Heber R. Bishop Explained

Heber R. Bishop
Birth Name:	Heber Reginald Bishop
Birth Date:	2 March 1840
Birth Place:	Medford, Massachusetts, U.S.
Death Place:	New York City, U.S.
Resting Place:	Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, New York
Occupation:	Businessman, art collector
Parents:	Nathaniel Holmes Bishop Mary Smith Farrar
Spouse:	Mary Cunningham
Children:	8
Relatives:	Darius Ogden Mills (brother-in-law)
Signature:	Signature of Heber Reginald Bishop (1840–1902).png

Heber Reginald Bishop (March 2, 1840 – December 10, 1902) was an 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. Bishop was a Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum in New York City during its early years.^[1]

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

Career

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,^[2] 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.

He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce of New York, a director of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Company, the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway 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. He was also a director and President of the Duluth & Iron Range Railroad and the Minnesota Iron Company.^[3]

In 1878, his mansion in Irvington on the Hudson River burned down.^[4] The building had a front of about 175 feet and was erected in 1863 by his father-in-law.^[4]

Collections

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.^[5]

Jade Collection Catalog

An enormous catalog in two volumes, entitled Investigations and Studies in Jade, was made of the collection. The catalog, edited by Dr. Robert Lilley^[6] and assisted by R. W. Douglas,^[7] 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. Each set cost $1,800 to produce.

Contributors to the book included Dr. George Frederick Kunz, Dr. Stephen Wootton Bushell, Dr. William Hallock, Dr. Samuel Lewis Penfield, Professor Frank Wigglesworth Clarke, Logan Waller Page, Dr. Charles Palache, Dr. Henry Stephens Washington, Dr Joseph Edkins, Mrs. Zelia Nuttall, Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, Ernst Weinschenk, and Tadamasa Hayashi.^[8]

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."

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 (pp. 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.^[9]

In 2000, an eBay user attempted to fraudulently auction set #100 which was in the possession of The Philadelphia Rare Books and Manuscripts Company.^[10] The same set was sold at auction by Christie's in November 2007 for HKD 3,487,500.^[11]

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.^[12]

Personal life

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.^[13] 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.^[14]

Together, Heber and Mary had eight children:^{[15] [16]}

• Mary Cunningham Bishop (1864–1948), who died unmarried.^[17]
• Elizabeth Templeton Bishop (1865–1934), who married James Low Harriman (1856–1928), eldest son of Oliver Harriman^[18]
• Harriet Arnold Bishop (1866–1931), who married James Franklin Doughty Lanier (1858–1928), grandson of James Lanier.^[19]
• Heber Reginald Bishop Jr. (1868–1923),^[20] who married Mabel Wolverton Sard (1871–1923), who was previously married to Arthur Amory Jr. (1867–1898)
• James Cunningham Bishop (1870–1932), who married Abigail Adams Hancock (1872–1949), niece of Winfield Scott Hancock, and had five daughters.^{[21] [22]}
• Francis Cunningham Bishop (1872–1927),^[23] who married Gertrude Sophia Pell (d. 1953) in 1906,^[24] and had three sons.^[25]
• Edith Bishop (1874–1959),^[26] who married Moses Taylor V (1871–1928), grandson of Moses Taylor, in 1896.^[27] After his death, she married George James Guthrie Nicholson (1871–1950).^[28]
• Ogden Mills Bishop (1878–1955)^[29]

Bishop died on December 10, 1902, at his residence, 881 Fifth Avenue, after a long illness.^[30] Bishop, his wife, and several of their children are interred in the Bishop mausoleum at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, New York. 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.^[30]

