John La Farge
b.
New York City, NY, March 31, 1835
d.
Providence, RI, November 14, 1910
Arriving in Newport in the spring of 1859, La Farge was a pupil along with
the two James brothers at William Hunt’s studio on Church Street.
La Farge had known Richard Morris Hunt, and perhaps came to Newport (at
his suggestion).
While in Newport he became involved with Margaret Mason Perry, a granddaughter
of the naval war hero, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry [q.v.] and grand-niece
of Commodore Matthew Galbraith Perry [q.v.].
Problems arose between the two due to differences in their faiths.
La Farge, unsuccessful at first, tried to convince her to convert to Catholicism.
In December of 1859, she and her family headed to Louisiana for a five
month stay. Sensing that there were other men in her life, La Farge
joined her and they became engaged in the spring of 1860.
They were married in Newport by Father William O’Reilly at St. Mary’s Roman
Catholic Church on October 15, 1860. They went on to have nine children.
The La Farge’s lived at #24 Kay Street, various locations on Paradise Avenue
in Middletown, and on the corner of Mann Avenue and Kay Street.
In 1873 Margaret purchased a house on Sunnyside Place with an inheritance.
La Farge lived in Newport until around 1880, however, his family remained
here. The residence which remained in the family until the death
of his daughter, Margaret in 1956, is located at #10 Sunnyside Place.
The La Farge - Bartholdi (creator of the Statue of Liberty) story:
When Bartholdi and female acquaintance Jeanne-Emilie Baheux de Puysieux,
were visiting the La Farge’s in Newport, the question was brought up concerning
their relationship with each other. Sensing that his mother would
not approve of this courtship, Bartholdi was hesitant to tying the eternal
bond with this woman. However, the La Farge’s felt that Bartholdi,
being a man of integrity and influence, should not be cruising around the
countryside with an unwed girl. A somewhat quick wedding was arranged
and a minister was summoned. The Rev. Charles T. Brooks performed
the rite on December 15, 1876 in the parlor of the La Farge’s home with
only the La Farge’s and their young daughter in attendance.
The claim concerning the first plans and model for the Statue of Liberty
being done in La Farge’s Newport studio is a fallacy. Bartholdi did
this in La Farge’s New York City studio.
In 1878 La Farge made his first successful opalescent glass window.
Entitled "Morning Glories," this six panel window was made of the William
Watts Sherman residence in Newport. The Sherman residence on Shepard
Avenue is now owned by Salve Regina University and is being used as a dormitory.
His creation "Morning Glories" is now in the possession of the Museum of
Fine Arts in Boston. It is most probable that the work on this window
was done at his studio on Prospect Hill Street, located on the northwest
corner of Corne Street.
Two years later in February of 1880, he received the first patent for opalescent
glass to be issued in this country. In this same year, he received,
among other projects, the commission for the decoration of what is now
known as the Newport Congregational Church, located at the corner of Spring
Street and Pelham.
La Farge was a painter, writer and worker of stained glass. He
grew up in New York City and graduated from Mount Saint Mary’s College
(MD) in 1853.
Over the course of his life, he was plagued with problems of debt and health.
In the spring of 1910 he suffered a serious mental illness and was committed
to Butler Hospital, an insane asylum located in Providence, Rhode Island.
It is possible that after working with lead for so many years, he had poisoned
himself and this may have caused his illness. He died there on November
14, 1910.
La Farge has also had some critics down-play the significance of his work
in stained glass.
Bibliography
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