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John H. McFadden and His Age: Cotton and Culture in Philadelphia Hardcover – July 6, 2021

by Richard Carreño (Author)

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John H. McFadden (1850–1921) was America’s “Cotton King,” 

overseeing a multimillion-dollar empire of cotton, from its

baling in Memphis to its immensely lucrative sales in Liverpool. In his native

 Philadelphia, he was the city’s undisputed “cultural czar.” In his spare time, he was

 a museum administrator and hospital trustee, a property developer

and a philanthropist, and he even financed an exploration of the Antarctic. 

Then McFadden got serious. His collection of English art, the largest of

 his age outside of the British realm, situated McFadden as a key player

 in the founding of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The John Howard 

McFadden Memorial Collection was offered as a tantalizing donation to

 the city of Philadelphia, with one major caveat: that a building must

be constructed to hold it. This provision ensured that the museum in 

progress would indeed open to the public.

Ranging from sweaty sales rooms in Memphis to posh sales offices in Liverpool, from the life of luxury and high culture in London to the domestic life of Philadelphia’s rich and privileged, this book explores McFadden’s world in fascinating detail.

\nohn H. McFadden and His Age, the first full-length biography of the Philadelphia cultural titan, adds McFadden’s often-forgotten name to the pantheon of great nineteenth-century art collectors.

\In every way, John H. McFadden was a “Proper Philadelphian "from his silk top hat and his ivory-handled walking stick to his mansion on Rittenhouse Square. But he was also among the most beguiling improper Philadelphians as well.

The PJ depends on reader support. Please help us by contributing financially to Philabooks@yahoo.com via PayPal, or by contributing editorial content via PhiladelphiaJunto@ymail.com.| Established 1976 Richard Carreño, Editor © MMXXIV WritersClearinghouse All Rights Reserved.