Columbian Academy of Painting

Columbian Academy of Painting was one of the earliest art schools in the United States. It was founded by brothers Archibald and Alexander Robertson in 1792.^[1][2][3] The school was located in New York at 79 Liberty Street.^{[4][5][nb 1]}

Robertson and his brother were key in disseminating a conservative taste and mode of expression in America.

Architecture & Art in New Jersey^[7]

It was one of the country's first art schools. Their students included John Vanderlyn, Francis Alexander, and, rare for the time, woman miniaturist Ann Hall.^[3] The brothers taught art to amateur and professional students with a wide variety of mediums and subjects. Their methods were based upon those taught in European and British art schools at that time.^[8] The Columbian Academy of Art was renamed the Academy of Painting, which continued to be managed by Archibald.^{[8][nb 2]} Alexander opened his own art school in 1802.^[3][8]

The school operated for 30 years.^[7]

Notes

1. Avery states that the school was on Williams Street.^[6]
2. Avery claims that Alexander continued to run the Columbian Academy.^[6]

References

1. Alexander Robertson (1772-1841). Art & Architecture of New Jersey. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
2. William Beekman, by Alexander Robertson. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
3. William Dunlap (1834). History of the Rise and Progress of the Arts of Design in the United States. George P. Scott and Company, Printers. pp. 425–426.
4. Sidney Lee (1896). Dictionary of National Biography. pp. 401–402.
5. New York Public Library (1909). Hudson-Fulton exhibition: made by the New York Public Library (Lenox library building). September 1909. p. 43.
6. Kevin J. Avery; Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.) (1 January 2002). American Drawings and Watercolors in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 338. ISBN 978-1-58839-060-8.
7. Archibald Robertson (1765-1835). Art & Architecture of New Jersey. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
8. Kevin J. Avery; Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.) (1 January 2002). American Drawings and Watercolors in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 102. ISBN 978-1-58839-060-8.

Further reading

• Megan Holloway Fort (2006). Archibald and Alexander Robertson and Their Schools, the Columbian Academy of Painting, and the Academy of Painting and Drawing, New York, 1791-1835. City University of New York.

Coordinates: 40°42′33″N 74°00′39″W / 40.709251°N 74.010814°W