Photo provided by the Arkell Museum
Canajoharie, New York, is a small town along the Mohawk River. The name is Mohawk for “the pot that washed itself,” a reference to a circular gorge just south of the town. In the late 19th century it became a manufacturing center, first for paper sacks, and then for food, as the home for Beech-Nut Foods from its founding in 1891 until the factory moved to nearby Amsterdam, NY in 2011.
Portrait of Bartlett Arkell by William Merritt Chase
Bartlett Arkell was one of the founders of Beech-Nut Foods, and served as it first president. His father, James, invented the first machine to make paper bags, building an industry of that made paper sacks for things like flour. Arkell Bartlett and three other men founded Beech-Nut as a meat packing company. Over the years its product line increased to include chewing gum, and, after developing a method to bottle and store food and guarantee its freshness, baby food.
Railroad Mile Marker shows distance to NYC in the village green
Arkell spent much of his life collecting artwork, mostly produced by artists of the United States. He especially loved the paintings of Winslow Homer and The Eight group of artists. As he got older, Bartlett decided that he wanted his collection to be made available to the people of Canajoharie, so he commissioned the building of a library, and included a gallery for his artwork. He also commissioned the painting of a copy of The Nighttwatch to be the centerpiece of this space.
Copy of The Nightwatch by Martin J. Korpershock
In 2007, the Arkell Museum opened an expansion of this single gallery into a full museum. The new building included added space for a permanent exhibition on the artwork of advertising, the history of Beech-Nut, and two galleries for temporary exhibits.
El Capitan by Albert Bierstadt
Provincetown by Childe Hassam
The Connoisseur by William Merritt Chase
On the Beach by Winslow Homer
In the Mohawk Valley by Walter L. Greene
Currently, there is a show of works from the museum’s permanent collection that were obtained with the help of the Macbeth Gallery in New York City (through Dec. 29, 2024). Bartlett Arkell worked closely with the Macbeth Gallery over several decades, identifying and buying what he felt were the finest pieces of American art available.
‘Roque by Paul Sample
Girl Arranging Her Hair by Abbott H. Thayer
The other gallery is is home to a show of works by Mary Michael Shelly. Shelly treats fun pieces of carved and painted wood. These works show off life in New York, especially on the farms that surround her home. (Through Sept 22, 2024).
Lilly, Lilly’s Calf, and Lilly’s Calf’s Calf
Leaders of the Flock, Mischief in the Wind
The Arkell Museum is home to a great collection of American art, and it worth planning a stop if you are passing through the center of New York.
Nuts and Bolts
Canajoharie is at exit 29 of the New York State Thruway (I-90), in-between Amsterdam and Utica, NY.
The museum is open T-F 10-5 Sa-Su 12-5.
Entrance fee is $9 for adults/ $6.50 for students and seniors/ free for children and veterans.
Very interesting article. Thank you for sharing this museum with readers.