James Matthews Legaré

While at St. Mary’s, he studied ancient and modern languages as well as mathematics and chemistry. Although he did not graduate, he received an honorary certificate and won premiums in the individual subjects of rhetoric, natural history, astronomy, Spanish, German, and painting in oil.[3] Following his cousin’s death in 1843, he returned to Charleston.

Upon his return to Charleston, he began to work as a law clerk in the offices of James L. Petrigru, although he did not continue in the field namely due to disinclination and poor health.[3] and exhibiting his paintings to local exhibitions and submitting poems to local periodicals. During this time, he began experiencing lung hemorrhages, giving early indication of pulmonary tuberculosis.[2] In favor of healthier climate and greater financial opportunity, he moved with his parents to Aiken, South Carolina.

While living in Aiken, Legaré tried various pathways to earn money and enhance his reputation. One such project was setting up a painting school for young women in the area, which would bring him many admirers including his future wife, Anne Andrews of Georgia. He also spent most of his time and energy on mechanical invention. Such developments included a new type of encaustic tile, an inexpensive glazier’s putty, and a material he called “lignine” or “plastic cotton” from which he fashioned shingles and furniture, as well as sculptures. Several of his furniture pieces are in the permanent collection of the Charleston Museum.[2] The following commentary regarding the collection is taken from the Bulletin of the Charleston Museum: “The decoration on this furniture is very elaborate and furniture and decorations are both in good state of preservation. The interest attached to them is due to the fact that the decoration is of cotton. Rendered plastic by a chemical process invented by Mr. Legare and stained walnut color, the cotton presents the appearance of wood and seems to be quite durable.”[4]

The rough translation of Orta-Undis is probably a reference to the famous painting The Birth of Venus by Italian Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli.

Legaré sought recognition for his poetry and fiction, publishing Orta-Undis and other Poems in 1848. The rough translation "sprung from waves" is probably a reference to the painting “The Birth of Venus”. It was published by William Davis Ticknor in Boston. It attracted good reviews, including the endorsement of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He also published seventeen stories in popular periodicals, including the The Knickerbocker, Graham’s Magazine, and Putnam’s Magazine.[2]

A view of St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church, where Legaré is buried.

When he passed away in 1859, most of his inventions remained untried. He was buried in the churchyard of St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church in Aiken, with a grave marked by a memorial stone financed by local high school students in 1942.

The Legaré-Morgan House, photo credited to Bill Fitzpatrick.

Legaré lived in a small one-story home in Aiken, South Carolina, between 1850 and 1859. While there, he built an addition to the house to use as a studio for his art and inventing as a separate building, but it was later moved to be a part of the main structure. Legaré’s family sold the property to Thomas C. Morgan in 1870, and his descendants continue to live there until the time of its nomination.[5] Legaré’s poetry is studied today mostly in South Carolina, especially in Aiken, where he spent the last years of his life.

• Orta-Undis and other Poems (1848)