The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art has purchased the Bingham Family Civil War memorial secretary, a circa 1876 extraordinary folk art triumph that abstracts traditional forms of 19th century furniture with Civil War-era imagery and text executed in bone, horn and abalone. The secretary was purchased from dealer Allan Katz Americana. Its acquisition by the Wadsworth Atheneum enhances the museum's existing collection of folk art and Civil War-era objects, like the recent procurement of the pictographic fall-front desk by emancipated slave Willliam Howard, circa 1870.
"We are thrilled to add this stunning piece to the museum collection," said Alyce Perry Englund, Richard Koopman associate curator of American decorative arts. "In addition to the exquisite craftsmanship of the secretary, it tells a story so tragic and deeply-rooted in our country's heritage, it is a treasure to behold for art and history buffs alike."
The secretary was made by members of Connecticut's 16th Volunteer Infantry and tells the story of East Haddam's John and Wells Bingham, who fought at Antietam in 1862. John lost his life during the battle, one of 43 16th Infantry soldiers killed in the first advance. Wells escaped the battle uninjured, but the loss of his brother haunted him. Over a decade later, friends of Wells presented the veteran with the secretary in memory of his brother. A plaque on the secretary reads: "Presented to Wells A. Bingham by his friends. The secretary a remembrance of his brother John F. Bingham who offered up his life at Antietam, Maryland Sept. 17, 1862. The encased star a remnant of the colors carried that day by the 16th Infantry. The memory plaque made from a shard of his knife. July 4, 1876."
The secretary's design captures riveting storylines of brotherhood, heroism and liberty from the Civil War era. The handcrafted, eight-foot-tall piece is made of walnut, oak and maple, and ornamented with bone, horn and abalone. At the top, a Seth Thomas eight-day, painted brass movement has been mounted on a plinth with the inscription, "The Union Preserved." A carved eagle perches over the clock dial and grasps a chain in his beak, which falls in a garland with 16 balls (possibly a reference to Connecticut's 16th Infantry) and links to eight turned, spire-like finials along the cornice. The eight spires may represent the eight Bingham brothers that fought for the Union Army. The Bingham Secretary possesses layers of intrigue for the viewer, including a music box that plays, "Yankee Doodle Dandy" when the glass doors open and a handwritten note framed on the interior of the case with the last four lines of Henry Clay's, "The Little Major," (1863). The secretary is a collage of cultural references that extend as widely as Revolutionary Era iconography and mottoes, Civil War flags and military badges, miniature portraits based on popular prints and nostalgic keepsakes.
"We are truly honored to have been able to have brought to the public's attention this remarkably educational and inspirational tribute to a patriotic Connecticut family," said Allan Katz. "We can think of no more appropriate nor venerable institution than the Wadsworth Atheneum to become the permanent home of the Bingham Family Civil War memorial secretary."
The Bingham secretary will go on view in the museum's Avery Memorial Building during the summer.
Founded in 1842, The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is the oldest continuously-operating public art museum in the United States. It is in Hartford, Conn.
To learn more, visit www.thewadsworth.org.