Featured Artifact: Thomas Sully Painting

A nationally treasured painting from the Museum’s storage collection may be going on loan to several destinations across the country.  The painting was surveyed by an art conservator to determine if it would be safe for travel in its current state.

The painting, a 30-inch by 25-inch oil on canvas by renowned 19^th century American portraitist Thomas Sully, is entitled Washington and His Family.  Washington and His Family was completed by Sully in 1850 – 51 years after George Washington’s death.  The painting is in good condition and depicts George Washington, Martha Washington and Washington’s two step-grandchildren bidding him goodbye as he leaves for a trip.  In the background, two African servants assist Washington.  One servant holds Washington’s hat and coat, while the other brings over his horse.  In the right foreground of the painting is an English Springer Spaniel.

Thomas Sully was born in Horncastle, England in 1789.  He studied under Benjamin West in London and briefly under Gilbert Stuart while on a trip to Boston in 1809.  His portraits include John Quincy Adams, Marquis de Lafayette, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson and Queen Victoria.  Although Sully is primarily known as a portraitist, his best known work is the large scale historical painting Passage of the Delaware.  The painting, which is over 17-feet wide, contributed to making Washington crossing the Delaware an American historical legend. 

Sully’s Washington and His Family was given to the Washington Association of New Jersey in 1915 by a private owner. Throughout the years it has had numerous cleanings and at least two relinings.  Records indicate that the painting appears to have been relined and treated around 1979. 

Back in August, Principal Conservator Daisy Craddock from Craddock Painting Conservation Inc. surveyed Washington and His Family to determine if the painting was in good condition for travel.  Once the painting’s frame was removed, Craddock examined the canvas under raking light.  Raking light involves illuminating the painting on an oblique angle to examine the painting’s topography for any damages.  This method monitors the effects of prior conservation intervention, makes it easier to see cupping paint (cup-like formations formed from aged paint that becomes loose from cracking and has curled edges), and enables uneven tension in a canvas to become visible.  While raking light, Craddock noticed cracks throughout the painting that were slightly raised, but stable.  She suggested these cracks continue to be monitored.

 Cracks appear when light is raked over the painting's surface.

The painting appeared to have a lot of retouching, which Craddock attributed possibly to varnish.  Since varnish fluoresces under ultraviolet light (UVL), she hovered UVL over the painting and noticed speckling on the top left corner from varnish residue.  Craddock said if varnish was removed the painting would appear more vivid.  Additionally, she noticed blanching along the paintings small raised cracks.  Blanching occurs when varnish has been damaged by water, degraded through age or partially dissolved with solvents and has a white, clouded appearance.  Since varnish is soluble in acetone, Craddock removed a small area of varnish with an acetone swab and noticed that retouching from prior conservators was done well. 

Craddock examines the painting under UVL.

Craddock swabs the varnish.

 

Overall, the painting was determined to be in good condition and the lining was intact.  However, the painting’s frame is in poor condition.  While examining the carved wood gilded frame, Craddock saw extensive stress cracking, active lifting and plaster losses.  Several frame fragments even broke loose prior to her visit.  A framer will need to be contacted before this valuable piece of Americana travels around the nation. 

Blog entry by volunteer, Maria Ribaudo.
Photos by volunteer, Steve Santucci.

Featured Manuscript: 1917 Postcard

My name's Hunter Stires.  I'm a 15 year old rising high school sophomore with a keen interest in American History.  I'm honored to have been invited to blog for the Lloyd W. Smith Archives.

           
This month's featured manuscript is a 1917 postcard written from the Western Front to Albany, NY during the First World War.  It's amazing what can be discovered from such an innocuous piece of paper.

Initially, the identity of the postcard's sender was difficult to ascertain.  While his message was fairly simple to read, both signatures were written in somewhat flamboyant calligraphy.  Here's a transcript of his note back home:

LWS 677

My Dear Friends: _

            On the Battlefield of the Marne,

in a corner of a French artillery camp,

tucked away in a small room I

am writing these few lines by the

dim and flaring light of a candle

just to let you know that I am

well and thinking of my friends back in

 

LWS 677

Albany whom I feel

it an honor to represent

at the Front.

