De Vries, Ibarra & Co.

De Vries, Ibarra & Co.

Company type	Private
Industry	Art importation, Publishing
Founded	1 January 1864 (1864-01-01) in Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Founder	Guy Horvath De Vries and Mrs. De Vries
Defunct	1870 (1870)
Fate	Ownership acquired by Carl Schoenhof and Fanny Moeller; later became Schoenhof & Moeller
Headquarters	Boston , United States
Products	Fine art (paintings, engravings, bronzes), busts, statues, foreign language books, literary works, instructional manuals

De Vries, Ibarra & Co. (circa 1864–1870) functioned as importers of fine art including paintings, engravings, and bronzes, as well as publishers of busts and statues. They also handled the importation and publication of books in various foreign languages. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, their retail presence was initially situated in the Albion Hotel building on Beacon Street at the intersection with Tremont Street, later relocating to Tremont Street between West Street and Temple Place. The business was founded by Guy Horvath De Vries alongside Mrs. De Vries, with Carl Schoenhof, a staff member, acquiring ownership in 1870.

History

During the 1860s, De Vries, Ibarra & Co. released instructional manuals for foreign languages, reissued literary works by writers such as Hans Christian Andersen and Gustav zu Putlitz, as well as translations including Dante’s Inferno, alongside selected English titles. Their 1864 German-language series focused on young readers, featuring works like Prinzessin Ilse and art essays authored by Hermann Grimm, combining affordability with high-quality artistic printing. Around 1865, the firm expanded its operations by purchasing the book business of S.R. Urbino.

The De Vries Art Gallery showcased distinguished pieces such as T.S. Noble’s John Brown's Blessing (1867), Albert Bierstadt’s Mt. Vesuvius in Eruption (1868), and T. Buchanan Read’s Sheridan's Ride. The gallery earned acclaim for presenting works by prominent domestic and international artists, including Gustave Doré’s Midsummer, Antonio Cortez’s winter landscape, and Ann Whitney’s marble sculpture titled The Dream of Youth.

After the passing of G.H. De Vries in 1870, the company briefly continued before Carl Schoenhof—formerly an employee—assumed control along with Fanny Moeller under the firm name Schoenhof & Moeller. Eventually, Schoenhof became sole proprietor and maintained the enterprise for many subsequent years.

Published by De Vries, Ibarra & Co.

In the mid-19th century, De Vries, Ibarra & Co. concentrated on publishing language instruction materials alongside literary editions, catering to a broad audience including language learners and literature aficionados. Their notable offerings encompassed practical language learning guides such as Parlez-vous franc̜ais? (1864), Parlate italiano? (1865), and Sprechen Sie Deutsch? (4th edition, 1865), aimed at beginners seeking proficiency in French, Italian, and German respectively. Additionally, they issued significant literary publications including Hans Christian Andersen’s Bilderbuch ohne bilder (1864), Carl Theodor Körner’s Zriny (1866), and Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy: Inferno, translated by Thomas William Parsons with illustrations by Gustave Doré (1867).

Their catalog also encompassed cultural and sociological works such as Auguste Carlier’s Marriage in the United States (1867) and educational materials like M. Gibert’s French pronouncing grammar designed for young learners (1868). This varied selection underscores the company’s strategic role within the educational publishing market of that period.

Exhibition catalogs

De Vries, Ibarra & Co. additionally issued catalogs for art exhibitions hosted at their gallery, reinforcing their active participation in Boston’s cultural landscape. Among these were the 1867 Catalogue of Rare and Classical Line Engravings, Etchings and Wood-cuts, which documented important works by renowned engravers, along with seasonal exhibition catalogs produced from 1867 through 1869 to support their gallery activities. These publications enhanced the company’s prominence across both publishing and art exhibition sectors.