The renown artist, G.P. A. (George) Healy had an enduring friendship with his patron, Colonel Thorn. Not only did he paint many portraits of the family, but he had his "own room" in their Sixteenth St residence in the Flatiron district in Manhattan. They met on a voyage to Paris in 1831. From that first... Continue Reading →
Mary Jane Jauncey Thorn's (the second eldest daughter of Col. Thorn) courtship with Antoine Raymond Camille Varaigne du Bourg was marked by high drama and romance. According to various sources including a letter from Susanna Cooper wife of American writer James Fenimore Cooper, Antoine had been a frequent caller at the Thorn residence in Paris.... Continue Reading →
As you know, I'm particularly interested in Colonel Thorn's patronnage of the Arts. Being a writer (now especially in the age of Covid 19), I know how hard it is to maintain a creative career. So I'm fascinated by how culture is impacted by patrons enabling artists to survive. Horatio Greenough is remembered for a... Continue Reading →
Colonel Thorn's love affair with music had him dubbed one of the 'millionaire melomanists' (millionaire music lovers) for his involvement in having a statue built for Rossini when he was still alive. Below is lovely excerpt that discusses the debate over whether that was the right thing to do. Rossini
While researching this story, I never expected to discover how Jane and Etienne met. As a biographer, much of the narrative you construct is deduction or 'best guess' based on incomplete facts or hearsay. Occasionally though, you stumble on an anecdote that brings the elusive story vividly to life. I had this moment last night... Continue Reading →
I'd like to spend some time on Clotilde Barili and her doomed marriage to Alfred Thorn. She was a member of the famous Barili family and a step-sister to Adelina Patti, "the most celebrated soprano of the century." Both parents were musicians who spent their time between Italy, Paris and New York. Clotilde was commonly... Continue Reading →
You may have realised by now how much I love this kind of research. The interconnectdness of life and how it creates story - past and present! Yesterday, I had a lovely email from a researcher who is hoping to write a book about Susan and Anna Warner, her ancestors. These women were impoverished due... Continue Reading →
I was delighted to discover that Franz Liszt played at the Colonel's Rue de Varenne salon in a charity event to support a German orchestra who had toured Paris and fallen on hard times due to lack of attendance at their performances. Franz Liszt As you can see below, the event was organised by seven... Continue Reading →
Colonel Thorn is widely regarded as the founding father of the American Cathedral in Paris. Though he had left France by the time the church was being built, the whole concept and passion for the project came from the Episcopalian masses that he held at his residence. I visited the Cathedral in 2016 and the... Continue Reading →
As mentioned in a previous post, Colonel Thorn was a patron of Theodore Sedgewick Fay, editor of the New York Mirror. Fay's novel Norman Leslie was first published anonymously. However, the dedication to Thorn probably fuelled speculation as to who the author might be. In time, Fay was outed by Edgar Allen Poe in a... Continue Reading →
The Colonel and Mrs Thorn 
[…] Mr Maurer […]
I noticed that too..nicknames add even more color to the picture
Oh, yes I found the photo amd put it on the poat about the Thorn granchildren! From Jane's letters it…
I shared her portrait and her father James with you…James is the black framed portrait vs the giant gold framed…
Dear Jacqueline, I feel the same as you. It has brought so much to life. Jane is clearly very fond…