Browse Items (11 total)

To the right of the entrance to the Sutton Room is a portrait of Fitch Poole (1803-1873), the first Librarian of the Peabody Institute. He was one of the founders of the South Danvers Lyceum, begun in 1828 and the Danvers Mechanic Institute in 1841.…

Continuing onto the first floor elevator lobby, in the space to the left of the elevator is the George Peabody Portrait. The painting was restored with funds from the Community Preservation Act and the Peabody Institute Library Foundation.

This…

In the Trustee’s Room is our next work of art, Portrait of Gideon Foster by Charles Osgood (1809-1891). Charles Osgood was born in Salem and became a well known portrait artist. His most famous work is a portrait of Nathaniel Hawthorne, which is now…

At the rear of the First Floor Lobby, we come to one of the Library’s most prized works of art, the Portrait of Queen Victoria. When George Peabody donated over $2 million to create housing for the poor of London, Queen Victoria wished to find a way…

Just behind the Information Desk is the painting, "South Danvers in 1828." Until recently, this work was attributed to Gideon Foster Jr. (1782-1865). However, there is indication that the artist was Nathan Lakeman Sr.. (1804-1835) who was a member of…

To the left of the Information Desk is Emile Gruppe’s painting, "Hauling the Nets". Like many of his other paintings, there are many works by Gruppe with this title. In addition to capturing the same scene from different angles, Gruppe was drawn to…

Positioned over the microfilm case located just beyond the Circulation Desk is Gruppe’s painting, "Distress". His years in Gloucester gave Gruppe a vivid awareness of the dangers the local fishermen faced. In the years between his arrival in…

Continue just through the doors into the first floor lobby. Immediately to your right, hanging behind the Circulation Desk in the Assistant Director’s Office, is Emile Gruppe’s Gloucester Morning. Gruppe was born in Rochester, New York in 1896. His…

As you enter the library’s foyer, notice the stencils decorating the upper corners of the doorway leading into the circulation area. During the first floor renovation in 2011, ceiling stencils used over a century before were found in what is…

Welcome to the Peabody Institute Library, one of the first free libraries in the nation.

In 1852, George Peabody, who was born just a mile down Washington Street, donated $10,000 for the creation of the first Peabody Institute. By the time of his…