Heber R. Bishop

Heber Reginald Bishop (March 2, 1840 – December 10, 1902) was a noted American businessman and philanthropist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His collections of art, especially his noted collection of jade, were donated to museums. "An industrialist and entrepreneur, Mr. Bishop was an active patron of the arts and a Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum during its formative years."[1]

Heber R. Bishop
Born
Heber Reginald Bishop

(1840-03-02)March 2, 1840
Medford, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedDecember 10, 1902(1902-12-10) (aged 62)
New York City, U.S.
Resting placeSleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, New York
Occupation(s)Businessman, art collector
SpouseMary Cunningham
Children8
Parent(s)Nathaniel Holmes Bishop
Mary Smith Farrar
RelativesDarius Ogden Mills (brother-in-law)
Signature

Early life

Heber Reginald Bishop was born in Medford, Massachusetts in 1840 to Nathaniel Holmes Bishop (1789–1850) and Mary Smith Farrar (1806–1881). Bishop's family immigrated from Ipswich, England to the Massachusetts colony in 1685, settling in Medford.[2]

Bishop received a commercial education, until he moved to Remedios, Cuba at the age of 19 to begin work in the sugar business.[3]

Career
Portrait of Bishop in Jade, 1898

Within two years of moving to Cuba, Bishop had started a sugar refinery business there and began the Bishop & Company, which was sold in 1873 when he returned to the United States, first to his father-in-law's "Cunningham Castle" in Irvington, New York,[4] and later to the Bishop home at 881 Fifth Ave. He then invested in a number of banking firms, iron and steel companies, railroads, and western mining companies.[3]

He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce of New York, a director of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Company, the Chandler Iron Company, the Metropolitan Trust Company of New York, the Metropolitan Elevated Railroad Company, the New York Elevated Railroad, and the Lackawanna Iron and Steel Company.[3]

In 1878, his mansion in Irvington on the Hudson River burned down.[5] The building had a front of about 175 feet and was erected in 1863 by his father-in-law.[5]

Collections
18th century Standing Buddha, donated by Bishop to the Met Museum, 1902
18th–19th century Horse carrying books donated by Bishop to the Met Museum, 1902

Jade Collection

The Bishop Jade Collection donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1902 included not only artistic pieces from China and Japan, but also selections from Mexico, Central America, the northwest coast of America, Swiss lake dwellings, France, Italy, New Zealand and elsewhere. It included a rare crystal of jadeite and a single mass of nephrite from Jordanów Śląski, formerly known as Jordansmühl, Silesia.[6]

The one thousand numbers included in the Bishop collection display first a mineralogical section in which samples of the minerals are shown from every known place where they may be found. An archaeological section presents specimens of implements, weapons and ornaments in which the material was wrought. The remainder of the collection embraces the art objects upon which the utmost resources of the glyptic art have been lavished. These have been gathered from China, India, Annam, Europe and New Zealand, and comprise every conceivable object of limpid beauty to which the material lends itself. Vases from China, with graceful lines, elegant shape, and patiently carved decoration; perfect boxes of soft sheen with jewelled decoration from India; and the modern work of Europe they all give the highest presentment of sensuous charm and artistry.[7]

Jade Collection Catalog
Investigations and Studies in Jade by Heber Reginald Bishop

An enormous catalog in two volumes, entitled Investigations and Studies in Jade, was made of the collection. The catalog, edited by Dr. Robert Lilley[8] and assisted by R. W. Douglas,[9] was limited to 100 numbered sets. The first eight sets were distributed to Bishop's children, two sets were sent to the Library of Congress to obtain copyright, and the rest were distributed to heads of government, libraries, and museums.[8] Each set cost $1,800 to produce.[9]

Many specialists contributed to the book, including: Dr. George Frederick Kunz, Dr. Stephen Wootton Bushell, Dr. William Hallock, Dr. Samuel Lewis Penfield, Dr. Harry Ward Foote, Dr. Joseph Paxton Iddings, Professor Frank Wigglesworth Clarke, Mr. Ira Harvey Woolson, Mr. Logan Waller Page, Dr. Charles Palache, Luis Valentin Pirsson, Dr. Henry Stephens Washington, Dr. Henry Talbot Walden, Professor L. von Jaczewski, Dr. A. B. Meyer, Dr Joseph Edkins, Dr. Ludwig Leiner, Mrs. Zelia Nuttall, Miss Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, Dr. Franz Berwerth, Ernst Weinschenk, and Tadamasa Hayashi.[10]

