1908 Nichols / Rummell View of the University of Vermont

A rare 1908 signed Harley D. Nichols photogravure view of the University of Vermont. The view bears some similarity to the work of Richard Rummell, to whom it is commonly and erroneously attributed, but this is wholly the work of Nichols.

A Closer Look

The view looks east on UVM over the University Green. Recognizable buildings include, at center, Williams Hall, flanked by Lafayette Hall on the right and Billings Library on the left. John Dewey Hall appears at far left. A stylish convertible roadster and well-dressed men and women populate the foreground - a distinctive divergence from Rummell's work which rarely includes people. The Green Mountains roll gently in the background.

University Views

Although this work is not by Rummell, both Nichols and Rummell share the same publishers, in this case Elson, and clearly collaborated. Nichols' name appears on other views, but the relationship with Rummell was never clearly understood. Rummell was an American landscape artist known for his drawings of American universities. At the turn of the century, Littig and Company commissioned Rummell, and apparently Nichols as well, to prepare watercolors of some of the nation's most prestigious colleges. From these watercolors, copperplates were engraved, and a limited number of photogravures and engravings were issued. Most of these university views are strikingly similar in style, revealing the entire campus in panoramic splendor. The views are uniformly issued from an altitude of about 300 feet, suggesting the artists most likely worked from balloons.

Publication History and Census

The view is signed by Nichols with a date of 1907, and a copyright date of 1908. This view is often erroneously attributed to Richard Rummell, given the shared publisher, Elson, and a clear similarity in style. However, Rummell's name appears nowhere on this work, or in any other example of the University of Vermont view, suggesting it is fully Nichols' work. As it lacks a title, this example is likely a proof. One of the rarer university views in the Rummell style.