            Time and the censor

forbid my writing more

            Bonne nuit!

                        Faithfully yours

                                    [Flamboyant signature here]

After some scrutiny, his last name appeared to be “Cochrane.”  While this was a crucial piece of evidence, more information would be required to find out who he was.  His first two initials appeared to be “W.D.” and his signature was followed by “M.R.C.” (I'll spare you the details of the time and effort chasing down the red herring that was “W.D.”.  It turned out to be “H.D.”).  In addition, several previously unrecognizable scribbles in the “Reply to” section soon revealed themselves to be an abbreviation of “Major” as well as the line, “7^th Regt. C.A.”  Let the sleuthing begin.

Harold Duncan Cochrane was a doctor from Albany, NY who, according to an article he wrote in the Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy in 1919, served in the railway artillery as a regimental surgeon and then the surgeon for the entire division.  Officially, he was a Major in the Medical Reserve Corps (M.R.C.), an organization of medical doctors who would be called up to serve with the Army in the event of war.  Major Cochrane wrote his postcard on September 20, 1917 from a French artillery camp.  Since American combat troops didn't arrive at the Western Front until October of that year, Cochrane appears to have been among the first American servicemen to reach the front lines.

Major Cochrane served with the Railway Artillery, a military innovation that was fairly unique to World War I.  Large caliber guns were taken from battleships and coastal defense installations (“C.A.” stands for “Coast Artillery”) and mounted on railroad cars.  These weapons were far more mobile than older, fixed heavy artillery.  Since artillery was a very valuable asset for obliterating trenches and other fortifications, commanders would have to move their guns quickly and often to keep the enemy from finding and destroying them.  With railroad artillery, generals had at their disposal the power of a battleship almost anywhere along the front lines.

Cochrane's article in the Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy dealt with the logistical issues of getting the wounded back to evacuation hospitals, and he wrote extensively about his experiences with the railroad artillery in other publications as well.

Cochrane also mentions his location as being on the “battlefield of the Marne.”  While this phrase makes it seem like he's in combat, history tells us that the two large-scale offensives that took place there were in 1914 and 1918, respectively.  Since the First Battle of the Marne stopped the German advance towards Paris and marked the beginning of the infamous stalemate and trench warfare that defined the conflict, Cochrane was giving his reader a reference point that was probably well-known at the time.

Cochrane used YMCA stationary to write his September 20 postcard.  When the United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, the YMCA volunteered to run the post exchange for the American Expeditionary Force (the U.S. troops fighting in France).  Among the responsibilities  involved with this critical role was selling or making available to the troops candy, cigarettes and other personal items, including postcards.


Cochrane's card is housed in the Lloyd W. Smith Archives Collection at Morristown National Historical Park.

This post was written by guest blogger, Hunter Stires.

We Have Merged Our Blogs

Dear Readers,

In order to provide timely content and a more comprehensive collection overview, we have decided to merge our Library and Archives blog with our Museum blog.

We hope you will enjoy our new collection features, online exhibits, intern and staff projects, and program updates.


Please follow our new site:
www.morristownnhpmuseum.blogspot.com


-MORR Staff

Special Exhibits: WANJ

If you stopped by Washington's Headquarters Museum this summer, you had the unique opportunity to see an exhibit featuring the Park's founding legislative partner, the Washington Association of New Jersey (WANJ).

Ranger John Hazel put together this temporary exhibit highlighting artifacts and documents from the Washington Association of New Jersey archives.

Special exhibits are part of our ongoing effort to share park treasures with the public and give interns, volunteers, and staff the occasion to curate presentations based on their research interests.

 

John Hazel prepares exhibit cases.

John Hazel delves into the WANJ archives.

 

As part of an interpretive program, Ranger Hazel poured over hundreds of archival documents in preparation for a stand alone exhibit.  What he uncovered was a unique preservation story.

