Morgan, Charles H. (Charles Hill), 1902-1984

Educator, art historian; Amherst, Mass.

Born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1902, Charles Hill Morgan and earned his bachelor's, master's, and PhD from Harvard University. He left Harvard in 1928 to attend the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. After lecturing at Bryn Mawr College from 1929 to 1930, Morgan accepted an assistant professorship at Amherst and the opportunity to direct the construction of the new Mead Art Museum and the acquisition of its collection. Morgan served as director of the Mead Art Museum from its opening in 1949 to his retirement in 1969. The Amherst Fine Arts department grew during his career from one to eight faculty members. He also worked with Trinity College to establish and organize the Austin Center of Art in 1965-1966. Morgan's love of classical art was also expressed in his long-standing relationship with the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. He returned to the school in 1933 and 1952 as a professor and research fellow. Between 1936 and 1938 he directed both the school and the excavation of the Agora (a marketplace) of ancient Corinth. In 1935 he took over the work of Dr. Frederick O. Waagé to write a book, The Byzantine Pottery, a study of pottery found in Corinth; this book was published by Harvard University Press for the American School of Classical studies at Athens in 1942. Morgan served as an Air Intelligence officer in the European Theatre from 1942 to 1945. He was awarded the Allied Legion of Merit Award and the Belgian Croix de Guerre.

In 1965 Charles H. Morgan, professor of fine arts at Amherst College, published George Bellows, Painter of America, the first full-length biography of the well-known artist. A long-time admirer of Bellows' work, Professor Morgan was prompted to begin work on his biography in 1962 and spent three years gathering information from friends, relatives, and contemporaries of Bellows', as well as a number of institutions, in order to reconstruct the most complete portrait of the artist and his times as possible. Born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1902, Morgan and earned his bachelor's, master's, and PhD from Harvard. Morgan left Harvard in 1928 to attend the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. After lecturing at Bryn Mawr College from 1929-1930, Morgan accepted an assistant professorship at Amherst and the opportunity to direct the construction of the new Mead Art Museum and the acquisition of its collection. Morgan served as director of the Mead Art Museum from its opening in 1949 to his retirement in 1969. The Amherst Fine Arts department grew during his career from one to eight faculty members. He also worked with Trinity College to establish and organize the Austin Center of Art in 1965-66. Morgan's love of classical art was also expressed in his long-standing relationship with the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. He returned to the school in 1933 and 1952 as a professor and research fellow. Between 1936 and 1938 he directed both the school and the excavation of the Agora (a marketplace) of ancient Corinth. Morgan served as an Air Intelligence officer in the European Theatre from 1942 to 1945. He was awarded the Allied Legion of Merit Award and the Belgian Croix de Guerre.

Born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1902, Morgan and earned his bachelor's, master's, and PhD from Harvard. Morgan left Harvard in 1928 to attend the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. After lecturing at Bryn Mawr College from 1929-1930, Morgan accepted an assistant professorship at Amherst and the opportunity to direct the construction of the new Mead Art Museum and the acquisition of its collection. Morgan served as director of the Mead Art Museum from its opening in 1949 to his retirement in 1969. The Amherst Fine Arts department grew during his career from one to eight faculty members. He also worked with Trinity College to establish and organize the Austin Center of Art in 1965-66. Morgan's love of classical art was also expressed in his long-standing relationship with the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. He returned to the school in 1933 and 1952 as a professor and research fellow. Between 1936 and 1938 he directed both the school and the excavation of the Agora (a marketplace) of ancient Corinth. Morgan served as an Air Intelligence officer in the European Theatre from 1942 to 1945. He was awarded the Allied Legion of Merit Award and the Belgian Croix de Guerre.

Charles Hill Morgan, (1902-1984) was an educator and art historian from Amherst, Mass.

Born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1902, Charles Hill Morgan and earned his bachelor's, master's, and PhD from Harvard University. He left Harvard in 1928 to attend the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. After lecturing at Bryn Mawr College from 1929 to 1930, Morgan accepted an assistant professorship at Amherst and the opportunity to direct the construction of the new Mead Art Museum and the acquisition of its collection.

Morgan served as director of the Mead Art Museum from its opening in 1949 to his retirement in 1969. The Amherst Fine Arts department grew during his career from one to eight faculty members. He also worked with Trinity College to establish and organize the Austin Center of Art in 1965-1966.

Morgan's love of classical art was also expressed in his long-standing relationship with the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. He returned to the school in 1933 and 1952 as a professor and research fellow. Between 1936 and 1938 he directed both the school and the excavation of the Agora (a marketplace) of ancient Corinth. In 1935 he took over the work of Dr. Frederick O. Waage to write a book, The Byzantine Pottery, a study of pottery found in Corinth; this book was published by Harvard University Press for the American School of Classical studies at Athens in 1942.

Morgan's articles were published in the American Journal of Archaeology, the Hesperia, and The Archaelogike Ephemeris and numerous other professional journals. In addition to his work on Greek pottery, Morgan published biographies of George Belows (1965) and Michelangelo (1960) and a book on the development of the Art Collection at Amherst College (1972).

Morgan served as an Air Intelligence officer in the European Theatre from 1942 to 1945. He was awarded the Allied Legion of Merit Award and the Belgian Croix de Guerre.

In 1928 Morgan married Rev. Janet Barton, who later became deacon at Grace Episcopal Church. They had a son and two daughters, George S.B. Morgan, Audrey Leaf, and Prudence Eppich.

In 1965 Charles H. Morgan, professor of fine arts at Amherst College, published George Bellows: Painter of America, the first full-length biography of the well-known artist. Professor Morgan began work on his biography in 1962 and spent three years gathering information from Bellows' friends, relatives, and contemporaries, as well as from a number of institutions, in order to reconstruct the most complete portrait of the artist and his times as possible.

In 1973 Morgan followed up the biography with The Drawings of George Bellows (Alhambra, Calif.: Borden Publishing Co.; Master Draughtsman Series). Morgan wrote the introduction.

Born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1902, Charles Hill Morgan earned his bachelor's, master's, and PhD from Harvard University. He left Harvard in 1928 to attend the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. After lecturing at Bryn Mawr College from 1929-30, Morgan accepted an assistant professorship at Amherst College and the opportunity to direct the construction of the new Mead Art Museum and the acquisition of its collection.

Morgan served as director of the Mead Art Museum from its opening in 1949 to his retirement in 1969. The Amherst Fine Arts department grew during his career from one to eight faculty members. He also worked with Trinity College to establish and organize the Austin Center of Art in 1965-66.

Morgan's love of classical art was also expressed in his long-standing relationship with the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. He returned to the school in 1933 and 1952 as a professor and research fellow. Between 1936 and 1938 he directed both the school and the excavation of the Agora (a marketplace) of ancient Corinth.

Morgan served as an Air Intelligence officer in the European Theatre from 1942 to 1945. He was awarded the Allied Legion of Merit Award and the Belgian Croix de Guerre.

Morgan's articles were published in the American Journal of Archaeology, the Hesperia, The Archaelogike Ephemeris, and numerous other professional journals. In addition to his work on Bellows, Morgan published a biography of Michelangelo (1960) and a book on the development of the Art Collection at Amherst College.

In 1928 Morgan married the Rev. Janet Barton, who later became deacon at Grace Episcopal Church. They had a son and two daughters, George S.B. Morgan, Audrey Leaf, and Prudence Eppich. Morgan died in 1984.