NFAD control number: 27184
Record level: Listing
Record type: Private gallery
Private gallery name: John Jones Gillespie Company
Aka: J. J. Gillespie Company ; J. J. Gillespie & Company ; J.J. Gillespie Company
Founded: 1832
Closed / acquired: n/a
Location(s):
422 Wood Street | 1934 Forbes Street (1906- ), Pittsburgh, PA
6 Wood Street (1832- ), Pittsburgh, PA
About:
“In The Year 1831 John Jones Gillespie, A 17 Year Old Lad Who Was An Enthusiast For Opportunities That Lay “West Of The Mountains” Rode Over The Alleghenies From His Home In Milton, PA. He Secured A Job With Mr. Albree, The Owner Of A Novelty Shop At No. 6 Wood Street, Pittsburgh, PA. The Following Year Mr. Albree Decided To Return To Germany. In March Of 1832 The Young Gillespie Financed The Purchase Of The Shop Through His Friends And J.J. Gillespie Company Was Founded.
Mr. Gillespie Quickly Responded To The Needs Of The Times And Acquired Fine Stocks Of Belgian Glass And Mirrors. His Store Became A “Trading Post” For Fine Home Accessories. During The Early Days The Gallery Became The Headquarters For Local Painters.
The First Print Published West Of The Allegheny Mountains Was A Lithograph From The Painting “The Pioneers Defense” By Trevor McClung, A Pittsburgh Artist. It Was Engraved By August Wagner Of Pittsburgh And Published By J.J. Gillespie Company. Frame Making, Gilding, And Restorations Were Introduced In 1845 And The Name Gillespie Has Since Been Synonymous With The Finest Workmanship.
Connections Were Made With All The Leading New York And European Art Dealers, Which Brought To Pittsburgh The Finest Old Masters, Barbizon, English, And American Paintings. Great Art Accumulated, Including The Development And Promotion Of The Great Scalp Level Painters Of Western Pennsylvania. This Included Art By George Hetzel, The Wall Brothers, John Beatty, Joseph Woodwell, Jasper Lawman, And Others. All These Exhibits Were Directly Responsible For The Creation Of Art Spirit, Which Later Culminated In The Art Department Of Carnegie Institute In Pittsburgh.
At The Death Of Gillespie In July 1886, Mr. A.S. Wall And Mr. A.C. McCallam Continued Business Under The Same Name. This Was Followed By John E. Frazer And J. Hyett Who Kept The Business Operating For The First Hundred Years. Mr. Hyatt Continued Business In Association With J.J. Haushalter Until 1965. In 1965 Gordon J. Thomas, Followed By George Miller And Gary Evans. Current Owners, William And Sandra Castro, Purchased The Gallery In 1998 With Sandra Castro And The First Woman President Of The Gallery In 166 Years. The Gallery Currently Is 176 Years Old, The Oldest In America, And Continues The Tradition Of Fine Quality European And American Oil Paintings, Restoration, Framing, And Fine Home Accessories In The Pittsburgh Area.”
Citation: “J J Gillespie Gallery > History”. J. J. Gillespie Gallery website. Updated ca.2006. Accessed April 28, 2018. http://www.jjgillespiegallery.com/history.htm
ARTIST REPRESENTED
WORKS SHOWN
LIST OF EXHIBITIONS
DOCUMENT INFORMATION
Document permalink:
http://nationalfineartdatabase.designlifenetwork.com/galleries/?p=27184
Digital-born document number:
NFAD.2018.27184
Digital document provenance:
Original compiled and researched document by the National Fine Art Database, 266 West 21st Street, New York, NY 10011.
Document license:
Creative Commons Corporation shareAlike (sa) license. Some of the information contained within this document may hold further publication restrictions depending on final use. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine.
Image license:
The author of this artwork died more than 70 years ago. According to U.S. Copyright Law, copyright expires 70 years after the author’s death. In other countries, legislation may differ.
Record birth date:
April 28, 2018
[lastupdated]