Gallery 20

Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique (Savages of the Pacific Ocean)

Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique (Savages of the Pacific Ocean) by Jean Gabriel Charvet, Joseph Dufour

What can we learn from historical inaccuracies?

Exhibited in Paris in 1804, this wallpaper is believed to be one of the first panoramic wallpapers. The production process for such a large set of wallpapers could take many months and use more than 1,000 hand-cut woodblocks. Made in individual panels, the flexible design can accommodate various arrangements and room shapes. The printer Dufour advertised his wallpaper as both decorative and educational, offering “lessons in history and geography” to his European customers.

Tshi-Zun-Hau-Kau (He-Who-Runs-with-Deer), Winnebago

Tshi-Zun-Hau-Kau (He-Who-Runs-with-Deer), Winnebago by Henry Inman, after Charles Bird King, after James Otto Lewis

What is the psychological impact of this portrait?

Inman’s portrait shows Native American leader Tshi-Zun-Hau-Kau (He-Who-Runs-with-Deer), who traveled to Washington, DC, in 1828 with a delegation from the Winnebago nation. He was described as “a warrior of remarkable genius and singular character.” In this portrait, he holds a feather-topped staff and cradles a steel hatchet. Around his neck he wears an Indian peace medal, a gift typically given to Native American leaders at treaty councils.

Tshi-Zun-Hau-Kau (He-Who-Runs-with-Deer), Winnebago

Tshi-Zun-Hau-Kau (He-Who-Runs-with-Deer), Winnebago by Henry Inman, after Charles Bird King, after James Otto Lewis

What is the psychological impact of this portrait?

Inman’s portrait shows Native American leader Tshi-Zun-Hau-Kau (He-Who-Runs-with-Deer), who traveled to Washington, DC, in 1828 with a delegation from the Winnebago nation. He was described as “a warrior of remarkable genius and singular character.” In this portrait, he holds a feather-topped staff and cradles a steel hatchet. Around his neck he wears an Indian peace medal, a gift typically given to Native American leaders at treaty councils.

The Niagara River at the Cataract

The Niagara River at the Cataract by Gustav Grunewald

Have you ever experienced the sublime?

In these paired paintings of Niagara Falls, Grunewald united American painting, history, landscape, and identity. The two canvases offer an early example of the use of landscape to establish national identity through the sublime, a pictorial vocabulary that emphasizes the viewer’s felt experience over strict visual accuracy. Although at first glance the paintings appear to be a single view divided across two canvases, the perspective actually subtly shifts from one canvas to the other.

The Niagara River at the Cataract

The Niagara River at the Cataract by Gustav Grunewald

Have you ever experienced the sublime?

In these paired paintings of Niagara Falls, Grunewald united American painting, history, landscape, and identity. The two canvases offer an early example of the use of landscape to establish national identity through the sublime, a pictorial vocabulary that emphasizes the viewer’s felt experience over strict visual accuracy. Although at first glance the paintings appear to be a single view divided across two canvases, the perspective actually subtly shifts from one canvas to the other.

Horseshoe Falls from below the High Bank

Horseshoe Falls from below the High Bank by Gustav Grunewald

Have you ever experienced the sublime?

In these paired paintings of Niagara Falls, Grunewald united American painting, history, landscape, and identity. The two canvases offer an early example of the use of landscape to establish national identity through the sublime, a pictorial vocabulary that emphasizes the viewer’s felt experience over strict visual accuracy. Although at first glance the paintings appear to be a single view divided across two canvases, the perspective actually subtly shifts from one canvas to the other.

Horseshoe Falls from below the High Bank

Horseshoe Falls from below the High Bank by Gustav Grunewald

Have you ever experienced the sublime?

In these paired paintings of Niagara Falls, Grunewald united American painting, history, landscape, and identity. The two canvases offer an early example of the use of landscape to establish national identity through the sublime, a pictorial vocabulary that emphasizes the viewer’s felt experience over strict visual accuracy. Although at first glance the paintings appear to be a single view divided across two canvases, the perspective actually subtly shifts from one canvas to the other.

Elizabeth North Plumstead (later Mrs. William Elliot)

Elizabeth North Plumstead (later Mrs. William Elliot) by John Wollaston

What parts of an identity do portraits capture?

Like many artists working in America, Wollaston used English aristocratic portraits as source material. He was able to draw from his firsthand experiences in London and from the English mezzotint engravings that were brought to the colonies. His portraits are characterized by relaxed poses, natural settings, shimmering fabrics, and distinctive almond-shaped eyes. This portrait depicts Elizabeth Plumstead, whose father and grandfather both served multiple terms as mayor of Philadelphia.

Elizabeth North Plumstead (later Mrs. William Elliot)

Elizabeth North Plumstead (later Mrs. William Elliot) by John Wollaston

What parts of an identity do portraits capture?

Like many artists working in America, Wollaston used English aristocratic portraits as source material. He was able to draw from his firsthand experiences in London and from the English mezzotint engravings that were brought to the colonies. His portraits are characterized by relaxed poses, natural settings, shimmering fabrics, and distinctive almond-shaped eyes. This portrait depicts Elizabeth Plumstead, whose father and grandfather both served multiple terms as mayor of Philadelphia.

Our Lady Refuge of Sinners (Nuestra Señora, del Refugio de los Pecadores)

Our Lady Refuge of Sinners (Nuestra Señora, del Refugio de los Pecadores) by Unidentified artist

What has your family passed down from generation to generation?

In 1719 a Jesuit missionary copied an image of Our Lady of Refuge from Italy to bring to Mexico, and in 1843 the first Catholic bishop of California proclaimed this depiction of the Virgin be used to represent the patron saint of both Baja (lower) and Alta (upper) California. The lit votive candles on a shelf below the painting are intended to remind us that objects in museums often retain their original meanings, even after being removed from their original contexts.