Vose Galleries in the 1890s: The Debut of R. C. Vose

Robert C. Vose (1873-1964)

Like his father Seth, Robert C. Vose (1873-1964) possessed the energy and entrepreneurial spirit necessary to run a successful business. During the next sixty-seven years, Robert was to steer the once provincial gallery into a position of national prominence. Also like his father, Robert would be remembered as one of the greatest American art dealers of his era.

Letter from William T. Richards to S. M. Vose, Dec. 23, 1879

There was little doubt about what Robert would do with his life. At age ten he had a small desk in the corner of his father's famous gallery in Providence, and the lure of the art world was soon to prove irresistible. After graduating from Brown University in 1896, he set sail for Europe, where he toured all of the great museums and galleries. Upon returning to Boston in 1897, the young enthusiast opened a gallery under his own name at 320 Boylston Street, and found immediate success in showing paintings by George Inness, William Bradford, George L. Brown, Alfred T. Bricher and William Trost Richards - artists who had also brought success to his father.