Project Editor: Timothy Auten, History 470: Digital History, Spring 2008

Visual Arts

Artwork has helped to define societies and distinguish them from one another since the beginning of civilization. As society and industry was expanding in 1880s America, so was the variety of art available in the world. As part of this Gilded Age, American artists were becoming more and more popular, and not just in America. With such a widespread variety of art, it is very hard to distinguish between certain classes of art, but the upper-class Americans in this time tried to do precisely that (Schrock, 254). The style of art they attempted to promote was called 'high art,' and often had many roots in historical methods. It is hard to define what 'high art' was, exactly, but the rich of America wanted it, and wanted to be seen having it.

In the area of arts, UNL was particularly central to the entire state's artistic development, and in a very interesting way. Many drought years occurred in the late 1800s, and it was hard to even grow basic staple crops. Yet the University's horticulture department was booming, with many greenhouses overflowing with flowers. In a time of scarcity, floral arrangements like those presented during graduation provided particular enjoyment for the citizens of Lincoln and the entire state, giving them radiant color in a land of dust (Wetzel, 43). Since art was so hard to find elsewhere, many people looked to the university for their artistic needs.

Nebraska Commencement Invitation, c. 1887	Nebraska Commencement Concert Invitation, c. 1889	Nebraska Commencement Concert Invitation, c. 1900

These three images are copies of invitation covers sent out to those the graduates wanted to attend their ceremonies. While each image is very different, similarities can be seen in each image. The text portions of each image, even the limited third item, are designed to be reminiscent of older European calligraphy, with varying asymmetrical curves and irregular sizes. Each image also has a set of elegant scrollwork somewhere near the edges, reminiscent of the decorations found in illuminated manuals of the medieval age. What is harder to tell from the images but apparent when viewing the actual object is the nature of the invitations themselves. The gold scrollwork is actually embossed upon the paper, and probably made of wax, and the third image has similar embossment in its borders. Each of these images reflects the trends of complexity that is found in most 'high art' of the Gilded Age.