The bound volumes were 19 x 26 inches and weighed, respectively, 70 and 55 pounds. The paper used for the volumes was specially made by the Brown Paper Company, and weighed 176 pounds to the ream. The stock was a combination of pure white cotton rags and linen, and no chemicals were employed. "The illustrations were made by various processes; etchings, wood-cuts, and lithographs. The following etchers and engravers took part in the work: Walter M. Aikman (b. 1857); Charles Jean Louis Courtrv (b. 1846); Adolphe Alphonse Gery-Bichard (b. 1841); Paul Le Rat (b. 1840); Auguste Hilaire Leveille (b. 1840); Rodolphe Pignet (b. 1840); and Émile-Jean Sulpis."[8]

Contents of the catalog are: volume 1. General introduction. Jade in China: Introduction. Yü shuo. A discourse on jade. (Translation) Yü shuo. A discourse on jade. (Chinese text) Yü tso t'ou. Illustrations of the modern manufacture of jade. Jade as a mineral. Methods of working jade. Worked jade. Bibliography (p. 257-260)--volume 2. Catalog: Brief introduction, with explanatory statement as to the arrangement. Mineralogical synopsis. Archaeological synopsis. Ancient or tomb pieces from China. Art objects, historical period.[11]

In 2000, an eBay user attempted to fraudulently auction set #100 which was in the possession of The Philadelphia Rare Books and Manuscripts Company.[12] The same set was sold at auction by Christie's in November 2007 for HKD 3,487,500.[13]

Other collections

Heber Bishop also donated a large collection of Alaskan antiquities to the American Museum of Natural History in 1879. He also collected, with the assistance of Major John Wesley Powell, a large collection of British Columbian ethnological artifacts, including the famous Haida canoe, which is 64 feet long, 8 feet wide and was hollowed out of a single tree trunk by the Heiltsuk tribe, formerly known as the Bella Bella tribe opposite Haida Gwaii.

Brayton Ives, a New York financier, made a collection of rare and historical swords. When he ceased collecting, the swords were sold, and through the efforts of Mr. Bishop, William Thompson Walters and the American Art Association, the valuable sword collection, valued at $15,000, was donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well.[14]

Personal life
Bishop Mausoleum, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

He married Mary Cunningham (1842–1905), the second daughter of Elizabeth Griffiths (1809–1869) and Scottish born James C. Cunningham (1801–1870), who was a mechanical engineer and ship owner of Irvington, New York.[15] Cunningham operated successively in New York, Boston, and, starting in 1850, San Francisco, where he developed Cunningham's Wharf and was involved in the early development the city. Her sister, Jane Templeton Cunningham (1832–1888), was married to Darius Ogden Mills (1825–1910). Their daughter, Elisabeth Mills, married Ambassador Whitelaw Reid, and their son, Ogden Mills (1856-1929), was a prominent financier.[16]

Together, Heber and Mary had eight children:[2][17]

Bishop died on December 10, 1902, at his residence, 881 Fifth Avenue, after a long illness.[3] Bishop, his wife, and several of their children are interred in the Bishop mausoleum at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, NY. It sits next to the Cunningham mausoleum erected by his wife's father, and a short distance from the Darius Ogden Mills and Whitelaw Reid mausoleums.

