PAINTING PROVENANCE
RESEARCH By the Green Bay & De Pere Antiquarian Society:
Sequence of Frederic G. Hall
Purchaser & Owner of Florentine Painting:
The Hospitality of St. Julian
By Cristofano Allori (1577-1621)

1.    Frederic George Hall was the youngest son born in 1864 to Mary and George Hall in Baraboo, Sauk County Wisconsin.  He had two brothers: Harry (Harold) D. Hall born in 1855 and Lincoln H. Hall born in 1861. He spent his boyhood in Baraboo.1

2.    As a young man he worked with his father in a Harvey eating house in Sparta, WI.

3.    Then operated dining cars on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Reading Railroad between La Crosse and Winona.

4.    Later he was in charge of Grafton excursion tours to Mexico City.

5.    He next entered the employment of the Harvey Company in dining car services on the Santa Fe Railroad system.

6.    He became the Harvey Company superintendent of the territory between Kansas City4 and Denver5.

7.    Before locating to Green Bay circa 1902 he was connected with a Washington DC hotel. (unknown name)

8.    Circa 1902,he secured a 10 year lease on the Beaumont House.  Frederic G. Hall lived on the property. He never married.

9.    In 1909, the painting was procured by Mr. Hall in New York at an auction. ”It had been handed down through generations in one family and about 1909 its owner died. The heirs desiring to close up the estate placed the family possessions in the hands of an auction house and everything was sold, including the painting. He brought it to Green Bay and lately began the work of tracing its history”. (GBPress Gazette 12/9/1911)The painting was hung in the vestibule.

10.    In 1909 Frederic G. Hall secured stock subscribers of local businessmen such as John Baum, Frank Hoberg, William Larsen, Fred Hurlbut, Frank E. Murphy, Jorgenson Blesch Company, W. Duncan, Hagemeister Realty.

11.    They purchased the site and building for $200,000.00 from Mr.& Mrs. Henry Bertram. They planned to replace it with a larger and grander building and rename it The Beaumont Hotel. By the completion of the project the investment was worth over $350,000. With the remodeling of the building, the painting was not exhibited to the public. It was probably hung in Hall’s private apartment on site.

12.    In 1911, Frederic C Hall allowed the painting to be exhibited in the State Historical Library Art section in Madison. “During 1911 Hall had several expert opinions upon the genuineness of the painting and all agreed that it is at least the work of a great old master.  It was suggested that it was done by Del Sarto but never confirmed”.
13.    “Mr. Hall had several invitations to place the painting on exhibition in some of the most noted art institutes in the country. He will send it to a Chicago Exhibition next February (1912)”.

14.     In 1912 Hall brought A. C. Witteborg from Chicago to manage the  hotel who later bought the Beaumont from the estate.

15.    On January 19th, 1915, upon advice from his physician, Dr. W. E. Fairfield took a trip to Jamaica and Haiti for health reasons.  His passport photograph is the only known existing picture of him. 
16.    On November 21, 1916 Frederic G. Hall died of heart failure at the age of 52 shortly after dinner at the Hotel.  His health had been failing for two years.

17.     His two brothers, Harry (Harold) D. Hall, Superior WI and Lincoln H. Hall, Denver Co. were named co executors of his will.

18.    It was Lincoln H. Hall, in April 1917 who gifted the painting from his brother’s estate to the Kellogg Library. The information provided to the Green Bay Press  Gazette newspaper by Lincoln Hall reads

   
Note:
When probating a will in the early 1900’s, it was not required to list an inventory of possessions. It appears that Hall (& others) believed the painting to be a Del Sarto and that Hall was unable to confirm the true identity of the painter through his personal research).6   However, the fact that the newspaper article of April  27,1917 mentions “and also to represent Hospitality, the most like meaning” suggests that someone must have identified the painting as Christofano Allori’s work but his name was never mentioned.

19.    His will provided for the life time care of his mother who passed away in 1925 at the age of 91. Harry H. Hall had two children who left no heirs. His brother Lincoln was married but did not have children.
20.     The trail goes cold on finding any descendents who may have had family photographs, mementos or “other old and valuable paintings and art treasures”.