Mr Francis Davis Millet, 65, was born on 3 November 1846 in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts.
Accompanying his surgeon father to the Civil War, Millet served as a drummer boy to a Massachusetts regiment and later served as a surgical assistant. A brilliant student at Harvard, he became a reporter, then city editor, of the Boston Courier. From a pastime of lithography and portraiture of friends, he decided to devote himself to art. Entering the Royal Academy of Fine Arts at Antwerp, Belgium, he won an unprecedented silver medal in his first year and a gold medal in the second. A constant traveller, Millet kept his newspaper contacts open, and during the Russian-Turkish War he represented with distinction several American and English newspapers. He was decorated by Russia and Rumania for bravery under fire and services to the wounded. Millet's literary talents led him to publish accounts of his travels and, besides writing short stories and essays, he translated Tolstoy's Sebastopol.
Millet's work as a decorative artist includes the murals of the Baltimore Customs House, Trinity Church of Boston, and the Capitol Buildings of Wisconsin and Minnesota. His paintings are found in the Metropolitan Museum, New York City, and the Tate Gallery, London (see illustration above). In addition, his administrative skills, won him acclaim as superintendent of decoration at the World's Colombian Exhibition in Chicago (1893), and as organizer of the American Federation of the Arts for the National Academy. At a memorial for Millet in 1913, Senator Elihu Root said:
"He must have been born with a sense of the beautiful and a love for it, for he devoted his life to it....He was one of the most unassuming and unselfish of men....He was a man of great strength and force, decision and executive capacity....He always pressed on to the accomplishment of his purposes, purposes in which self was always subordinate...."
In 1912 Millet resided in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts. He boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg as a first class passenger (ticket number 13509, £26 11s) He occupied cabin E-38. He accompanied his friend Major Archibald Butt.
While on board the Titanic Millet wrote to a friend, the letter, which was posted in Queenstown. In the letter he complains about his fellow passengers:
Queer lot of people on the ship. There are a number of obnoxious, ostentatious American women, the scourge of any place they infest and worse on shipboard than anywhere".
He also observed a number of passengers that had brought their pets with them:
"Many of them carry tiny dogs, and lead husbands around like pet lambs."
Millet died in the sinking, his body was recovered from the sea by the crew of the MacKay Bennett (#249):
CLOTHING - Light overcoat; black pants; grey jacket; evening dress
EFFECTS - Gold watch and chain; "F.D.M." on watch; glasses; two gold studs; silver tablet bottle; £2 10s in gold; 8s in silver; pocketbook
NAME - FRANK D. MILLET (?)
The body was forwarded to Boston and buried at East Bridgwater Central Cemetery.
Courtesy of Michael A. Findlay, USA
Mr Millet's story was told in a limited edition biography published privately by Joyce Sharpey-Schafer: "Soldier of Fortune: F.D. Millet," (The volume is now out-of-print.)
In additionl to his gravee at East Bridgwater, Central Cemetery in Massachusetts, there are Lych Gates in his memory at Broadway Churchyard, Worcestershire and a water fountain in memory of Archibald Butt and Mr. Frank Millet is located close to the south portico of the White House, Washington, DC.
Here are URLs for images of paintings and other works by Francis David Millet: painting, "The Window Seat" (1893)- painting, "Between Two Fires" (date ?)- photo, Frank Millet in 1893 photo, Panama Canal Completion Medal by Millet (1914)- photo, General Warren stained glass window at Memorial Hall, Harvard University, by Millet for Tiffany (date?)- photo, World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 prize boat named the "F.D. Millet" - painting, "F.D. Millet House and Garden" by Sargeant (date?)- Mark Twain painted by Frank Millet. Mark Twain...
This is a wonderful portrait. I'd read Twain was painted by Millet but had never seen it. I should have known it would be in Hannibal!
National Portrait Gallery link to Francis Davis Millet bio & portrait as young man: [ATTACH...
The Lipkin link is absolutely BRILLIANT in layout and content- drop everything this instant and GO there! I love his quote about ostentatious women with little dogs leading husbands around like pet lambs aboard Titanic. Also was charmed with his painting "Wandering Thoughts"- I can identify -being one of the pew-warmer set! Thanks for all those luscious links.
Frank Millet excelled in two fields, first as a journalist and war correspondent, later as an artist. His preferred subject was people, usually in groups, and his preferred style was one of almost photographic precision rather than impressionism, as seen in this example. He was well known as an artist in his own time and remains so. I daresay that most people who admire his work have no idea how he died, and would admire it no less if he'd passed away peacefully in his own bed. Ask an average member of the public to name an artist who was lost on the Titanic and the only name they will...
wow he was good ! Can you get glossy books of his work - is he in that class of being known ?
Well, he's not up there with the likes of Van Gogh and Rembrandt, and painting of this kind is much less fashionable these days when abstract and impressionist works are most in demand. Millet's paintings are on display in National collections like the Tate Gallery and the Metropolitan in New York, and you might find a pic or two in a glossy art history, but I doubt there are any books devoted solely to his work. If you want the real thing, you'd certainly need to pay at least a five-figure price. Well within the budget of a man of means like yourself, Miles, and don't forget that with...
> [I did quite a story about Frank Millet for T.I Some years ago. He amongs't other thing basica;;y invented Air Brushing back during the Chicago Worlds Fair. He also worked with LeFarge for the Trinity Church in Boston. His murals are still around in some Post Offices and State Government Buildings. If anyone is ever in East Bridgewater Mass, the Library there has a huge painting of his and all kinds of research materials. I had the pleasure of interviewing some of his realtives who had some of his paintings in the house but were not signed. I also was lucky enough to get to Broadway in the...
Millet was very skilful. He was especially good at depicting fabrics and loved to paint women wearing long, full skirts with many folds. However, I'm sorry to say that he was one of the chocolate box school of painters. He painted things that were popularly considered 'arty' and they are almost always drawn from times other than his own. His A Difficult Duet depicts musicians of Mozart's time and his well-known Between Two Fires is a 17th century scene. He's really a pretty minor figure. Quite a number of his paintings are online, so judge for yourselves.
Try contacting ArtPrintCollection.com. While they do not currently offer Frank Millet's paintings, if you ask them to find some, they will go out of their way to do it. I wouldn't mention his connection to Titanic, unless you want them to raise the price of the print. Kyrila
To Miles, No, I was not smoking dope at the time and I do not like the inference you make - that was both crass and uncalled for. Brian
Brian, at least Miles didn't call you an Accordian Player (ref. AC). I have found quite a bit of sidebar wise cracks on this forum some even from the "administrators" so your not alone.
wise cracks aside, the comment made was downright rude.
It's a good idea to avoid jokes like that when you're not familiar with your interlocutor - even when meant without any malice, the humour is not always appreciated. A good deal of banter goes on with the board, but sometimes offence - even unintentional - can be caused. I tend to agree with Dave G and Bob's assesment - there's certainly skill in his work and it is pleasant and decorative, but he's not in the forefront of innovative painters. His work reminds me quite a bit of Millais' later, post Pre-Raphaelite works...accomplished and commercially successful. If not exactly challenging...