Chapman Family Correspondence and Other Documents
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Copyright 2005
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
spcoll@ucsd.edu
Descriptive Summary
Languages:
English
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
Title: Chapman Family Correspondence and Other Documents
Creator:
Chapman (Family : 1808- : Chapman, J. G. (John Gadsby), 1808-1889)
Creator:
Chapman, J. G. (John Gadsby)
Creator:
Chapman, Conrad Wise
Identifier/Call Number: MSS 0048
Physical Description:
1.5 Linear feet
(10 oversize folders)
Date (inclusive): 1791-1898
Abstract: A small collection of the family papers of American painter John Gadsby Chapman (1808-1898), consisting mostly of letters
to Chapman from colleagues and associates, and correspondence with his son, Conrad Wise Chapman. Of special interest are Conrad
Chapman's letters to his family, written while he served in the Confederate army during the Civil War.
Related Materials
A scrapbook containing John G. Chapman's designs in wood is housed at the Virginia State Library, Richmond.
Scope and Content of Collection
A small collection of the family papers of American painter John Gadsby Chapman (1808-1898), consisting mostly of letters
to Chapman from colleagues and associates, and correspondence with his son, Conrad Wise Chapman. Of special interest are Conrad
Chapman's letters to his family, written while he served in the Confederate army during the Civil War. The collection also
includes a number of letters dating from the 1890s written by Conrad to his brother John; a letter from the U.S. Congress
regarding John Gadsby Chapman's commission for the Capitol rotunda; a letter written by American painter Thomas Sully (1783-1872),
dated 1830; and letters documenting everyday 19th century life, including the sale of slaves and a description of the Washington
homestead in Fredericksburg, VA.
The collection is arranged in two series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE and 2) ENGRAVINGS.
Custodial History
The Chapman Family Papers were collected by Conrad's brother, John Linton Chapman. He gave the materials as a gift to Helen
Kaley, a friend of the family. Mrs. Kaley carried the materials with her as she moved throughout the U.S., finally donating
the collection to the UC San Diego Library in 1972.
Biography
John Gadsby Chapman (1808-1889) was an American painter. Born in Alexandria, Virginia, he was a pupil of George Cooke and
C. B. King. A student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, he was elected a member of the National Academy in 1836.
Chapman worked in New York City and Washington, D.C., and gained a successful reputation as a painter of historical scenes
and portraits. He also produced wood engravings and etchings, and often contributed pictures to Harper Brothers' publications.
His
American Drawing Book, published in 1847, became a standard text. Among Chapman's most famous works were his illustrations for Harpers' Bible and
his painting "The Baptism of Pocahontas," commissioned by the U.S. Congress for the Capitol rotunda.
In 1848 Chapman returned to Italy, where he established a studio in Rome and raised his family. He eventually returned to
the United States in 1884, and died in New York. Among his children were his daughter Mary and his two sons, John Linton Chapman
and Conrad Wise Chapman.
Conrad Wise Chapman (called "Cooney") also became a painter. After living in Rome and Paris, Conrad left for America in 1861
to join the Confederate army. He served in the 3rd Kentucky Regiment and later as Ordnance Sergeant in the 59th Virginia Regiment.
In 1863, as a result of his mother's ill-health, he took a furlough and travelled to Italy. Between December 1863 and March
1864, under the command of General P.G.T. Beauregard in Charleston, Chapman was assigned to draw coastal fortifications, resulting
in a series of paintings that included images of Fort Sumter. After the war, he led a nomadic life in Texas and Mexico, eventually
going back to Italy. By 1896 he was in Mexico again, and by 1898 he was married and living in Richmond, Virginia. He also
developed a reputation as a photographer.
Preferred Citation
Chapman Family Correspondence and Other Documents, MSS 48. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Publication Rights
Digital copies of this material are intended to support research, teaching, and private study. This work may be used without
prior permission. The original manuscripts for this collection are held by Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library.
