MacNeil Sculpture at Poppenhusen Institute
ByWe have just discovered that MacNeil’s “Coming of the White Man” on the west coast has a twin on the east coast. This recent finding was made while researching the website of the Poppenhusen Institute of Queens, Long Island, New York. The institute is located just blocks from the site of Hermon A. MacNeil’s home and studio in College Point.
"Coming of the White Man" in Washington Park, Portland Oregon was made on 1904 and has an indoor twin sculpture in the Poppenhusen Institute in New York.
Nestled in the trees of Portland Oregon’s Washington Park, the artwork pictured here steps out of the 19th Century time machine. Its location keeps it off the track of tourists except for adventurous hikers on a bit of a treasure hunt? (Go to 25th and Burnside and climb all the stairs!)
Likewise, the New York twin is also secluded but indoors rather than outdoors. Inside the auditorium (ballroom) of the Poppenhusen Institute is a second “Coming of the White Man” . Apparently, this holding was a gift by the artist to his neighborhood Cultural and Art center. The Institute was a gift of Conrad Poppenhusen to the community that he founded and developed that eventually became College Point. MacNeil and other artists lived there to be near the Roman Bronze Works, a prominent art foundry of that period.
The Institute’s website states:
Popenhusen Institute in more recent years remains a historic site and Community Cultural Center for Flushing, NY.
“This sculpture, of Tachoma’s first view of the white man, was a gift to the institute by Hermon A MacNeil. The park at 115th Street on the East River is named after him as this was where is studio once stood.”
Click HERE for a brief virtual tour of this statue at Poppenhusen Institute.
Click HERE for a facebook link to this statue at Poppenhusen Institute.
The Portland statue was a gift of the family of David P. Thompson after his death. His biography on Wikipedia states in part:
“David Preston Thompson (1834-1901) was an American businessman and politician in the Pacific Northwest. He was governor of the Idaho Territory from 1875 to 1876. A native of Ohio, he immigrated to the Oregon Territory in 1853. In Oregon, Thompson would become a wealthy business man, and served in the Oregon Legislative Assembly both before and after his time in Idaho, with election to both chambers of the legislature.”
Web links: – Poppenhusen Institute – Virtual Tour (16 sec) MacNeil\’s \’Coming of the White Man\’ at Poppenhusen Institute
“The Poppenhusen Institute was built in 1868 with funds donated by Conrad Poppenhusen, the benefactor of College Point. The original charter specified that it be open to all, irrespective of race, creed or religion, giving people the opportunity to improve their lives either by preparing them for better job or improving their leisure time.” (see website at above link)
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