Gallery 20

According to the text at the bottom of this painting, Father Antonio Martinez was born in Mexico in 1750, ordained in 1794, and sat for this portrait in 1809. Portraits, documents, maps, and other artifacts help us better understand the social context in which the Spanish missions were established in California. The story of the mission period is one of diverse perspectives, with cultures coming into contact and conflict; objects like this portrait illustrate this complicated history.

Mission Santa Barbara was founded in 1786. It was built by the Chumash people, who were forced to aid in its construction and convert to Christianity. Before the arrival of the missionaries, the Chumash had lived in the area for thousands of years, spread across 40 neighboring villages. With their way of life destroyed by the introduction of the mission system, the Chumash came to rely on the mission for protection, food, and shelter.

Mission Santa Barbara was founded in 1786. It was built by the Chumash people, who were forced to aid in its construction and convert to Christianity. Before the arrival of the missionaries, the Chumash had lived in the area for thousands of years, spread across 40 neighboring villages. With their way of life destroyed by the introduction of the mission system, the Chumash came to rely on the mission for protection, food, and shelter.

Nahl’s portrait presents a rare “fine art” depiction of culturally assimilated Native American man, a subject usually confined to ephemeral propaganda such as before-and-after photographs produced by social reformers. Dressed in a jacket and tie and shown outdoors with chickens and dogs, the sitter is awkwardly posed between two cultures and two identities. Today, this painting provides a counterpoint to the stereotypical images of Native Americans typically found in American museums.

Nahl’s portrait presents a rare “fine art” depiction of culturally assimilated Native American man, a subject usually confined to ephemeral propaganda such as before-and-after photographs produced by social reformers. Dressed in a jacket and tie and shown outdoors with chickens and dogs, the sitter is awkwardly posed between two cultures and two identities. Today, this painting provides a counterpoint to the stereotypical images of Native Americans typically found in American museums.

This painting shows a Native American ceremony in the courtyard of the Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma, in present-day Sonoma, California. The mission operated for only 11 years before it was secularized; the northwestern-most post, it was the last mission founded in California and had been established without church approval. The local people who were forced to convert to Christianity were primarily members of the Coast Miwok, Pomo, Suisunes, Wappo, and Patwin tribes.

This painting shows a Native American ceremony in the courtyard of the Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma, in present-day Sonoma, California. The mission operated for only 11 years before it was secularized; the northwestern-most post, it was the last mission founded in California and had been established without church approval. The local people who were forced to convert to Christianity were primarily members of the Coast Miwok, Pomo, Suisunes, Wappo, and Patwin tribes.

Among the earliest landscapes in the Museums’ collection, Lake of the Mountains shows Doughty at his most ambitious and accomplished. The subject is a calm wilderness in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, featuring a placid lake and a mountain that resembles Mount Washington—Mount Chocorua’s companion peak—seen through the darkness of the quiet woods. The “authenticity” of the scene is bolstered by its inclusion of two Native American figures, who are dwarfed by the wilderness around them.

Among the earliest landscapes in the Museums’ collection, Lake of the Mountains shows Doughty at his most ambitious and accomplished. The subject is a calm wilderness in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, featuring a placid lake and a mountain that resembles Mount Washington—Mount Chocorua’s companion peak—seen through the darkness of the quiet woods. The “authenticity” of the scene is bolstered by its inclusion of two Native American figures, who are dwarfed by the wilderness around them.

The text at the bottom of this painting states that Señor Moya became the visitador (royal official) viceroy, and archbishop of New Spain on August 18, 1570. As archbishop and visitador, he was the head of the Catholic church in the areas we now know as Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico, Cuba, and Florida. He aimed to grow the church, ensure profitability, and oversee those who worked for the church. He was known as a fair leader who sought to outlaw the enslavement of native peoples.