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

References

Notes

Sources

• American Art Association. 1919. Antique Chinese porcelains, European ceramics, bronzes, Tiffany glass, "Salmagundi mugs" and Eklinton and Christofle reproductions.
• American Art Association. 1919. Catalogue of antique Chinese porcelains, European ceramics, bronzes, Tiffany glass, "Salmagundi mugs," bronzes, bric-a-brac and many Elkington and Christofle reproductions of antiques and armor in notable European museums. New York: American Art Association.
• Anderson Galleries, Inc. 1920. Furniture, rugs & art objects; including several pieces from the Heber R. Bishop sale. New York: Anderson Galleries.
• Anderson Galleries, Inc. 1911. Oriental porcelains, bronzes and other objects of art from the collection of the late Heber R. Bishop of New York City. New York: Anderson Auction Company.
• Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.). 1937. A private view for members of the Museum & their friends of a special exhibition of Italian renaissance prints and illustrated books: and of a new installation of the Heber R. Bishop collection of jade ... December 21, 1937. New York: The Museum press.
• Anderson Galleries, Inc. 1920. Furniture, rugs and art objects removed from the residence of Miss M.C. Bishop of New York City: ... several pieces from the Heber R. Bishop sale. New York: The Galleries.
• Kunz, George Frederick. 1903. Heber Reginald Bishop and his jade collection. Lancaster, Pa: The New era printing Company.
• Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.). 1902. The Heber R. Bishop collection of jade and other hard stones. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
• Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), and Bishop Collection. 1909. Heber R. Bishop collection of jade and other hard stones. New York : Metropolitan Museum of Art.
• American Art Association, and Thomas E. Kirby. 1906. The art collection formed by the late Heber R. Bishop. New York: American Art Association.
• Bishop, Heber R., and Thomas E. Kirby. 1906. De luxe catalogue of the art collection formed by the late Heber R. Bishop, New York. New York: The American art Association [Press of J.J. Little & Co.].
• Kunz, George Frederick, and Heber R. Bishop. 1906. The printed catalogue of the Heber R. Bishop collection of jade. New York: Gilliss Press.
• Bishop, Heber R. 1911. Oriental porcelains, bronzes and other objects of art from the collection of the late Heber R. Bishop; and paintings by American and foreign artists from the Bishop and other collections by Diaz and others, to be sold at the Anderson Art Galleries April 12, 1911. New York: The Anderson Auction Co.
• Bishop Collection, and Heber R. Bishop. 1900. The Heber R. Bishop collection of jade and other hard stones. [New York]: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
• Bishop Collection, Heber R. Bishop, George Frederick Kunz, Stephen W. Bushell, Robert Lilley, and Tadamasa Hayashi. 1906. The Bishop collection. Investigations and studies in jade. New York: Priv. Print. [The De Vinne Press]. OCLC: 14097767.
• Bishop, Heber R. 1893. Loan exhibition 1893: descriptive catalogue of works in bronze and iron loaned from the collection of Mr. Heber R. Bishop. New York: National Academy of Design.
• Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.). 1900. The Heber R. Bishop collection of jade and other hard stones. [New York]: The Museum.
• American Art Association. 1906. Catalogue of the art collection formed by the late Heber R. Bishop, New York. New York: The Association.
• Art, Metropolitan Museum Of. 2013. Heber r. bishop collection. [S.l.]: Book On Demand Ltd.

External links

• • The Bishop Collection: Investigations and Studies in Jade - Preliminary Edition (1900); Printed by the Mershon Company Press
• Investigations and Studies in Jade - Volume 1 (1906) Edited by Dr. Robert Lilley, New York; Privately Printed by the De Vinne Press
• Investigations and Studies in Jade - Volume 2 (1906) Edited by Dr. Robert Lilley, New York; Privately Printed by the De Vinne Press

