Bancroft Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 23 (1970) Winner
Charles Coleman Sellers
チャールズ・コールマン・セラーズ
Charles Coleman Sellers
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1903-03-16 （Overbrook, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States）
- Died
- 1980-01-31 （Sydney, Australia） age 76
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Overbrook, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (birth) → Hebron, Connecticut (Tracey's Book Store, 1932–1938) → Middletown, Connecticut (Wesleyan University) → Carlisle, Pennsylvania (Dickinson College) → Winterthur, Delaware (Winterthur Museum affiliation) → Sydney, Australia (died while visiting)
Career
- Occupations
- historian, biographer, librarian
- Active Years
- 1927-1979
- Affiliations
- Wesleyan University, Dickinson College, Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, American Philosophical Society (research associate)
- Memberships
- American Philosophical Society, American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Dickinson chapter (president 1961–62), College Art Association
- Influenced By
- Charles Willson Peale (ancestor and subject of study), Waldron Phoenix Belknap Jr. (related through editorial work)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haverford College | — | — | BA | 1921–1925 | United States |
| Harvard University | — | — | MA | 1925–1926 | United States |
| Temple University | — | — | PhD | 1950s | United States |
Haverford College
Degree:
BA
Period:
1921–1925
Year of Graduation:
1925
Country:
United States
Harvard University
Degree:
MA
Period:
1925–1926
Year of Graduation:
1926
Country:
United States
Temple University
Degree:
PhD
Period:
1950s
Year of Graduation:
1957
Country:
United States
PhD awarded in 1957
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Bancroft Prize | Charles Willson Peale: A Biography | — | Columbia University | winner |
| 1979 | Honorary Doctor of Letters (Dickinson College) | — | — | Dickinson College | recipient |
| — | Honorary Doctor of Laws (Temple University) | — | — | Temple University | recipient |
Bancroft Prize
1970
Work:
Charles Willson Peale: A Biography
Organization:
Columbia University
Result:
winner
Honorary Doctor of Letters (Dickinson College)
1979
Organization:
Dickinson College
Result:
recipient
Honorary Doctor of Laws (Temple University)
Organization:
Temple University
Result:
recipient
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Charles Willson Peale: A Biography
1969 biography / art historyA detailed biography of American painter Charles Willson Peale, covering his artistic career, museum activities, and family history.
early American historyart historymuseum historyfamily legacy
Dickinson College: A History
1973 institutional history / historyA scholarly history of Dickinson College from its founding through modern times.
history of educationlocal history
Mr. Peale's Museum: Charles Willson Peale and the First Popular Museum of Natural Science and Art
1980 art history / museum studiesFocuses on Peale's museum and the culture of museums in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, discussing dissemination of natural science and art.
museum historypopular culturenatural history
Bibliography
- Lorenzo Dow: The Bearer of the Word (1928)
- Benedict Arnold: The Proud Warrior (1930)
- Theophilus the Battle-Axe: A History of the Lives and Adventures of Theophilus Ransom Gates and the Battle-Axes (1930)
- The Artist of the Revolution: The Early Life of Charles Willson Peale (1939)
- Portraits and Miniatures by Charles Willson Peale (1952)
- (Editor) Waldron Phoenix Belknap. American Colonial Painting (1959)
- Benjamin Franklin in Portraiture (1962)
- Charles Willson Peale: A Biography (1969)
- Dickinson College: A History (1973)
- Patience Wright: American Artist and Spy in George III's London (1976)
- Mr. Peale's Museum: Charles Willson Peale and the First Popular Museum of Natural Science and Art (1980)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- scholarly, archival-source oriented prosebiographical approach interwoven with art history and museum studies
- Recurring Motifs
- early American art and cultureportraiture and personal historiesformation and popularization of museums
Legacy
Charles C. Sellers made significant contributions to scholarship on Charles Willson Peale and early American art history. His biographies and editorial work advanced understanding of art and museum history, and his papers are preserved in major archives.
Academic Societies
- American Philosophical Society
- American Association of University Professors (AAUP)
- College Art Association
Archives
- American Philosophical Society (Charles Coleman Sellers collection)
- Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
- Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections (Sellers materials)
Trivia
- He was a great-grandson of Charles Willson Peale.
- From 1932 to 1938 he and his wife ran Tracey's Book Store in Hebron, Connecticut.
- Participated in amateur theater in the 1930s–40s and authored plays that were produced.
- Won the Bancroft Prize in 1970 for 'Charles Willson Peale: A Biography'.
- His papers are held by the American Philosophical Society and the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art.