Sketches for the Angel Beside "Charity," Chapel of St. Bartholomew, New York

About this artwork

Research in Progress

Art Historical Context

Francis Augustus Lathrop's sketches from 1893 or 1894 capture an angel figure planned to stand beside a depiction of Charity in New York's Chapel of St. Bartholomew. Created by this American artist (1849–1909) during a period of ambitious church building and decoration, the drawings reveal the careful planning behind religious interiors meant to inspire faith through beauty and symbolism. These figure studies belong to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and illustrate how late-nineteenth-century artists prepared large-scale commissions. Charity, one of the traditional Christian virtues, would have appeared in an allegorical grouping typical of the era's ecclesiastical art, blending narrative, emotion, and architectural harmony in a prominent urban chapel. Though the exact medium of the sketches is unknown, such preparatory works were vital for refining composition, gesture, and spatial relationships before execution. Lathrop's contribution reflects the broader American interest in elevating sacred spaces with thoughtfully designed imagery that connected worshippers to enduring spiritual themes.