Painters and Paintings of the Early American South

Ok, so its back to exploring the world of museum exhibits. And I have to say that I have been very excited for the last few months for this one.

I have been waiting for the Painters and Paintings in the Early American South at Colonial Williamsburg's DeWitt Wallace Museum to open since last November when I got a sneak peak at some of the pieces in the exhibit. On a tour of the Colonial Williamsburg Conservation Labs during the Southeastern Museum Conference, the tour group I was on was able to get an up close look at some of the paintings that were being prepared for the exhibit. 

The conservationist walked us through the process of how she was restoring these paintings to their original color (often removing years of bad restoration attempts). As I learned more about the process involved with reading these paintings for exhibition, the more excited I was to see the final product. 

I have since been to the Painters and Paintings exhibit twice now. Once on one of the first beautiful spring days in late March to simply take the exhibit in and the other on a cold, slightly overcast day in late April to focus on the specifics of the exhibit. Although I had two different experiences, each time I was thoroughly taken in by the exhibit. 

When you enter the first room of the exhibit, you come face to face with the 18th century Southern elite. The exhibit is housed in two rooms of the museum and is made up of mainly portraits of wealthy Virginians.  Walking into the room, you are greeted by a T.V. screen that plays a slide show of images from the exhibit and includes interesting snippets of information about southern painting traditions in the 18th century in the upper class. The slide show even includes images from advertisements from the Virginia Gazette offering artists survives to the First Families of Virginia (FFVs). 

The first room seems to focus more on the FFVs prior to the American Revolution, while the second room has a greater focus on the American Revolution and life in the latter half of the 18th century. I would have liked, however, to see more label text explaining the differences between the two rooms.

 Here are some of my favorite images from the exhibit: 

This is one of the paintings that was undergoing conservation last November. It is amazing what can be done in the lab to restore a painting to its original colors. This painting had been exposed to smoke, dirt, grim, and poor restoration attempts in the past, but CW's conservationist was able to reveal the light colors and details through her painstaking work. The only problem I had with this portrait and some of the other large ones in the first room was that the lights didn't seem to be focused on the portrait for my height, so I had to look at this portrait and a few others from an odd angle to see view it without a glare. 

Elizabeth Burwell Neslos

(Mrs. William Nelson, 1711-1798)

Painted by Robert Feke

Yorktown, Virginia, 1749-1751

Oil on Canvas

This portrait caught my eye because of the detail of Lucy Gilliam's clothing. The accessories are so well captures in this image that it provides an excellent study of the fashion of the late 18th century. 

Lucy Skelton Gilliam

(Mrs. Robert Gilliam, 1743-1789)

Painted by John Durand

Petersburg area, Virginia 1780

Oil on Canvas

And of course, no exhibit about elite Southerns would be complete without a few portraits of our first commander and chief. These are truly remarkable portraits by Charles Wilson Peale, both in size and in detail. The first one, depicting Washington during the French and Indian War, is so detailed that it even includes Washington's "Orders of March" in his pocket. 

George Washington (1732-1799)

Painted by Charles Wilson Peale

Fairfax Country, Virginia, dated 1772

Oil on Canvas

George Washington (1732-1799)

Painted by Charles Wilson Peale

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dated 1780

Ol on Linen Ticking

This is the main image for the exhibit. While the portrait is remarkably beautiful, I am not entirely sure why this image was chosen for the main exhibit image. There are so many wonderful portraits in the show to chose from, it seems a bit dark for the main image. 

Charlotte Pepper Gignilliat

(Mrs. James Gignilliat, 1748-1803)

Painted by Henry Benbridge

Charlestown, South Caroline, ca. 1775

Oil on Canvas

This was the only image in the entire exhibit depicting the lives of enslaved Africans. In an exhibit that focused on the Southern elites in the 18th century, I was impressed that this image was included in the exhibit. It may not seem like much, but simply having an image depicting the lives of the enslaved reminds the museum visitor that the wealth of the Southerns depicted in the many portraits throughout was built on the work of others. 

The Old Plantation

Painted by John Rose

Beaufort, South Carolina, probably 1785-1790

Watercolor and ink on laid paper

Overall, the Painters and Paintings of the Early American South is a beautiful exhibit that has been extremely popular since it opened. Although occasionally some of the eyes do seem to follow you around the exhibit hall :)

I want to thank the DeWitt Wallace Museum and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation for their aid with the blog post. As photographs are not allowed in this exhibit, Colonial Williamsburg was kind enough to allow me access to the exhibit's press package. 

My Heart is Broken

I'm stepping away from exhibits here briefly, because I just have to say something about the horrible events that took place in Boston yesturday. I went to Boston University for college and was lucky enough to call Boston home for those four years. Walks down Newberry Street and Boylston were a common occurrence, trips to the Boston Public Library and Trinity Church a normal, everyday thing. The area around Copley has always been associated with good memories for me, from early morning yoga classes to the western themed party in Copley Square for the Massachusetts General Convention of the Episcopal Church to the spring Farmer's Market to the BU Ball at the Copley Marriott. 

And the day itself - Marathon Monday/Patriots Day - was the best day in the city, we use to joke that it was like Christmas Day for any BU student. Getting up ridiculously early for a day off from class, going to a friend's for kegs and eggs (probably the only food you would have until that night), moving from party to party, watching the elite runner finish the race on T.V., before heading out to the race course to watch as the rest of the runners approached the finish line. 

My apartment senor year overlooked Beacon Street, right at the last mile mark. We would line the road, cheering everyone on as they got towards the finish mark, trying to lift the spirits of the runners as they went by. It was a day where everyone came together.

And now that all seems tarnished. Because someone/ or a some group figured out just how special that one day is to everyone in the city, not just the runners. Because of a selfish/hateful act.

I spent my day refreshing my Facebook feed, hoping to see more friends in the city checking in letting friends and family know that they were ok. I know its just Facebook, but it with the phones down in the city, it was like a lifeline for those of us waiting for news. And as those check-ins came in, the most prominent type of postings that I saw with each page refresh were prayers and thoughts going out to the people of Boston from friends who were spread out around the country. It maybe that my feed was flooded with these types of posts because I went to school in Boston. But as the day wore on, I saw more and more posts from friends who didn't have ties to the city. The outpouring of love and support for the city made me remember how people come together in times of tragedy. 

I also saw different quotes go up on Facebook and certain ones stuck with me. The quote from Mr. Rodgers, where he says to look for the helpers, because there are always those helping in during tragedies, is one that may seem a bit over used at this point, but is so try. When I saw footage of the first explosion, I was in a state of shock. But as the news stations continued to air it, I looked more closely. I saw all the emergency medical professionals, the firefighters, and the police run towards the area of the explosions. I saw Marathon volunteers trying to help with whatever they could. 

Yesterday, one of my favorite cities in the world was rocked by an act of terrorism. But instead of the explosions creating waves of terror, the city reacted with order and immediate aid. Runners who had just finished the Marathon continued running to Mass General Hospital to give blood, Bostonians opened their homes to those who had been displaced, and the city as a whole has responded with acts of love and compassion.