Oils and water colors selected from the works of William S. Haseltine, Class of 1858, will be seen in a special exhibition in the Balcony Room of the Fogg Museum, opening on Monday, November 16th, and running through Saturday, November 28th.

Decorated Doors

Haseltine early showed his artistic aspirations when, as an undergraduate, he decorated the walls and doors if his room in Stoughton 25. These paintings became one of the traditions of the building for many generations of students until it disappeared in a later renovation.

Last winter the work on the door was uncovered by restorers from the Fogg, somewhat in the manner of a repainted old masterpieces, and now resumes its former importance. The paintings cover the two middle panels, both done in dark colors, much in the manner of a gloomy mid-Victorian picture. The top panel shows a bird, akin to a seagull, in the process of swallowing a fish, while the bottom one depicts a turtle resting on a half-submerged log.

Studied in Europe

After his graduation from Harvard, Haseltine went to Europe to study in the then famous Dusseldorf School in Germany. He became primarily a landscape painter, finding his subjects in Italy and elsewhere. These works have been exhibited at the Centennial in Philadelphia and at the Academy in New York. Like many other American artists of his day, he settled in Rome and was active in founding the American Academy at Rome.

One of his sons, Herbert Haseltine, also came to Harvard graduating with the Class of 1899. This son, inheriting his father's gifts, is now perhaps the leading animal sculptor in America, his exhibition of "British Champion Animals" at the Fogg in 1934 gaining much attention. One of his works is still on exhibit in the Harvard Museum.