Painting Vanishes From Winthrop

The Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) is investigating the apparent theft of a $5,000 painting from the Winthrop JCR.

The painting was reported missing at 4:15 p.m. on Friday, said HUPD spokesperson Peggy A. MacNamara, adding that she did not know the status of the investigation.

The 30 by 40 inch painting, titled "Harvard Tercentenary, 18 Sept. 1936: Procession Descending Widener Steps," was painted by Walter Peirce '08.

It hung in the JCR until last week, when a custodian noticed it was missing, according to Winthrop House Master Paul D. Hanson.

"Episodes like this can force us into drawing precious artwork into secure locations where it no longer is available for that widespread enjoyment by our community," Hanson said, adding Harvard has a policy of displaying its art treasures where students and other members of the community can enjoy them.

The unique history of Peirce's painting is intertwined with Harvard's history.

On the back of the painting lies a handwritten message that reads, "For Bill Bingham '16 and his Top Hat." William J. `Bill' Bingham '16 was probably a marshall in the commencement ceremony depicted, said Sandra K. Grindlay, a curator at the University Portrait Collection.

Bingham was Harvard's first athletic director. His friend Peirce gave him the painting. In 1981, Bingham's wife donated the painting to Winthrop House in her husband's memory.

Peirce's painting hung in the Winthrop JCR with two other paintings, one of which also depicted commencement.

"It looks pretty strange, pretty unsymmetrical," said Winthrop resident Mike U. Antonucci '01 of the JCR.

House residents were alerted to the disappearance via an e-mail message and a notice in the house newsletter, which also asked them to report anything they knew about the heist.

Hanson said that the thief now has a window of opportunity to return the painting without punishment. If the painting is not returned during this grace period, the thief will face "extremely severe" consequences, Hanson said.

The JCR is accessible to members of the Winthrop community, though non-Winthrop residents can enter the house during universal keycard access hours when security guards are on duty. There are no security guards stationed within the vicinity of the JCR.

"It's something you have to consider when you have common spaces that all students can access," said Winthrop resident Peter A. Soderland '00.

Many Winthrop students were unaware of the painting's disappearance until they received the e-mail message and were unfamiliar with the painting and its history.