Naima's Portfolio

By Naima Zahid, Darsen Hover and Gretchen Iverson

 

 

 

Henry Clay Frick acted as the chairman for Andrew Carnegie’s extremely profitable steel manufacturing company called Carnegie Steel Co. located in Homestead Pennsylvania. In 1892 Carnegie Steel planned to cut the workers' pay to increase company profits. This, however, was not received with complacency by the workers. They went on strike and in response, Frick brought in 300 Pinkerton agents, who were members of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, to break up the strike. News of this supposedly covert action was somehow leaked to the striking workers and, after a fight that left ten people dead, the National Guard was called in to take control of the company and the steel workers were forced to accept defeat.  This incident, not surprisingly, did not leave the people with a very favorable opinion of Henry Frick. ("1892 Homestead Strike.") He was even shot by a Russian anarchist during the strike. This disastrous event was only one example of the kind of behavior that Frick exhibited regularly as he made his way to success in the world of business. ("Meet You In Hell.")

 

When Frick was moving into his mansion in New York two things happened that may have inspired a sort of spiritual awakening in him. The first of these events was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand that was the catalyst for the beginning of World War One. Martha Frick, author of Henry Clay Frick: An Intimate Portrait, suggests that this event would have reminded Frick of the attempt that was made on his own life during the 1892 Steel workers strike. This reminder of the near loss of his life came right before Frick's beloved sister fell ill and died. These two distressing events compounded and likely had a hand in the recurrence of Frick's own illness that rendered him nearly incapacitated. When Frick fell ill, he asked to have a church organ play Ave Maria throughout his house. This interest in organ music when he became sick may suggest a deeper interpretation of the rhetorical goal of the house, specifically the Living Hall Gallery. It may seem that this room reflects Frick’s desire for redemption and the creation of a positive personal legacy. (Henry Clay Frick: An Intimate Portrait)

 

This method of public redemption is reminiscent of the way that wealthy art patrons behaved during the Renaissance. They would often make their money by doing things that were considered sins in the Catholic church such as lending money at high interest. Then, as these wealthy men came near the end of their life, they would commission grand chapels to be built that spoke to their dedication to God and to the Catholic church. This served the purpose of ensuring that their legacy was that of devout and virtuous men. ("Patrons and Artists in Late 15th Century Florence.")

 

This inclination towards public redemption can be seen throughout the mansion, yet more specifically in Frick’s Living Hall. The room is crafted in a way that resembles a church or small religious structure, which can be visualized even more clearly if one were to imagine Frick’s organ resounding throughout. Highly contrasted from the heavenly, ethereal space of the Fragonard Room just steps away, the Living Hall represents the earthly capacity of religion. Frick was able to craft this kind of statement using dark, somber tones, especially wood, as well as the lighting, which is also reminiscent of a church. This physically spiritual nature of Frick’s house may indicate that he was a genuinely devout man and therefore wanted his surroundings to reflect that. However, it could also be that in living in such an almost obtrusively Christian space, he was honestly moved to become a more religious man. While both of these theories are plausible, it may also be that the apparent religious nature of Frick’s home was entirely for the benefit of the public eye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another painting displayed in the Living Hall is of a man in a red cap, by Titian. The subject is supposedly Lorenzo De Medici (The Frick Collection: Paintings V2). The Medicis were one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Europe due to their success in commerce and banking.  The Medicis were also known for their patronage in the arts.  ("The Medici Family") They are an example of the aforementioned phenomena of art patrons attempting to absolve their legacy of their misdeeds during the Renaissance. The Medicis also gave back to society by supporting artists who could not provide for themselves. The Frick Collection itself is an example of how Frick supported and appreciated the arts as well. This is another instance that illustrates how the wealthy are capable of doing good.  This is definitely a message Frick wanted to convey in his Living Hall. Perhaps he wasn’t particularly virtuous in life but he wanted to be portrayed that way after his death.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another supporting aspect of Frick’s apparent desire for public redemption is his strategic curation of the Living Hall. While the overarching theme can be determined to be religious redemption, specifically Christianity, Frick makes a point to include several pieces that may appear unrelated. One reason he might have chosen to do this is for the idea of inclusivity. As a cutthroat businessman for most of his life, much of his trade involved exclusion and isolation. This cutthroat behavior would most likely have had a disproportionate effect on non-Western societies and peoples. In this room he may be attempting to absolve himself of these behaviors. There are several Chinese pieces from the Qing Dynasty, the last of Chinese Imperial Dynasties, including Two Figures of Ladies on Stands and square vases. These pieces are significant because the Qing Dynasty is remembered for being extremely inclusive of other cultures (Encyclopedia Britannica), furthering the idea that Frick was working to encompass a wide variety of cultures and ideas within his message of religion. Frick also includes Persian, Italian, French, Egyptian, and Roman pieces and influences (Frick Online Collection).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While Henry Frick’s notable business accomplishments cannot be denied, his ethical misconduct created friction, both public and personal. It was not until his old age that he began taking steps to salvage his legacy, as reflected in his curation of the Frick Mansion. His curatorial choices may also reflect a  desire for personal redemption as a result of a realization of his own faith. However, it is primarily due to his desire to save his public legacy, that Frick designed and curated his Upper East Side Mansion, in such a way as to present to the public his ability to provide for a community as well as his complex, redeeming characteristics. Through use of religious pieces, cultural variety, and allusion to sacred space, Frick transformed the way the public would remember him after his death.

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

 

 

"1892 Homestead Strike." AFL-CIO. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.  

<http://www.aflcio.org/About/Our-History/Key-Events-in-Labor-History/1892-Homestea

d-Strike>.      

                                                                                                                                                                                

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Qing Dynasty (Chinese History)."Encyclopedia

Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.

 

 

Frick Collection. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.

 

 

The Frick Collection: Paintings V2; 1968 Princeton University Press. Print. 24 Oct. 2014

 

 

History.com Staff. "The Medici Family." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009.

Web. 26  Oct. 2014. <http://www.history.com/topics/medici-family>.

 

 

"Meet You In Hell." California Literary Review RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.

<http://calitreview.com/140/meet-you-in-hell-andrew-carnigie-henry-clay-frick-

and-the-bitter-partnership-that-transformed-america/>.

 

"Patrons and Artists in Late 15th Century Florence." Patrons and Artists in Late 15th-Century

Florence. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. <http:www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/features/slid

shows/patrons-and-artists-in-late-15th-century-florence.html>.

 

 

Robinson, Paschal. "St. Francis of Assisi." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 6. New York:

Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 17 Dec. 2014

<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/0622a.htm>.

 

 

Ryskamp, Charles, and Joseph Focarino. Art in the Frick Collection: Paintings, Sculpture,

Decorative Arts. New York: Harry N. Abrams in Association with the Frick Collection,

1996.Print

 

 

Sanger, Martha Frick Symington. "Bridging the Hereafter." Henry Clay Frick: An Intimate

Portrait. New York: Abbeville, 1998. N. pag. Print