Notes and References

1. Web site: A Passion for Jade The Heber Bishop Collection.
2. News: Cunningham Castle Burned.; Owner Was Perfecting Plans to Put Old House in Shape for Occupancy. . 2023-08-23 . . 6 January 1901 . 17 . Terrytown, New York . 1901-01-05 . Newspapers.com.
3. Book: The Engineering and Mining Journal. . 19 November 1887 . 380 . McGraw Hill Publishing Company . Google Books .
4. News: 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. . 2023-08-23 . . 16 April 1878 . 5 . Newspapers.com.
5. News: Mr. Bishop's Jade Collection. . 2023-08-23 . . 8 August 1902 . 9 . Newspapers.com.
6. Book: Kunz . George Frederick . The Printed Catalogue of the Heber R. Bishop Collection of Jade . May 1906 . May 4, 2020.
7. Hood . Robert Allison . Mr. R. W. Douglas, Vancouver City Librarian . The British Columbia Monthly . November 1920 . 15 . Vancouver, British Columbia.
8. "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.
9. 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.
10. Web site: Buffington . Cynthia Davis . Adventures in Bookselling: www.FRAUD!! . prbm.com.
11. Web site: Sale 2389: Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art . christies.com . May 4, 2020.
12. Kunz, George F. "Heber Reginald Bishop and his Jade Collection". American Anthropologist. New Series, Volume #5, January–March 1903. Page 116.
13. Book: Carson. Samuel. The Overland Monthly, Vol. LXVIII. 1917. Samuel Carson. 24 April 2017. en.
14. News: 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 . 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. ... . . January 29, 1929 . 2013-12-18 . 8 . subscription.
15. Book: Cutter. William Richard. 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. 1913. Lewis historical publishing Company. 758. 20 July 2017. en.
16. Book: The Successful American. 1903. Press Biographical Company. 565. 20 July 2017. en.
17. News: Miss Mary C. Bishop . 20 July 2017 . . 4 February 1948 . 24 . subscription.
18. News: 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. . 20 July 2017 . . 6 March 1934 . 23 . subscription.
19. News: 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. . 20 July 2017 . . 4 November 1931 . 21 . subscription.
20. News: Obituary  - Bishop . 2023-08-23 . . 17 February 1923 . 13 . Internet Archive.
21. News: Banker's Ex-Wife Sues to Obtain Her Alimony; Mrs. Abigail H. Bishop Asks Court to Sequestrate Trust Fund Left to Former Husband. . 2023-08-23 . . 18 September 1921 . 7 . Newspapers.com.
22. News: 2 June 1932 . James C. Bishop Dies at Philadelphia Home; Body of Utility Official Is Found by Employee at Wheel of His Car in Garage. . . 20 July 2017 . 21 . subscription.
23. News: Francis C. Bishop Dead.; Member of Old New York Family Dies at His Country Home. . 2023-08-23 . . 3 September 1927 . 15 . Internet Archive.
24. News: H. R. Bishop's Son to Wed.; Engagement of Francis C. Bishop to Miss Gertrude Pell Announced. . 2023-08-23 . . 30 December 1905 . 9 . Newspapers.com.
25. News: Mrs. Francis C. Bishop . 20 July 2017 . . 15 October 1953 . 33 . subscription.
26. News: 9 January 1959 . Mrs. Nicholson, 84, Financier's Widow . . 20 July 2017 . 25 . subscription.
27. News: Society Wedding in Newport.; The Marriage of Moses Taylor to Edith Bishop Solemnized Yesterday. . 2023-08-23 . . 20 August 1896 . 1896-08-19 . Newport, Rhode Island . 3 . Newspapers.com.
28. News: 26 December 1950 . G. J. G. Nicholson, Industrialist, 79; Retired President of Alabama Coal Concerns and Former Wyoming Rancher Dies . . 20 July 2017 . 20 . subscription.
29. News: Ogden Mills Bishop . 20 July 2017 . . September 23, 1955 . en . 26 . subscription.
30. News: Death of Heber R. Bishop; He Was Interested in Management of Many Important Corporations . 2023-08-23 . . 11 December 1902 . 9 . Newspapers.com.
31. News: 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. . 2023-08-23 . . December 18, 1902 . 9 . Newspapers.com.
32. News: 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. . 2023-08-23 . . February 10, 1915 . 13 . Newspapers.com.
33. Book: Nicholls. Charles Wilbur de Lyon. The Ultra-fashionable Peerage of America: An Official List of Those People who Can Properly be Called Ultra-fashionable in the United States. 1904. G. Harjes. July 20, 2017. en.
34. Web site: Marrakesh: where Churchill and Roosevelt played hookey. Con Coughlin. 9 April 2013. The Telegraph.
35. News: 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. . 2023-08-23 . . January 29, 1898 . 7 . Newspapers.com.
36. Web site: New-York Historical Society - The Daughters of Heber Reginald Bishop (Elizabeth, Harriet, Mary, and Edith).
37. News: To be Prince of Wales's Host.; Heber R. Bishop Will Be Visited by His Royal Highness at Houghton. . 10 December 1899 . 1899-12-09 . . London . 7 . 2023-08-23 . Newspapers.com.