Title: John S. Conway Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1855-1978

Creator:

• Conway, John S., 1852-1925

Call Number: Milwaukee Mss 110; Milwaukee Micro 54; Micro 1108; PH 3688; PH 3688 (3)

Quantity: 1.2 c.f. (3 archives boxes), 1 reel of microfilm (35mm), and 56 photographs

Repository:

Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries’ Archives Department / Milwaukee Area Research Center; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Papers, mainly 1855-1936, of John S. Conway, a prominent artist who resided in Milwaukee during the 1870s and whose largest work was the Milwaukee Soldiers Monument, completed in 1898. Included is correspondence concerning his training and experiences in Europe during the 1880s and 1890s, a diary and address book, miscellaneous writings, draft articles on art in Milwaukee (available only on microfilm), photographs, and material concerning the Soldiers Monument. Although there are letters to and from family and friends, the majority of the correspondence consists of exchanges with his friend and patron, Milwaukee artist Lydia Ely (Lydia Ely Hewitt). Also among her papers are original letters to her from Fanny Burling Buttrick, James MacAlister, and others concerning the Wisconsin Soldiers Home and the Milwaukee Industrial Exposition. One folder of correspondence from Grace Robinson Conway concerns the disposition of her large collection of Conway paintings.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mil00110

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Artist and sculptor John Severinus Conway was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1852. He received his first artistic training from Conrad Diehl of the Art Institute of Chicago. He left Chicago, however, after fire destroyed both his studio and his prospects there. Conway then resided in Milwaukee where he soon gathered popular acceptance for his portrait work. He also made several sketching tours into Wisconsin and Minnesota to paint local landscapes. In 1880 Conway completed in only eighteen days a mural in the Chamber of Commerce building entitled “Agriculture and the Industries Bringing Their Tribute to Milwaukee.”

During his residence in Milwaukee, Conway became acquainted with Lydia Ely Hewitt (1836-1914), who had arrived in Milwaukee in 1840. Married to Gideon P. Hewitt in 1852, she had nevertheless found time to pursue her artistic interests. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Mrs. Ely devoted herself chiefly to charity work. Toward this end she organized the Soldiers Home Fair, which included an exhibition of American paintings and sculpture. Earnings from this fair were used for the construction of the Wisconsin Soldiers Home in 1865, of which Ely served as president for two years. Returning to her artistic interests after the war, Mrs. Ely went on several sketching and study tours in the United States and Europe. She was particularly interested in furthering “art-mindedness” in Milwaukee, organizing exhibits and expositions for this purpose. During the 1880s, she served as superintendent of the art department of the Milwaukee Industrial Exposition.

Largely at the suggestion of Lydia Ely, John Conway left Milwaukee for Paris to study at the Ecole Julien under Gustave Boulanger and Jules Lefebvre, and at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. He also made sketching tours throughout France and Italy, and under Aimee Millet of Paris, expanded his studies to include sculpture. About 1883, he settled in Rome. During this period, Conway married Agata Meloni. They had four children: George (1885-1967), Etheldreda (1887-1900), Mario (1889-1962), and Robert (1899-1972).

Largely because of his friendship with Lydia Ely, who headed the fundraising committee, in 1898, Conway secured the contract for his most famous work, the Milwaukee Soldiers Monument. The bronze sculpture “Victorian Charge” was completed in Rome and shipped to its destination in front of the Milwaukee City Hall.

In 1902, Conway returned to the United States, settling his family in Tenafly, New Jersey. In 1904, he completed “Oklahoma,” another large sculpture, for the St. Louis Exposition. Conway died in Tenafly in 1925.

The collection chiefly documents Conway's friendship with Lydia Ely and his connections with Wisconsin following his departure from Milwaukee in 1881. In addition, there are several folders of family correspondence in the collection. Also included are several folders of original correspondence received by Lydia Ely from other people concerning her charitable work for soldiers during the Civil War and the Milwaukee Art Exposition. In addition to correspondence, the collection includes a Conway diary (1901), memoranda, drafts of writing by Conway about art in Milwaukee; photographs of the Conway family, some of his paintings and sculpture, and a miniature portrait of Conway painted by Mrs. Ely; and miscellaneous material concerning the Soldiers Monument. Also included is a folder of correspondence and inventories of Grace Robinson Conway concerning the disposition of a large collection of Conway art. Conclusions drawn from this correspondence leave unclear the amount of additional Conway correspondence still in existence.

