Lauren Rogers Museum of Art facts for kids
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| Established | 1923 |
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| Location | 565 N. Fifth Avenue Laurel, Mississippi, United States |
| Type | Art museum |
The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art is a special place in Laurel, Mississippi, United States. It was the very first art museum in the state of Mississippi! It opened its doors in 1923. The museum was created to honor Lauren Eastman Rogers, a young man who passed away too soon.
This museum has many amazing things to see. You can find a huge collection of Native American baskets. There's also beautiful American art by famous painters like Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent. About 32,000 people visit the museum every year. The building itself is quite impressive, designed by an architect named Rathbone DeBuys.
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Museum History
The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art opened on May 1, 1923. It was built as a memorial to Lauren Eastman Rogers. Lauren was the only son and grandson of two important families who helped start the town of Laurel. He passed away in 1921 at just 23 years old.
After Lauren's death, his father and grandfather decided to create a special foundation. Their goal was to build a public library, museum, and art gallery in Mississippi. The museum building was actually being built as a home for Lauren and his wife, Lelia. But after he died, it became the museum instead.
The Eastman, Gardiner, and Rogers families moved to Laurel, Mississippi, in the 1890s. They came from Clinton, Iowa, looking for timber resources. These families were very important in shaping the city of Laurel. They built large homes and helped create public parks and schools. Lauren Rogers was expected to take over the family's lumber business. He was also meant to continue their tradition of giving back to the community. Even though Lauren passed away, his family made sure his legacy lived on through this museum.
Over the years, the museum has been used for different things. The original building was not just an art gallery. It also held the town's public library for many years. The first collection displayed was a large group of baskets. These were given to the museum in 1923 by Lauren Rogers' great-aunt, Catherine Marshall Gardiner.
In 1925, a new part of the museum was finished. This added five more art galleries on the first floor. It also made space for the Laurel Library Association on the lower level. The library stayed there until 1979. The new galleries were filled with paintings from the 1800s and 1900s. These paintings were donated by the Rogers and Eastman families. This collection includes works by famous artists like Winslow Homer and Albert Bierstadt. You can still see these artworks today. In 1953, Lauren's wife, Lelia Rogers, added a Reading Room. She filled it with furniture from her in-laws' home and a portrait of Lauren.
The museum building was designed by Rathbone DeBuys from New Orleans, Louisiana. The inside was decorated by a company from Chicago. The walls are covered in beautiful golden oak wood. You can also see amazing ironwork made by Samuel Yellin. The ceilings have hand-molded plaster done by a master craftsman named Leon Hermant. The museum's original floors were made of cork, and this material has been used in later additions too.
Museum Collections
The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art has five main types of collections. These are American art, European paintings, Native American baskets, Japanese Ukiyo-e prints, and British Georgian silver.
American Art
This is one of the museum's largest collections. It includes American paintings, sculptures, and drawings. Many of these works were given by Lauren Chase Eastman, Lauren Rogers' grandfather. He donated them in the 1920s and 1930s. Other important artworks were donated by Lauren Rogers’ parents. These collectors loved landscape paintings and portraits. Many of the artworks are small. This is because they were originally displayed in people's homes.
The landscape paintings mostly date from the late 1800s onwards. The museum has paintings from the Hudson River School. This was the first group of American painters to focus on the beauty of the American landscape. Artists like John Frederick Kensett and Albert Bierstadt are part of this movement. They were inspired by the Romantic movement. They wanted to show the wonders of nature in their art.
Later, the American Impressionists of the early 1900s also painted landscapes. They used landscapes to show their feelings and explore painting techniques. Artists like John Henry Twachtman painted quiet, personal scenes. Some of his works look almost abstract because they focus so much on color and light. Since the 1930s, the museum has added more modern landscape paintings. These include works by Mississippi artists like Marie Hull. The museum continues to grow this wonderful collection.
British Georgian Silver
Most of the silver in this collection was given by Harriet and Thomas Gibbons. Mr. Gibbons was the publisher of the Laurel Leader-Call newspaper. Mrs. Gibbons was the editor. They both loved silver. This led to their amazing collection of silver items. Many of these items were used for English "high tea."
The term Georgian refers to the Georgian period in England. This was between 1714 and 1830. During this time, four kings named George ruled England. The style of silver changed during this period. In the early 1700s, English silver had lots of fancy decorations. This was part of the Baroque and Rococo styles. By the end of the Georgian period, a simpler style became popular. This was called Neo-Classical. It was inspired by old Greek and Roman designs.
European Art
The museum has about 65 European artworks. They date from the 1600s to the 1900s. Many of these were donated by the Eastman and Rogers families when the museum first opened. These include important works known around the world. For example, there's First Steps by Jean-François Millet. This pastel from 1856 later inspired Vincent van Gogh. There's also Landscape Near Paris (around 1885) by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. He is seen as one of the first modern painters.
The oldest artwork in the collection is an etching by Rembrandt van Rijn. It's called Virgin and Child with Cat (1654). It shows Mary and baby Jesus inside a home. A legend says that a cat had kittens in the stable where Christ was born. In the etching, a cat is next to Mary, and Joseph looks in through a window. This tiny etching is one of many Bible stories Rembrandt illustrated.
Japanese Woodblock Prints
The Japanese Gallery shows examples of ukiyo-e woodblock prints. These are from the Edo Period (1600-1868) in Japan. The term ukiyo-e means "images of the floating world." This refers to the lively theater and entertainment areas in Japanese cities. Especially those in Kyoto and Tokyo (which was called Edo back then).
The most popular subjects for these prints were fun and leisure. They showed actors and scenes from Kabuki theater. Later, artists used the ukiyo-e style to create landscapes. An example is Hiroshige's album of prints, Thirty-Six Views of Fuji (around 1828-33).
Native American Art
Around 1900, Catherine Marshall Gardiner started collecting Native American baskets. She was Lauren Rogers' great-aunt. Her husband encouraged her to collect as many as she liked. The Gardiners had moved to Laurel in the 1890s to start a lumber company. At first, Catherine only wanted to collect new baskets. But soon, she became interested in older, more detailed ones. She became one of the top collectors during what is called "the golden age of basket collecting." Mrs. Gardiner traveled to meet basket dealers, other collectors, and even the weavers themselves.
By 1923, she had collected almost 500 baskets. She donated them to the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art. This collection became one of the best examples of North American Native basketry in the Southeastern United States. Years later, Mrs. Gardiner said it had been a "work of great charm." Since then, the museum has added more baskets, especially from the Southeast. But Mrs. Gardiner's original collection is still the most important part.
The Museum Today
The city of Laurel has grown and changed, and so has the museum. In the late 1900s and early 2000s, parts of the museum's building were updated. More artworks were added to the collections. A new section was finished in 1983. This included a new gallery for visiting art shows. It also added a grand staircase made from black marble. More recently, a large glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly was placed above this staircase. Another new section was completed in 2013, adding the Sanderson Gallery.
The museum continues to help the community in many ways. It hosts different events and educational programs. These include the yearly Blues Bash and Museum Gala. During the summer, the museum holds art camps and free family art days. The museum also offers art activities in other places, like city centers.
In 2018, the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art celebrated its 95th year. It's free to visit the museum. This is thanks to the continued support of people who donate and help the museum. Visitors are encouraged to make donations if they can.
