In 1871 he married Sarah Sanford, his first of three wives, and taught at Cooper Union until 1882, when he was hired as first curator of the new Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Tahun 1871, ia menikah dengan Sarah Sanford, istri pertama dari tiga istri, dan mengajar di Cooper Union hingga 1882, ketika ia diangkat sebagai kurator pertama Metropolitan Museum of Art.