The third lecture of the 2023 Hosmer-Williams Lecture Series was presented on Thursday, September 21, at 7:00 in the evening in Farley’s Music Hall, 37 Mill Street, Elsah, Illinois.
The lecture, Frederick Oakes Sylvester: Painter. Poet and Educator was given by Dr. Julie Dunn-Morton, Curator of Art for the Mercantile Library of St. Louis. The Library was founded in the 1840s and is presently located on the UMSL campus. Dunn-Morton has been on the Mercantile Library staff for over two decades. She is currently planning a major Sylvester exhibition to open a new Gallery of Missouri Art as part of a major renovation for the UMSL Libraries building in 2025.
Frederick Oakes Sylvester was an important local and regional artist for the Mississippi River setting in the St. Louis area. His work has been exhibited often locally, including the St. Louis Art Museum and the Sheldon Arts Center. Principia College has a major Sylvester collection.
The Hosmer-Williams Lecture Series is a major contribution of Historic Elsah Foundation to the understanding of local history. The Series is underwritten, in part, by Liberty Bank of Alton, Illinois, by anonymous donors, and by the membership of Historic Elsah Foundation.
Below is a recording of the talk.