Gari Melchers Home and Studio, also known as Belmont, is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

and

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

at 224 Washington Street in

Falmouth, Virginia Falmouth is a census-designated place (CDP) in Stafford County, Virginia, United States. Situated on the north bank of the Rappahannock River at the falls, the community is north of and opposite the city of Fredericksburg. Recognized by the U. ...

. This much-altered 18th-century house was the home and studio of the popular American artist

Gari Melchers Julius Garibaldi Melchers (August 11, 1860 – November 30, 1932) was an American artist. He was one of the leading American proponents of Naturalism (art), naturalism. He won a 1932 Gold medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Bio ...

(1860–1932) from 1916 until his death. It was given to the state of Virginia by his widow, and is now administered by the

University of Mary Washington The University of Mary Washington (UMW) is a public liberal arts university in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the Fredericksburg Teachers College, the institution was named Mary Washington College in 1938 after Mary Ball Washingt ...

. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965, commemorating Melchers' influential role in bringing American art to European attention. and

Description and history

Gari Melchers Home and Studio is located just west of the center of Falmouth, on the south side of Business

United States Route 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Highway that spans in the southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length, with ...

. The property is , roughly bisected by County Road 1001, which provides access to the main house. The house is a two-story wood-frame structure, its main block five bays wide, with a two-story ell extending it to the left, and a polygon-sided sunroom to the right. The oldest part of the house was built sometime in the mid-to-late 18th century, and achieved much of its present form during the ownership of the Ficklen family, which owned it from 1825 to 1916. In that year it was purchased by

and his wife Corinne, both artists, for $12,000. The stone studio building on the grounds, and a stone garage, both date to the period of the Melchers' ownership, and the summer house was added by Mrs. Melchers sometime after her husband's death in 1932. After she died in 1955, Mrs. Melchers bequeathed the property to the state; it includes most of the couple's possessions in the house. Gari Melchers was a popular, if not particularly innovative, painter, who was trained in Europe. In 1882 one of his paintings was accepted by the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, the most prestigious art exhibition of the period. Gari and Corinne Melchers settled at Belmont in 1916. His best known works include the murals depicting ''War'' and ''Peace'' in the rotunda of the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. Melchers' work contributed to a general increase of interest in the fine arts in the United States. Unlike most historic homes in the commonwealth of Virginia, it is not furnished with antiques that correspond to the house's origins. Rather, it is a snapshot of the international tastes and lifestyle of a famous artist, and is fully furnished with the unusual European antiques and objects Melchers and his wife collected. It is also an art museum with about 1,600 works of art, about 500 of which are Melchers’ paintings. Other works of art include his sketches and studies, works by other artists he collected, and paintings by his wife.

References

External links

Gari Melchers Home and Studio, at University of Mary Washington
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melchers, Gari, Home National Historic Landmarks in Virginia Museums in Stafford County, Virginia Historic house museums in Virginia

Art museums and galleries in Virginia Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Common ...

University museums in Virginia Biographical museums in Virginia Artists' studios in the United States Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Houses in Stafford County, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Stafford County, Virginia University of Mary Washington Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Virginia Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Museums devoted to one artist

Description and history

See also

References

External links