Taft Museum of Art facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Baum-Taft House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Taft Museum of Art
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | Cincinnati, Ohio |
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| Built | 1820 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001470 |
| Added to NRHP | January 29, 1973 |
The Taft Museum of Art is a cool place in Cincinnati, Ohio, where you can see amazing art. It's located in a really old house, about 200 years old! This house, at 316 Pike Street, is the oldest wooden home in downtown Cincinnati. Many important people from Cincinnati lived here over the years. These included Martin Baum, Nicholas Longworth, David Sinton, and Anna Sinton Taft with her husband Charles Phelps Taft. The house is so special that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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History of the Taft House
The Taft house has a long and interesting history. It was first built in 1820 for a man named Martin Baum. After him, Nicholas Longworth lived there.
Amazing Murals by Robert S. Duncanson
The house became a National Historic Landmark in 1976. This was because of the incredible paintings on its walls. These paintings, called murals, were created by Robert S. Duncanson. Nicholas Longworth asked him to paint them.
Duncanson painted eight large landscape scenes directly onto the plaster walls. He did this between 1851 and 1852. These murals are a huge part of the museum's art collection. They are considered the most important murals painted in a home in the U.S. before the Civil War. Robert S. Duncanson was also one of the first African-American landscape painters to become famous around the world.
The Taft Family Home
After Nicholas Longworth, the house was bought by David Sinton. David Sinton was the father of Anna Sinton Taft, who helped create the museum. Anna lived in the house with her father. Later, she married Charles Phelps Taft. Charles was the half-brother of President William Howard Taft.
Charles and Anna Taft lived in the house from 1873 until they passed away. President William H. Taft even accepted his nomination to become president from the house's porch in 1908. This made the house even more important in American history.
The Tafts loved collecting art. They filled their home with beautiful paintings, sculptures, and other art pieces. In 1927, they decided to give their home and all their art to the people of Cincinnati. They wanted everyone to be able to enjoy their collection easily. The Taft Museum officially opened to the public on November 29, 1932.
Art Collection at the Museum
The Taft Museum has many different types of art. You can see European paintings by famous artists like Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Thomas Gainsborough, Frans Hals, and Rembrandt van Rijn. There are also American paintings from the 1800s, including the special Duncanson murals.
Inside the historic house, you'll also find beautiful Chinese porcelains. There are European decorative arts, which are fancy objects used to decorate homes. You can also see Limoges enamels, old watches, sculptures, and antique furniture.
Highlights of the Collection
Some of the most famous artworks you can see include:
- Joaquin Sorolla, Portrait of Mr. Taft, President of the United States, painted in 1909.
- Frank Duveneck, The Cobbler's Apprentice, from 1877.
- Henry Farny, Song of the Talking Wire, from 1904.
- Rembrandt van Rijn, Portrait of a Man Rising from His Chair, from 1633.
- J. M. W. Turner, Europa and the Bull, painted around 1840–50.
- James Abbott McNeill Whistler, At the Piano, from 1858–59.
- An old sculpture called Virgin and Child, from Paris, made around 1260–80.
- Olivuccio di Ciccarello, Madonna nursing the Child with Saints.
- Frans Hals, Portrait of Seated Man Holding Hat.
- Gerard Terborch, Sleeping Soldier.
- Jeronymus Van Diest, Sailboats On River with Fisherman.
- Corot, Evening:Festival of Pan.
- Charles Daubigny, Evening on Oise.
- A large collection of Limoges enamel paintings.
The museum closed for a big update and expansion. It reopened in May 2004. Now it has a museum shop, a cafe called the Carl H. Lindner Family Café, and a space for talks and performances called Luther Hall.
See also
In Spanish: Museo Taft para niños