His estate, valued at approximately $3,500,000, was left in trust for his widow, children, sisters, and brother. He left funds to the Metropolitan Museum for the preservation of his collection.[31] By 1915, his estate's holdings in Standard Oil had increased in value by $1,450,000.[32]

Society life

Mary's brother-in-law, Darius Ogden Mills, was instrumental in introducing the Bishops to elite New York business and society circles.[33] For example, Heber and his children Mary, Harriet, and Ogden were members of Ward McAllister's "Four Hundred" list, reportedly the number of people who could fit into Mrs. Astor's ballroom. His daughter Harriet's home, the James F. D. Lanier Residence, is a New York landmark. His daughter Edith and her husband owned many residences, including Annandale Farm in Mt. Kisco, NY, Glen Farm in Portsmouth, RI, and the Villa Taylor in Marrakesh, Morocco, where Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt "played hookey" during World War II.[34] The Taylors would cruise to Morocco aboard their 310-foot steam yacht Iolanda. In 1898, Bishop and his wife gave a red domino dance for 150 at their residence in New York.[35]

An 1895 watercolor on ivory portrait of the four daughters is held by the New York Historical Society.[36] He was a member of the Metropolitan Club, the Union Club, the Union League Club, the New York Yacht Club, the City Club, the Turf and Field Club, the Century Association, the New England Society, the Mendelssohn Glee Club, the Chicago Club of Chicago, the Golf Club of Newport, the Turf Club of Newport, the American Hackney Horse Society of New York, the Boone and Crockett Club and the Civil Service Reform Association.[3]

In 1899, Bishop rented Houghton Hall in England, where he hosted the Prince of Wales for a weekend of hunting.[37]

