Lost and found: the posthumous portrait of Louis Agassiz by Henry Ulke (1876), and their noteworthy relationship

Frederik H Mollen

doi:10.1186/s13358-020-00203-x

Abstract

Despite today’s controversy regarding several aspects of his legacy, Swiss-born Harvard Professor Louis Agassiz (1807–1873) was one of the most eminent scientists of his time. After his death, Washington-based photographer and amateur naturalist, Henry Ulke (1821–1910), honored his ‘esteemed friend’ which is clear from his personal letter of condolence addressed to Agassiz’s eldest son Alexander, and a posthumous portrait (oil on canvas) dated 1876. In 1877, his portrait was purchased by the United States Capitol, but it was not accepted by the Joint Committee on the Library. Thereafter, it soon went missing and remained unnoticed for nearly 150 years, until the same portrait (or at least a second, original version) was brought to auction in 2013 by heirs of the Ulke family. The painting is based on a rare carte-de-visite photograph, which bears the 1876 backstamp of Henry’s brother, Julius Ulke (1833–1910). Both the painting and the card, undoubtedly depicting Agassiz, were once mislabeled as General Francis E. Spinner, United States Treasurer (1802–1890), probably by Henry’s son, Titus Ulke (1866–1961) or another descendent. The rediscovery of the painting is of major historic and artistic importance. It is now on display in the library of Elasmobranch Research, Belgium.

Highlights

Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz (1807, Môtier, Switserland–1873, Cambridge, MA, USA) was one of world’s most eminent geologists and zoologists of his time
Institutional abbreviations This study involved the consultation of archival material in the following institutions and private collections: Office of the Curator, Architect of the Capitol, Washington DC (AOC); Elasmobranch Research, Belgium (ERB); Institut royal du patrimoine artistique, Brussels (IRPA); Linnean Society of London (LSL); Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ernst Mayr Library, Harvard University, Cambridge (MCZ); Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC (SI); and Ulke Family Collection
CDV and portrait link The carte-de-visite photograph was definitely used as a reference for the portrait, as is suggested in the auction catalog (Swann 2013, see comment to lot 328)

Summary

Introduction

Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz (1807, Môtier, Switserland–1873, Cambridge, MA, USA) was one of world’s most eminent geologists and zoologists of his time. With support and encouragement from his protégées Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) and Georges Cuvier (1769–1832), he soon became famous during his early career with his studies on fossil fishes (Agassiz 1833– 1845) and glaciers (Agassiz 1840). These publications would not have been possible without Agassiz’s scientific entrepreneurship that included high-level networking, fundraising, and challenging expeditions into the Swiss Alps and beyond. In 1846, as a 39-year-old married man, and father of three children, Agassiz accepted a well-paid invitation to lecture at the Lowell Institute (Boston, MA), and stayed in the USA thereafter, leaving his domestic problems behind.

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