Digital Content
Correspondence from this collection has been digitized.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives, Confederate
Painters -- America -- Manuscripts
Engravings -- 19th century
Chapman, J. G. (John Gadsby) -- Correspondence
Chapman, Conrad Wise -- Correspondence
Chapman, John Linton -- Correspondence
Chapman (Family : 1808- : Chapman, J. G. (John Gadsby), 1808-1889) -- Archives
Sully, Thomas -- Correspondence
CORRESPONDENCE
Scope and Content of Series
Series 1) CORRESPONDENCE
This series is primarily comprised of letters exchanged by John Gadsby Chapman and his son, Conrad. The letters, dating from
the years 1861 to 1865, provide details on the Civil War and Conrad's experiences in the Confederate army. These include a
set of undated drafts which form an extended diary in letter form. In his letters, Conrad writes of forced marches, sleeping
on wet straw, and the daily routine of camp life. Sometimes he describes the beauty of the landscape, or the picturesque groupings
of officers and men around the camp fires. These written descriptions are augmented by Chapman's Civil War drawings, some
of which (in the form of engravings) are included in the collection.
The collection also includes a number of letters dating from the 1890s written by Conrad to his brother John; a letter from
the U.S. Congress regarding John Gadsby Chapman's commission for the Capitol rotunda; and letters documenting everyday 19th
century life, including the sale of slaves and a description of the Washington homestead in Fredericksburg, VA.
Oversize FB-363, Folder 1
General correspondence to John Gadsby Chapman
1820 - 1833
General correspondence to John Gadsby Chapman: 1820 - 1833
General note
Assorted letters from peers and associates. Items of interest include: an 1833 letter describing the ruins of General George
Washington's childhood home in Fredericksburg, VA, including a sketch of the dwelling (presumably Ferry Farm); an 1833 letter
discussing the sale of a slave family (the slave Syphax, accused of an unidentified transgression, and his wife and son) from
the Washington family at Claymont to the Chapmans; and a letter from the joint committee of Congress tasked to appoint artists
to decorate the rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Oversize FB-363, Folder 2
General correspondence to John Gadsby Chapman
1844-1857
General correspondence to John Gadsby Chapman: 1844-1857
Oversize FB-363, Folder 10
Letter from Thomas Sully to John Gadsby Chapman
1830 February 14
Letter from Thomas Sully to John Gadsby Chapman: 1830 February 14
General
Sully comments on Chapman's work, suggesting ways in which the younger artist can pursue his career, and provides details
on activities in the contemporary American art community.
Oversize FB-363, Folder 3
Correspondence between Conrad Wise Chapman and his family
1860-1862
Correspondence between Conrad Wise Chapman and his family: 1860-1862
Oversize FB-363, Folder 4
Correspondence between Conrad Wise Chapman and his family
1862
Correspondence between Conrad Wise Chapman and his family: 1862
Oversize FB-363, Folder 5
Correspondence between Conrad Wise Chapman and his family
1863
Correspondence between Conrad Wise Chapman and his family: 1863
Oversize FB-363, Folder 6
Correspondence between Conrad Wise Chapman and his family
1865
Correspondence between Conrad Wise Chapman and his family: 1865
Oversize FB-363, Folder 7
Conrad Wise Chapman's undated drafts of letters
circa 1865
Conrad Wise Chapman's undated drafts of letters: circa 1865
Oversize FB-363, Folder 8
Letters from Conrad Wise Chapman to John Linton Chapman
1896-1898
Correspondence from Conrad Wise Chapman to John Linton Chapman: 1896-1898
Oversize FB-363, Folder 9
Inventory of the Estate of Thomas Chapman and other papers
between 1791 and 1879
Inventory of the estate of Thomas Chapman and other documents: between 1791 and 1879
General
Includes a document in Italian, a partial transcription from John Smith's
The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles
The fovrth Booke
, and an inventory of the estate of Thomas Chapman.
ENGRAVINGS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 2) ENGRAVINGS
Works by both John Gadsby and Conrad Wise Chapman, presumably copied by engravers from original paintings or illustrations.
Oversize MC-038-06
Assorted engravings
General
12 after paintings by John Gadsby Chapman, 3 after paintings by Conrad Chapman; page from the
Daily South Carolinian, 1863 June 16.
