Items from the

Special Collections

More than most private libraries, Redwood reflects the tastes and interests of its membership community through its collections. They have grown beyond the Original Collection of books through a combination of responses to membership interest and personal gifts of friends. Generous donations expanded the collections in the 1820s to include family portraits and other works of art, such as furniture, manuscripts, letters ... and of course, books.

Christian Banister and Her Son by Gilbert Stuart, ca. 1774

Paintings

Redwood never set out to acquire one of the finest collections of American art in the region, but its devoted friends and members have made this possible. The Library is home to a significant collection of 18th- and 19th-century works including six pieces by Gilbert Stuart, America's great early portrait painter. In addition, Robert Feke, another highly regarded Colonial portrait painter, is well represented. See also: List of Paintings

William Redwood by Gilbert Stuart, ca. 1774

The man most responsible for creating the painting collection was artist Charles Bird King. King made numerous gifts of paintings, both of his own and those that he had acquired. At his death in 1862, he made the Library his principal heir, bequeathing his library, his superb collection of engravings and 75 paintings. See also: The Scrapbooks of Charles Bird King.

b/w photograph of the original before restoration

Colonial Flag

Weathered and worn, the original flag, displayed in copy between the Reading Room and the Delivery Room, is the oldest flag known to have flown in the Rhode Island English colony. Legend says it was the flag on the boat meeting the ship in Newport Harbor which delivered King Charles II's Charter of 1663. Modern conservators have confirmed that its materials and manufacture date the time of the Charter. The banner turned up in the 1850s during repairs to a colonial house in Newport and made its way to the Redwood where it was discovered in 1936, hidden behind some shelves. Since 1994, a fine copy by quilt designer Deborah Timby has replaced the original on display. The original is preserved safely in the Library's vault.

Tallcase Clocks

Among the treasures from the furniture collection are two tallcase clocks - a William Claggett longcase built in Newport, RI, c. 1728 and a Goldsmith longcase c. 1870 built in London. The William Claggett clock is Redwood's most outstanding testament to the remarkable craftsmanship of Newport's Golden Age. Once owned by a seafaring family, this clock has a special dial that indicates the time of high tide. The black japanned case with its pastoral Chinoiserie figures and sarcophagus hood may also have been made in Newport.