A Page from North Quabbin History: Gilman paintings on display

Carla Charter pf Phillpston.

Carla Charter pf Phillpston. Paul Franz

A painting of Fleetwood Farm, painted by James F. Gilman and once located in North Orange, is seen in the background. The girls who lived at the farm, Marjorie and Vera Drew, were unhappy with their depiction in Gilman's painting and wanted something next to it that looked more like them. They had their parents provide a photograph, which was later painted over, and is being held in the above photo by Libby and Ava Adams. It is unknown who took the photo of the girls or the artist who painted over it. Both the Gilman painting and the depiction of Marjorie and Vera Drew will be part of Satuday’s James F. Gilman Art Show at the Athol Historical Society.

A painting of Fleetwood Farm, painted by James F. Gilman and once located in North Orange, is seen in the background. The girls who lived at the farm, Marjorie and Vera Drew, were unhappy with their depiction in Gilman's painting and wanted something next to it that looked more like them. They had their parents provide a photograph, which was later painted over, and is being held in the above photo by Libby and Ava Adams. It is unknown who took the photo of the girls or the artist who painted over it. Both the Gilman painting and the depiction of Marjorie and Vera Drew will be part of Satuday’s James F. Gilman Art Show at the Athol Historical Society. PHOTO CREDIT/MICHAEL ADAMS—

Published: 09-19-2023 5:00 PM

By Carla Charter

James F. Gilman was an itinerant artist who traveled all over New England, including the Athol, Orange, New Salem, Gardner and Barre area as well as the lost towns of the Quabbin—Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott. Gilman’s paintings included homes and portraits of loved ones in exchange for room and board.

“That’s what I love about his work, especially in Athol. Even though these works are over 120 years old, in the views captured, you can still see the locations,” said Michael Adams, president of the Athol Historical Society. “He painted all different kinds of beautiful homes in all kinds of mediums. He saw the 19th century in the countryside of New England...He captures nature in no matter what medium—charcoal, oil, pastel and watercolor. He had a way of capturing trees and skies.

“His life was so vast. His life was so big in a way. He painted here for a while, then went to Vermont, then back to Massachusetts. He was well-known in the world of 19th century New England landscapes.”

Gilman worked with Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Church of Christ, Scientists, and illustrated her Christmas poem, “Christ and Christmas,” as well as creating a drawing of Eddy. He also became a member of the religion. Many of his paintings can be seen at the Longyear Museum, according to Adams, which explores the life of Mary Baker Eddy.

The Athol Historical Society will be hosting an exhibit of Gilman’s paintings this Saturday. The works will be displayed chronologically from his first to his last, which was the Lawton Tree Farm, once located on Townsend Road in Athol.

“In the first painting you can see he used a ruler and basically drafted this home—it is very rigid,” Adams said. “By the time of the last painting, it’s almost impressionistic, he uses pastels. In the beginning (his art was) rigid—in the end, it’s soft and painterly. It shows an artist’s talent evolving and changing.”

There are a number of his paintings in the permanent collection of the Athol Historical Society, Adams said.

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

“My grandmother, Polly Whipps, collected his work. She was one of the original James Gilman Art Show organizers in the 1970s...We have been acquiring new pieces, quite a few that have never been shown or documented. Now we have such a breadth of work, we feel it is important to exhibit,” he continued.

The show has been held every five years since the first show in the 1970s.

The Swift River Valley Historical Society has also loaned paintings to the Athol Historical Society that will be included in the art show. Among those works of art are several depicting New Salem Common.

“There are different seasons and different angles of the New Salem Common. It looks the same way it does now—it’s very interesting.” Adams stated.

The James F. Gilman Art Show will be held on Saturday, Sept. 23, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Carla Charter is a freelance writer from Phillipston. Her writing focuses on the history of the North Quabbin area. Contact her at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net.