Portraits of the Past

Reynolda House dusts off its impressive portraiture collection for a retrospective of works from the last three centuries

Good Impressions: Portraits Across Three Centuries from Reynolda and Wake Forest is a small but significant showing of nine portraits curated to celebrate the recent conservation of John Singleton Copley’s 1762 Portrait of Mrs. Daniel Rogers (Elizabeth Gorham Rogers), in the collection of Wake Forest University, and Reynolda House’s recent acquisition of Kwame Brathwaite’s 1973 photograph Changing Times.

John Singleton Copley (1738-1815), Portrait of Mrs. Daniel Rogers (Elizabeth Gorham Rogers), 1762. Oil on canvas, 59 x 50 in. Gift of Philip and Charlotte Hanes to Wake Forest University.

Included with Copley—one of the most renowned 18th-century painters who captured the likenesses of figures including Paul Revere, John Hancock and Samuel Adams—are works by William Merritt Chase, Charles Willson Peale, Joseph Blackburn, Mary Cassatt, Emanuel Leutze, John Singer Sargent and, representing the 20th century, Braithwaite.

“The conservation work on the Copley revealed a glorious piece by the most important colonial-era painters,” says Allison Slaby, curator at Reynolda House Museum of American Art. “[It gave us a reason] to feature some of our most important portraits in conversation with each other.

Emanuel Leutze (1816-1868), Worthington Whittredge in his Tenth Street Studio, 1865. Oil on canvas, 19 x 16 in. Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Gift of Barbara B. Millhouse.

“The Copley and the Joseph Blackburn are almost identical in size and are placed next to each other—the figures ‘face’ each other,” continues Slaby. “Both show a woman set in an outdoor setting in a very fine satin dress. They were commissioned to mark significant life events: an engagement in the case of the Blackburn and an expected child in the case of the Copley.”

The portraits range from the formal to the casual and candid. Among the former is Sargent’s 1903 depiction of Marchesa Laura Spinola Núñez del Castillo, whose wealth and stature is conveyed by her luxurious cloak, high color and a cane that resembles a scepter—evocative of a queen on her throne. On the other hand, Cassatt’s 1897 double portrait Madame Gaillard and Her Daughter Marie-Thérèse, draws the viewer into the intimate and easy affection between a mother and daughter. They may not share similar physical traits but placing them in similar dress, Cassatt directs the viewer’s attention to their emotional bond.

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), Marchesa Laura Spinola Núñez del Castillo, 1903. Oil on canvas, 43 x 37 in. Courtesy of Barbara B. Millhouse.

Leutze’s Worthington Whittredge in his Tenth Street Studio, 1865, is a different kind of portrait altogether, depicting the 19th century landscape painter engrossed at his easel in profile.

“The dark space is cast in shadow, with the exception of a natural light source from a high window that symbolically illuminates the top of Whittredge’s head and the hand that holds his paintbrush,” writes Slaby in the exhibition text. “The emerald green drapery that hangs around the easel lends an air of opulence and mystery to the scene. A tassel of the same rich green hangs from the window, suggesting that the artist has removed the curtains from his window in order to better see his work. Each of these elements creates an impression of artistic genius, revealing Leutze’s admiration for his subject.”

Also of note is Chase’s portrait of Alice Gerson, the model and muse he later married, in a dress with a Spanish flair, speaking to the artist’s affinity for the country and master painters like Diego Velázquez who were among his greatest influences.

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), Madame Gaillard and Her Daughter Marie-Therese, 1897. Pastel on paper, 33 x 38 in. Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Gift of Barbara B. Millhouse.“[Portraiture] is a way of preserving identity, conveying character and narrative, and exploring different modes of representation,” adds Slaby. “It is one of the most important genres of art, from the Renaissance to today. Artists of talent will always be needed to represent important historic figures, [for instance the] Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald portraits of the Obamas.”