progression) that he abandoned the project and never completed the cornerstone piece, "Sermon on the Mount", where the east wall remains blank to this day (this blank panel is visible in the "Sargent Hall" photo above). In 1924, just 2 months before the repeal of the bill, an unidentified assailant splashed ink on "Synagogue". Sargent assisted the Boston Museum of Fine Arts with the complete restoration of the panel. Sargent died 6 years later, haunted and mystified by the polemic. The "Synagogue" debate eventually faded, as well as the panels, which became obscured by layers of dust. During the first half of the 20th century Sargent's name and reputation declined as Modernism emerged casting a large shadow over his relevance. In the latter part of of the 20th century, Sargent's work was reconsidered and his legacy set amongst the greatest of the American masters with "Triumph" hailed as one of the most important masterworks of the United States.
Image: "Synagogue," detail, courtesy of Boston Public Library.
Patrons enjoying a lunchtime interlude during "Concerts in the Courtyard", amidst this Italian Renaissance-inspired oasis within the center of the Library.
"Bacchante and Infant Faun" by Frederic MacMonnies, the original statue caused a fracas due to its overt nudity and intemperate overtones leading the Trustees to reject the sculpture in 1895. The Metropolitan Museum of Art gladly accepted the piece into its collection, and later, when cultural mores became less strict, this copy was installed in the courtyard, where McKim had originally intended for the sculpture to be displayed.
All libraries, whether large or small are palaces. They serve to broaden the mind and that's where you'll find the true dwelling place of knowledge—right within the palatial province of one's own mind.
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