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This large weathervane is an exceptional example of its type. Everything about it -- the detail of the scowling face, the plump body overwhelming the poor, small chair, the tall hat, the pint he is drinking, and especially the surface patina (and bullet holes) -- speaks to its quality as an artwork and artifact. Father Knickerbocker used to sit atop the barn of Edward Severin Clark’s Fenimore Farm, the property that became The Farmers’ Museum in the 1940s and was renamed Fenimore Farm in 2024.
The conservation of Father Knickerbocker was made possible by the NYSCA/GHHN Conservation Treatment Grant Program administered by Greater Hudson Heritage Network with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, with support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature
Artist
Unidentified Artist
(American)
Father Knickerbocker
Datec. 1820
MediumCopper
DimensionsOverall: 43 × 42 × 4 in. (109.2 × 106.7 × 10.2 cm)
Object numberF0048.1978
Credit LineCollection of Fenimore Farm. Gift of Stephen C. Clark
Photograph by Richard Walker
Label TextFather Knickerbocker was a fictional character named Diedrich Knickerbocker created by American author Washington Irving for his 1809 novel A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty. His image appeared everywhere in the 19th century: in cartoons and editorials, magazines and advertisements, even a weathervane that has a long history in Cooperstown. Knickerbocker went on to become a character that represented New York City much the way Uncle Sam represents the United States.This large weathervane is an exceptional example of its type. Everything about it -- the detail of the scowling face, the plump body overwhelming the poor, small chair, the tall hat, the pint he is drinking, and especially the surface patina (and bullet holes) -- speaks to its quality as an artwork and artifact. Father Knickerbocker used to sit atop the barn of Edward Severin Clark’s Fenimore Farm, the property that became The Farmers’ Museum in the 1940s and was renamed Fenimore Farm in 2024.
The conservation of Father Knickerbocker was made possible by the NYSCA/GHHN Conservation Treatment Grant Program administered by Greater Hudson Heritage Network with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, with support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature
On View
Not on view
c. 1885-1887
