A special exhibition at the Cape Ann Museum

On view July 7 – Oct. 28, 2018

Harrison Cady (1877–1970). Lane’s Cove, c.1930s. Oil on board. The James Collection.

GLOUCESTER, MASS. (June 2018) – View from the Headlands: Harrison Cady, a special exhibition of works by artist and illustrator Harrison Cady (1877-1970), will be on view July 7 through October 28 at the Cape Ann Museum.  An opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, July 7, free for Museum members or $10 nonmembers (includes Museum admission).

View from the Headlands will draw on public and private collections throughout the region with examples of Cady’s early magazine illustrations, his work with writer Thornton W. Burgess, and his later landscape paintings. The exhibition reflects the Cape Ann Museum’s commitment to preserving and presenting work that celebrates the area’s culture and history.

A native of Gardner, Massachusetts, Cady is best known for his collaboration with Thornton W. Burgess, author of numerous children’s bedtime stories. In 1910, their first book, Old Mother West Wind, introduced Americans to British author Beatrix Potter’s beloved character Peter Rabbit. In addition to Peter Rabbit, Cady illustrated other animated animal characters, including Chippy Chipmunk, Jerry Muskrat, and Reddy Fox, among others. Cady’s work with Burgess continued for the next 50 years.

Cady began his 70-year career as an illustrator with the “Brooklyn Eagle,” and later worked for numerous popular American publications, including “Life” magazine, “Ladies’ Home Journal,” the “Saturday Evening Post,” and “Good Housekeeping.” Cady illustrated and wrote a syndicated comic strip, “Peter Rabbit,” in the “New York Herald Tribune” for 28 years.

Cady was a frequent visitor to Rockport, Massachusetts and in 1920 he made it his permanent summer home, purchasing a seafront property known as “The Headlands.” With his studio, “the Silo,” located nearby, Cady shifted his focus to painting landscapes and harbor scenes. Cady was an early member of the Rockport Art Association, founded in 1921.

For more information about the exhibition and related programming, please visit the Museum’s website www.capeannmuseum.org.

The Cape Ann Museum has been in existence since the 1870s, working to preserve and celebrate the history and culture of the area and to keep it relevant to today’s audiences. Spanning 44,000 square feet, the Museum is one of the major cultural institutions on Boston’s North Shore welcoming more than 25,000 local, national and international visitors each year to its exhibitions and programs. In addition to fine art, the Museum’s collections include decorative art, textiles, artifacts from the maritime and granite industries, two historic homes and a sculpture park in the heart of downtown Gloucester. Visit capeannmuseum.org for details.

 The Museum is located at 27 Pleasant Street in Gloucester. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $12.00 adults, $10.00 Cape Ann residents, seniors and students. Youth (under 18) and Museum members are free. For more information please call: (978)283-0455 x10. Additional information can be found online at www.capeannmuseum.org.