Matthew Vassar: A Life in Pictures

When Matthew Vassar died in June 1868 at the age of 76, he left behind a remarkable legacy that encompassed many things; most notable among them was the founding of the college that bears his name. An uneducated man whose early childhood was spent in poverty, Vassar became a prosperous brewer, highly respected for his business acumen and widely admired for his philanthropy. This exhibition traced Matthew Vassar's career from his provincial origins in England to his purchase of an art collection for the College's Art Gallery in 1864. The exhibition highlighted and defined Vassar's character as he rose from a hardworking businessman to one of Dutchess County's leading citizens. At the same time the works in the exhibition, many of them portraits which Vassar commissioned of himself and his properties, pointed out his deepening sense of self and the evident pride he took in his possessions and accomplishments. These paintings and portraits illuminated Vassar's interest in the artistic and social issues of the era, reflecting his early preference for the simplicity of itinerant painting and later attraction to the Gothic Revival Style.

There are works that appeared in this exhibition that were loans to the Loeb and therefore do not appear on this website.