Because of the sustained, close relationship between Conway and Ely, the collection, although small, provides good documentation about the kind of man Conway was both as an artist and an individual, and of some of the significant events in his life. The Conway-Ely correspondence is most complete for the years 1881-1885, when Conway was in Europe. There are some gaps in the coverage for the full duration of their friendship, and it may be that they were visiting or traveling together during these periods.

The correspondence between Conway and his wife, which covers a ten-year period, is in Italian. As a result, its research value has not been evaluated.

Conway's general correspondence predominantly concerns the Soldiers Monument, details of its construction, and congratulations following its erection. There is some correspondence with the National Art Club of New York and various European museums concerning an artifact in his possession. His letters to Ely dating from the early 1880s discuss his visits to galleries including the Louvre and the Sistine Chapel; customs and conditions in Europe; and his work and training with Boulanger and Lefebvre. He repeatedly refers to his loneliness, concerns for Ely's health, and arrangements for her travel to Europe. Later he discusses his financial hardships, his work in Rome, and his continued unhappiness. He makes no mention of his wife and children in his letters to Ely. Letters of the early 1900s concern personal matters, issues in the art world, Ely's agricultural ventures, and his declining health and financial hardships.

The correspondence between Conway and his children is sparse. There are a few letters of his daughter Etheldreda and a letter from Conway to his children. Also included is information pertaining to Etheldreda's death.

Entries in Conway's 1901 diary are sparse; some are in Italian. The drafts of an article on art in Milwaukee are undated although probably written in the later part of the 1890s. This article includes brief biographies of prominent figures in the art world, as well as one each for Conway and Ely. These drafts are available only on microfilm.

The material relating to the dedication of the Soldiers Monument includes newspaper clippings and lists of patrons with amounts pledged. The miscellany includes catalogues containing references to Conway paintings and information on the Conway Castle in England.

The papers also include photographs of Conway and his family, of some of his paintings and sculptures, and of a miniature portrait of him by Mrs. Ely.

Lydia Ely's general correspondence for the 1850s and 1860s predominantly concerns construction and operation of the Wisconsin Soldiers Home, its incorporation, and the collection of art work for the Soldiers Home Fair. The annual reports of the home contain yearly statistics, treasurer's reports, lists of contributors and their donations, and a constitution and by-laws. Also of note are letters of Fannie Burling Buttrick, a friend who was nursing soldiers in her husband's regiment in the South.

Mrs. Ely's later general correspondence includes letters from James McAlister, who collected art for the Milwaukee Industrial Exposition. Her letters to Conway from the 1890s concern work with the exposition, her own art work, and personal and business matters. There is some discussion of the Soldiers Monument. Letters between 1904 and 1908 are primarily concerned with her financial hardships, agricultural concerns, and illnesses.

The Grace Robinson Conway file consists of letters to and from various galleries concerning the disposition of her large collection of John Conway paintings. Included is an inventory of the collection, which she eventually sold to the Kennedy Galleries in 1972.

Committee of Soldiers' Monument Fund Records, 1895-1899, (Milwaukee Mss AA) contains related material.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Grace Robinson Conway, Westen, Connecticut, April 7, 1980. Accession Number: M80-245

Processing Information

Processed by Loralei J. Bloom and Carolyn J. Mattern, 1987.

Milwaukee Mss 110	John S. Conway
Box   1 Folder   1	Biographical material, 1920-1936, undated
	Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   2	General, 1894-1921
	To Lydia Ely
Box   1 Folder   3	1881-1885
Box   2 Folder   1-3	1889-1909
Box   2 Folder   4-5	With Agata Meloni, 1888-1898
Box   2 Folder   6	With Conway children, 1900, 1909
Box   2 Folder   7	With McLaughlin family, 1898-1921
Box   2 Folder   8	Address and memoranda books, poetry, and diary, 1881, 1909, undated
Box   2 Folder   9	Poetry, prose, and miscellaneous writings, 1915-1918, undated
Milwaukee Micro 54/Micro 1108	Drafts of article on art in Milwaukee, circa 1894-circa 1897
Milwaukee Mss 110 Box   2 Folder   10	Soldiers Monument, circa 1898
PH 3688	Photographs
PH 3688 (3)	Oversize Photographs
Milwaukee Mss 110 Box   2 Folder   11	Miscellany, 1951, 1973, undated
	Lydia Ely
Box   3 Folder   1	Biographical information, 1914, 1936
Box   3 Folder   2-3	General correspondence, 1855-1895
Box   3 Folder   4	Wisconsin Soldiers Home reports and resolutions, 1865-1866
Box   3 Folder   5-8	Correspondence to John S. Conway, 1891-1908
Box   3 Folder   9	Grace Robinson Conway, Correspondence and inventories, 1967-1978