The Portsmouth Athenæum is an independent membership

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

, gallery, and

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It preserves and provides access to an extensive collection of manuscripts, rare books, photographs, artworks and artifacts, and digital collections related to local history and genealogy, in addition to a circulating library for its membership. As an intellectual center of the community, it sponsors exhibitions, concerts, lectures, and other educational and cultural programs. The building, dating to 1805, has been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

since 1973.

The Athenæum Society

The Athenæum was incorporated in 1817 as the Portsmouth Athenæum Society.History of the Portsmouth Athenæum
/ref> The institution's 1805

Federal style Federal-style architecture is the name for the classical architecture built in the United States following the American Revolution between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was influenced heavily by the works of And ...

building, located on Market Square at the city's heart, was acquired by the society in 1823. It was designed by

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Bradbury Johnson (1766–1820) as the office for the New Hampshire Fire & Marine Insurance Company, which went

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...

. In 1981 and 1995, the Athenæum expanded into the adjacent building at 6–8 Market Square to accommodate its Shaw Research Library and Randall Gallery. Like most athenæums, it combines the functions of a library with those of a gallery and museum. The institution retains certain nineteenth-century customs—members are "proprietors," and the director is "keeper." Its collection includes more than 40,000 volumes, with an

archive An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials, in any medium, or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organ ...

of about 12,000 photographs, 4,000 of which are posted on the Athenæum's website.''The New York Times'', March 7, 2008
/ref> Portsmouth was once a major

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manc ...

. As a consequence, the Athenæum has a strong emphasis on

maritime history Maritime history is the study of human interaction with and activity at sea. It covers a broad thematic element of history that often uses a global approach, although national and regional histories remain predominant. As an academic subject, it ...

, particularly

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...

at Badger's Island and the

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS), often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard on Seavey's Island in Kittery, Maine, bordering Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The naval yard lies along the southern boundary of Maine on ...

, both located across the

Piscataqua River The Piscataqua River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Pskehtekwis'') is a tidal river forming the boundary of the U.S. states of New Hampshire and Maine from its origin at the confluence of the Salmon Falls River and Cochecho River to the Atlant ...

in Kittery,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. Walls are hung with

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

s of

ship A ship is a large watercraft, vessel that travels the world's oceans and other Waterway, navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally disti ...

s and the half models used to plan their construction. There are

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better r ...

s of prominent figures from Portsmouth and the region, including

sea captain A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the ship, inc ...

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

s and shipbuilders. The reading room features a full-length portrait of

Sir Peter Warren Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Warren, KB (10 March 1703 – 29 July 1752) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who sat in the British House of Commons representing the constituency of Westminster from 1747 to 1752. Warren is best known for his care ...

Portraits

File:Commodore Charles Knowles RN-1.jpg, Commodore Charles Knowles, Governor of Louisburg File:Sir Peter Warren by John Smibert, Portsmouth Athenæum, New Hampshire.png,

, Hero of Louisbourg, by

John Smibert John Smibert (24 March 1688 – 2 April 1751) was a Scottish-born painter who was the first academically trained artist to work in British America. Career Smibert was born in Edinburgh on 24 March 1688, the second youngest of six children of Ali ...

Hours

The Shaw Research Library and Randall Gallery are open to the public without charge. * Tuesdays through Saturdays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. * Or by special appointment

References

External links

*
''The New York Times'' visits The Portsmouth Athenæum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portsmouth Athenaeum Houses completed in 1805 1817 establishments in New Hampshire Federal architecture in New Hampshire Libraries in Rockingham County, New Hampshire Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Art museums and galleries in New Hampshire Museums in Portsmouth, New Hampshire Buildings and structures in Portsmouth, New Hampshire Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Education in Portsmouth, New Hampshire Houses in Rockingham County, New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

The Athenæum Society

Portraits

Hours

See also

References

Further reading

External links