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34 ] A fter his year and a half in Austin’s orbit, Wheeler must have felt confident enough of his reputation, or perhaps sufficiently frustrated with the interpretation and execution of modes in that office, to establish his own practice. He had moved to Hartford by April 1849. With his residence at the American House, he opened an office in Janes’s Buildings on Main Street.1 Ironically, though only sparse documentation as to his stay in Hartford exists, we have it on his authority that this was among the busiest periods of his career. In June, Wheeler wrote to Upjohn to ask for his assistance in procuring a draftsman.2 Relations between the two men at this point are difficult to assess. Although Upjohn was surely tired of Wheeler’s interference in Brunswick, he had recently answered a letter from Wheeler with a “kind reply,” and Wheeler thanked him “for the good wishes contained in the concluding portion of . . . [your] letter which I sincerely appreciate.” Those good wishes, assuming they were real, would be taxed shortly. Upjohn had earlier referred Wheeler to a Mr. Jordan, who entered Wheeler’s office on a temporary engagement. With business “steadily increasing,” Wheeler found himself in need of permanent help. Two young men in his employ, apparently qualified only as copyists, could not meet the exigencies of the position of design assistant. Wheeler required someone he could rely upon to develop designs from his sketches; he was sufficiently busy and “called away so much that I can hardly settle down to anything myself in the way of drawing.” His known output during this time ranged from the publication of drawings to actual commissions, and one literary endeavor. The earliest known example of Wheeler’s written work appeared in a book for students of graphic art published in Hartford early in 1849. Entitled The Columbian Drawing Book, this volume, compiled by Charles Conrad Kuchel, comprises a series of lithographic copies of drawings by various artists with accompanying written “directions for the assistance of the student.” none of the plates is signed by Wheeler; the eloquent directions were his contribution to the work. The closing sentence evokes the pleasure and fulfillment to be derived by the student from the art of drawing: [L]et his eye, his heart, and his hand work together, and he will be repaid by the increased keenness of the one, the emotions of the other, and the skill of the third, for the time and thought he has bestowed. Hartford, Connecticut, 1849 H A R T F O R D , C O N N E C T I C U T [ 35 The work was well received, with reviews in several journals, including The Horticulturist and The Literary World.3 In each case it was recommended as a useful tool for the amateur who wanted to learn the essentials of drawing. Wheeler’s participation in the production may indicate a want of architectural commissions, and may have been in recognition of the benefits of self-promotion, even in a field peripheral to architecture. He wrote convincingly of his subject, in articulate and expressive prose. As his American career progressed, his ability to write would serve him well. As we have seen, the year 1849 also saw the publication of two residential designs by Wheeler in A. J. Downing’s journal The Horticulturist: in June, a design for a “Villa in the Tudor Style” (Figure 9), and in August, “An English Cottage” (after the Boody House in Brunswick).4 The date of each contribution, May 16 and April 2 respectively, suggests that Downing and Wheeler had established contact by the spring of that year. The business relationship between the two men would lead Wheeler to further opportunities for publication, but Downing, too, would eventually sour on the man. The inclusion of Wheeler’s work in a respected monthly magazine must have benefited his career. The Horticulturist had great appeal among country “gentlemen.” Articles dealt mainly with plants and landscaping, but as Downing espoused the picturesque integration of home and grounds, the magazine also providedaforumforarchitecturaldesign.A.J.Davis,architectofmanyresidences in the romantic mode of the period, had already collaborated with Downing to supply plans and elevations. Downing’s use of Wheeler’s works suggests that he appreciated the latter’s comfortable handling of the Picturesque. Grecian revival design still lingered in the hands of many architects, and the vocabulary of the Picturesque was only beginning to gain acceptance in America in the...

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