Martha (Codman) Karolik (1858-1948)
Mrs. Martha Catherine (Codman) Karolik; Patron of the Arts
She grew up in an old, wealthy family between Boston and Newport, the daughter of a well-to-do artist, and a great-great-granddaughter of Elias Hasket Derby - one of the wealthiest men in 18th century America. Before she was married, she commissioned her talented cousin, Ogden Codman Jr., to build her a mansion in Washington D.C., and another in Newport. The Codman-Davis House (see images) in Washington was built in 1907 and is modelled after the Château de Voisins at Louveciennes in France. It is currently home to the Ambassador of Thailand. Her summer home at Newport, "Berkeley Villa" (now Bellevue House), was built in 1910 and houses part of the American art collection that Martha (and later her husband) amassed.
In 1928, Martha scandalized Boston society when she married Maxim Karolik, an opera singer 35-years younger than herself, who came to share her passion for collecting. In 1939, the Karoliks donated their 18th-century collection of American paintings, furniture, silver and other objets d'art to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where a new wing was built specifically to house it. The Martha & Mazim Karolik Collection of American Paintings (1815-1865) is considered among the most important from that period. Martha was a member of Art Association of Newport, the Garden Club, the Improvement Association, the Newport Historical Society and the Redwood Library. In 1923, she published her great-grandmother's journal, The Journal of Mrs. John Amory.
In 1928, Martha scandalized Boston society when she married Maxim Karolik, an opera singer 35-years younger than herself, who came to share her passion for collecting. In 1939, the Karoliks donated their 18th-century collection of American paintings, furniture, silver and other objets d'art to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where a new wing was built specifically to house it. The Martha & Mazim Karolik Collection of American Paintings (1815-1865) is considered among the most important from that period. Martha was a member of Art Association of Newport, the Garden Club, the Improvement Association, the Newport Historical Society and the Redwood Library. In 1923, she published her great-grandmother's journal, The Journal of Mrs. John Amory.
