William Tilden Blodgett

William Tilden Blodgett (1823 – 4 November 1875) was a New York City art collector who was instrumental in founding the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

William T. Blodgett
Born1823
Died4 November 1875

He was active in the American Civil War and organized the NYC Union League Club and the Sanitary Fair to raise funds for the wounded. He founded the newspaper The Nation and was a leader in establishing the American Museum of Natural History. He was a founding member of the committee to form the Met in 1869 and was its first chairman. He had been on the selection committee for the American works to be presented at the French exhibition of 1867 and thus felt he knew enough to purchase pictures for the young museum while abroad in 1870.

He purchased a total of 174 pictures which he financed together with John Taylor Johnston and about half of this "1871 purchase" is still in the museum.[1]

These pictures are:

image title creator inception inventory number The Met url
 The Meeting of Alexander the Great and Diogenes Caspar de Crayer 71.1 MET
 A Vase with Flowers Jacob Vosmaer 71.5 MET
 A Vase of Flowers Margaretha Haverman 1716 71.6 MET
 The Holy Family with Saint Anne and the Young Baptist and His Parents Jacob Jordaens 71.11 MET
 The Yard of the Inn at Emmaus David Ryckaert 71.12 MET
 Rustic Interior David Ryckaert 71.13 MET
 A Cat Stealing Fish Giuseppe Recco 71.17 MET
 Vanitas Still Life Evert Collier 1662 71.19 MET
 Battle Scene Johannes Lingelbach 1671 71.23 MET
 The Sacrifice of Isaac Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo 71.28 MET
 Interior of Saint Peter's, Rome Giovanni Paolo Panini 71.31 MET
 Group Portrait: A Wedding Celebration Gillis van Tilborgh 71.32 MET
 Saint Remigius Replenishing the Barrel of Wine; (interior) Saint Remigius and the Burning Wheat Swiss Painter 1500 71.33ab MET
 Portrait of a Woman Bernhard Strigel 71.34 MET
 Jacob Willemsz. van Veen (1456–1535), the Artist's Father Maarten van Heemskerck 1532 71.36 MET
 Saint Agapitus of Praeneste in the Arena; (interior) The Beheading of Saint Agapitus of Praeneste Swiss Painter 1500 71.40ab MET
 Saint Rosalie Interceding for the Plague-stricken of Palermo Anthony van Dyck 1624 71.41 MET
 A Basket and Birds Jan Fyt 71.43 MET
 A Hare and Birds Jan Fyt 71.44 MET
 A Partridge and Small Game Birds Jan Fyt 71.45 MET
 Portrait of a Young Woman Cornelis de Vos 71.46 MET
 Interior of a Gothic Church at Night Pieter Neeffs II 71.50 MET
 Midas Washing at the Source of the Pactolus Nicolas Poussin 71.56 MET
 Ducks Resting in Sunshine Jean-Baptiste Oudry 1753 71.57 MET
 The Farrier Aert van der Neer 71.60 MET
 View of Haarlem and the Haarlemmer Meer Jan van Goyen 1646 71.62 MET
 Portrait of a Man Abraham de Vries 1643 71.63 MET
 Interior of a Kitchen Willem Kalf 71.69 MET
 Portrait of Johan Hulshout (1623–1687) Pieter Cornelisz van Slingelandt 1670 71.70 MET
 Portrait of a Man Bartholomeus van der Helst 1647 71.73 MET
 Drawing the Eel Salomon van Ruysdael 71.75 MET
 Malle Babbe Style of Frans Hals 1700s 71.76 MET
 Still Life with a Glass and Oysters Jan Davidsz. de Heem 71.78 MET
 Beggars at a Doorway Master of the Béguins 1700s 71.80 MET
 Man in Armor (Mars?) Style of Rembrandt 1700s 71.84 MET
 Dog Guarding Dead Game Jean-Baptiste Oudry 1753 71.89 MET
 Study Head of a Woman Jean-Baptiste Greuze 71.91 MET
 The Forge Léonard Defrance 71.93 MET
 A Cavalry Engagement Adam Frans van der Meulen 71.96 MET
 Marine Salomon van Ruysdael 1650 71.98 MET
 Peasants Dancing and Feasting David Teniers the Younger 1660 71.99 MET
 The Adoration of the Magi Copy after Hugo van der Goes 1500s 71.100 MET
 The Rope Dance Léonard Defrance 71.105 MET
 A Banquet Dirck Hals 1628 71.108 MET
 The Spinner Quirijn van Brekelenkam 1653 71.110 MET
 The Pigeon House Roelof Jansz van Vries 71.116 MET
 Pomegranates and Other Fruit in a Landscape Abraham Brueghel 71.118 MET
 The Grand Canal above the Rialto Francesco Guardi 71.119 MET
 Santa Maria della Salute Francesco Guardi 71.120 MET
 The Investiture of Bishop Harold as Duke of Franconia Giovanni Battista Tiepolo 71.121 MET
 Peasants Dancing Johannes Lingelbach 1651 71.123 MET
 Rest Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem 1644 71.125 MET
 Johann I (1468–1532), the Constant, Elector of Saxony Workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder 1532 71.128 MET
 View of the Town of Alkmaar Salomon van Ruysdael 71.135 MET
 Surprised, or Infidelity Found Out Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich 71.142 MET
 The Calling of Matthew Workshop of Jan Sanders van Hemessen 1600s 71.155 MET
 The Mourning Virgin; The Man of Sorrows Copy after Dieric Bouts 1600s 71.156–57 MET
 The Newborn Baby Matthijs Naiveu 1675 71.160 MET
 The Adoration of the Shepherds Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich 71.162 MET
 Abraham's Parting from the Family of Lot Jan Victors 71.170 MET


References
  1. Today in MET History, museum blog in 2011
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