UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 30, Page 1
May 4, 1995
Wayne Craven named to Philadelphia's Athenaeum

     Wayne Craven, H. F. du Pont Winterthur Professor of Art History,
has been honored for his "outstanding contributions to 19th-century
studies" by election to the College of Fellows of the prestigious
Athenaeum of Philadelphia.
     He joins George Tatum, University of Delaware professor emeritus
of art history, who was elected a fellow in 1979.
     No more than two or three fellows are elected nationally in a
given year. The select group of 27 members has included such leading
scholars as the late author and historian Barbara Tuchman, critic
Brendan J. Gill, historian David McCullough and art historians John
Widmerding of Princeton University and Elizabeth Johns of the
University of Pennsylvania.
     Founded in 1814, the Athenaeum is a non-profit, member-supported
library and historic-site museum, located near Independence Hall.
     The research library, which welcomes the public, attracts
thousands of scholars, architects, interior designers, curators and
other interested persons each year.
     According to Craven, the Athenaeum library is an outstanding
center for 19th-century studies. He has used it extensively for
research on the decorative arts, sculpture and architecture. The
library is part of a consortium of libraries with special collections
and rare books, sharing an on-line computerized catalog, making it
even more valuable as a resource center, Craven said.
     The museum, furnished with American fine and decorative arts from
the first half of the 19th century, is open to the public without
charge. In addtion, the Athenaeum offers programs, lectures and
special exhibitions, publishes books, and gives literary awards and
research grants to encourage scholarship in architectural history.
     Being a member of an august community of scholars is stimulating
and exciting, but another pleasure is associating with those who are
connected with the Athenaeum in other ways, Craven said. "Supporters
come from a variety of backgrounds. They are physicians, lawyers and
from other professions and are intelligent, enlightened and share an
interest and knowledge about the arts and history. It's one of
Philadelphia's fine old cultural institutions, and I am really pleased
to be part of it."
     Craven has written about American art from the Colonial era to
the present time and has had many articles about 19th century art
published. His books include Colonial American Portraiture, Sculpture
in America and most recently American Art: History and Culture, a
comprehensive overview of American art. He serves on the editorial
boards of Smithsonian Studies in American Art, and American Art
Journal and is an editor for the American National Biography.
     A member of the Delaware faculty since 1960, he studied at the
John Herron Art School, earned bachelor's and master's degrees at
Indiana University and received a doctorate from Columbia University.
     While on sabbatical next year, Craven will launch an ambitious
new project. He is planning to write a book about the world of artist
and portraitist John Singer Sargent (1856-1925). More than a
biography, the book will be about the turn-of-the-century, expatriate
writers and artists whom Sargent knew well, such as Edith Wharton,
Henry James and Oscar Wilde. "It's an immense undertaking, but one I
will enjoy," Craven said.
                                                   -Sue Swyers Moncure