References
Notes
  1. "A Passion for Jade The Heber Bishop Collection".
  2. Cutter, William Richard (1913). New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation. Lewis historical publishing Company. p. 758. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  3. "Death of Heber R. Bishop; He Was Interested in Management of Many Important Corporations". The New York Times. December 11, 1902. p. 9. Retrieved August 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Cunningham Castle Burned.; Owner Was Perfecting Plans to Put Old House in Shape for Occupancy". The New York Times. Terrytown, New York (published January 6, 1901). January 5, 1901. p. 17. Retrieved August 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "A Fine Mansion in Ruins.; Mr. Heber R. Bishop's Great Loss. A Valuable Collection of Paintings Destroyed by Fire—A Murillo Worth $30,000 Among Those Burned—Total Loss on Building, Furniture, and Paintings, $150,000—The Insurance". The New York Times. April 16, 1878. p. 5. Retrieved August 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Mr. Bishop's Jade Collection". The New York Times. August 8, 1902. p. 9. Retrieved August 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Metropolitan Museum – Heber R. Bishop Collection Of Jade".
  8. Kunz, George Frederick (May 1906). The Printed Catalogue of the Heber R. Bishop Collection of Jade. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  9. Hood, Robert Allison (November 1920). "Mr. R. W. Douglas, Vancouver City Librarian". The British Columbia Monthly. Vancouver, British Columbia: 15.
  10. "Introduction." Bishop Collection, by Heber R. Bishop, George Frederick Kunz, Stephen W. Bushell, Robert Lilley, and Tadamasa Hayashi. The Bishop Collection. Investigations and Studies in Jade. New York: Priv. Print. [The De Vinne Press], 1906.
  11. Bishop Collection, by Heber R. Bishop, George Frederick Kunz, Stephen W. Bushell, Robert Lilley, and Tadamasa Hayashi. The Bishop Collection. Investigations and Studies in Jade. New York: Priv. Print. [The De Vinne Press], 1906.
  12. Buffington, Cynthia Davis. "Adventures in Bookselling: www.FRAUD!!". www.prbm.com.
  13. "Sale 2389: Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art". www.christies.com. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  14. Kunz, George F. "Heber Reginald Bishop and his Jade Collection". American Anthropologist. New Series, Volume #5, January–March 1903. Page 116.
  15. Carson, Samuel (1917). The Overland Monthly, Vol. LXVIII. Samuel Carson. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  16. "Ogden Mills Dies At His Home Here. Financier Is the Victim of Pneumonia After Three Weeks Illness. He Was 72 Years Old. Active in Many Philanthropies and Long a Leader in Social Affairs. A Native of California. Interested in Racing". The New York Times. January 29, 1929. p. 8. Retrieved December 18, 2013. Ogden Mills financier and father of Ogden L. Mills, Under-Secretary of the Treasury, died at 1:30 A.M. today at his home, 2 East Sixty-ninth Street, following an illness of more than three weeks. ...
  17. The Successful American. Press Biographical Company. 1903. p. 565. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  18. "Miss Mary C. Bishop". The New York Times. February 4, 1948. p. 24. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  19. "Mrs. J. L. Harriman Dies in Baltimore; Daughter of Organizer of First Elevated Railroads Here-Native of New York. Lived in Paris for Years; Husband Was Related to Late Railroad Financier – Sister Was Mrs. J. F. D. Lanier". The New York Times. March 6, 1934. p. 23. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  20. "Notables Mourn Mrs. H. B. Lanier; Artur Bodanzky Leads Chorus of Friends in Music From St. John Passion. Orchestra Men Attend; figures in Music World Also Join Relatives in Tribute to the Founder of Group". The New York Times. November 4, 1931. p. 21. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  21. "Obituary – Bishop". The New York Times. February 17, 1923. p. 13. Retrieved August 23, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  22. "Banker's Ex-Wife Sues to Obtain Her Alimony; Mrs. Abigail H. Bishop Asks Court to Sequestrate Trust Fund Left to Former Husband". The New York Times. September 18, 1921. p. 7. Retrieved August 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. "James C. Bishop Dies at Philadelphia Home; Body of Utility Official Is Found by Employee at Wheel of His Car in Garage". The New York Times. June 2, 1932. p. 21. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  24. "Francis C. Bishop Dead.; Member of Old New York Family Dies at His Country Home". The New York Times. September 3, 1927. p. 15. Retrieved August 23, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  25. "H. R. Bishop's Son to Wed.; Engagement of Francis C. Bishop to Miss Gertrude Pell Announced". The New York Times. December 30, 1905. p. 9. Retrieved August 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. "Mrs. Francis C. Bishop". The New York Times. October 15, 1953. p. 33. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  27. "Mrs. Nicholson, 84, Financier's Widow". The New York Times. January 9, 1959. p. 25. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  28. "Society Wedding in Newport.; The Marriage of Moses Taylor to Edith Bishop Solemnized Yesterday". The New York Times. Newport, Rhode Island (published August 20, 1896). August 19, 1896. p. 3. Retrieved August 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. "G. J. G. Nicholson, Industrialist, 79; Retired President of Alabama Coal Concerns and Former Wyoming Rancher Dies". The New York Times. December 26, 1950. p. 20. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  30. "Ogden Mills Bishop" (PDF). The New York Times. September 23, 1955. p. 26. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  31. "Will of Heber R. Bishop; Provision for Preservation of Famous Jade Collection. Now in Metropolitan, Museum – Estate of $3,500,000 Goes to Family of Testator". The New York Times. December 18, 1902. p. 9. Retrieved August 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. "Bishop Heirs to Get $500,000 as Income; 1,598 Shares of Standard Oil Stock Have Increased $1,450,000 in Value. Family Agreement Void; Surrogate Says Extraordinary Dividends Do Not Belong to Principal of Eight Trust Estates". The New York Times. February 10, 1915. p. 13. Retrieved August 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. Nicholls, Charles Wilbur de Lyon (1904). The Ultra-fashionable Peerage of America: An Official List of Those People who Can Properly be Called Ultra-fashionable in the United States. G. Harjes. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  34. Con Coughlin (April 9, 2013). "Marrakesh: where Churchill and Roosevelt played hookey". The Telegraph.
  35. "The Red Domino Dance; Mr. and Mrs. Heber R. Bishop Provide a Novel Entertainment for the Smart Set. Disguises Off for Supper; Cotillion Led by Worthington Whitehouse, Dancing with Miss Bishop – Red Color Scheme Prevails in flowers and Favors". The New York Times. January 29, 1898. p. 7. Retrieved August 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. "New-York Historical Society - The Daughters of Heber Reginald Bishop (Elizabeth, Harriet, Mary, and Edith)".
  37. "To be Prince of Wales's Host.; Heber R. Bishop Will Be Visited by His Royal Highness at Houghton". The New York Times. London (published December 10, 1899). December 9, 1899. p. 7. Retrieved August 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
Sources
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