Hazel delved into the archives with an interest in the history of WANJ's role in historic preservation and its (pre-Park) caretaker story. He was also interested in finding minutes rumored to confirm a WANJ visit by Woodrow Wilson.

He was interested to trace the documentary history of the Washington Association of New Jersey, its transfer to and partnership with the first National Historical Park in the Park Service, and its continuing legacy. As a Park Ranger and guide, Hazel was particularly interested in the role of the Ford Mansion's caretaker. His research led him to Charles King and Patrick Glancy who as caretakers patrolled the property, maintained the grounds and historic structure, and lived on-site.  "These men were maintaining the grounds like our current maintenance division or patrolling and locking up buildings like our law enforcement rangers," Hazel remarked. Early caretakers had a very all-inclusive role.

Hazel also helped authenticate the Woodrow Wilson visit story by tracking down the meeting minutes and transcription of Wilson's presentation. This was an exceptionally exciting find. Wilson addressed WANJ when he was the President of Princeton University, prior to serving as Governor of New Jersey and later President of the United States.  According to correspondence and meeting notes, Wilson addressed the Washington Association on the occasion of Washington's Birthday.  A note that accompanies the stenographer's transcription notes that Wilson did not want this extemporaneous address published because he was not convinced the transcription was accurate. Below is Wilson's letter to Henry Pitney and the first page of the stenographer's notes recording Wilson's address.

Wilson's 1902 letter of acceptance to address WANJ.
This letter was written while Wilson was serving as President of Princeton University (prior to serving as Governor of New Jersey and later US President).

Wilson's address to the Washington Association, February 23, 1903, as recorded by the stenographer. This transcription likely reflects the gist of the address delivered. 

Some other surprising discoveries included the 1934 General Management Plan which demonstrated interest in the natural and cultural resources at Jockey Hollow. Two proposals stood out; a proposal to have interpretive rangers live at the Wick House and a proposal for an educational wild flowers trail.

Founding members: William van Vleck Lidegerwood, Theodore Randolph, Nathaniel Halsted, and George Halsey.

Various commemorative pins.

 

The badge of Patrick Glancy reads "Washington Association of New Jersey Police."

Check signed by Edward D. Halsey.

This is Ranger Hazel's third special exhibit since 2008. His current exhibit, now featured at the Headquarters Museum, features coins and Continental and colonial currency.

Museum VIPs

We have had a lot of help this summer at our Headquarter's unit, thanks to all of our wonderful volunteers!

Steve Newfield has been working on digitizing historical Park slides.

Maria Ribaudo has been helping process manuscripts and aid in historic housekeeping.

Malcolm Dick has taken on the dilengent task of updating catalog records.

Park Teacher-Ranger-Teacher, Steve Santucci, has been researching our microfilmed collection as part of our DigiDocs initiative.

Matt Mosquera has been helping process manuscripts and aid in historic housekeeping.

ProRanger candidate, Fallon, helped inventory rare books.

The Daily Plan-It has been hard at work removing sticks and depris from the museum property.

SCA Safety Intern, John, helped investigate safety concerns in the park and even helped the curatorial divison with a little mold removal.

Stephen Wilder has been busy giving Ford Mansion tours and special talks.

Not Pictured:

Cynthia N. spent the summer transcribing the diary of Henry Stirke. Her blog posts can be found HERE.

Morristown Oddities Curiosities: Historic Tree Fragment

MORR 96

Believe it or not...


This chip of wood is all that remains of the trees that were standing on the grounds of the Ford Mansion when Washington used it as a military headquarters. The chip of wood was collected on April 12, 1898 by Miss Marion Crane Lyon of Caldwell, New Jersey.



About This Series

This online exhibit series shows the type of objects the Washington Association of New Jersey collected in its early years. Collecting before any standards existed, the museum accepted donations based on the donor’s word. Today, the museum would conduct thorough research about the history and authenticity of these objects and then make the decision whether or not to accept them into the collection. This is a prime example of how standards changed as the museum field became professionalized. Although we adhere to different standards today, we are happy to share these oddities in our collection.




Exhibit curated by Joni Rowe, Museum Specialist.

Featured Manuscript: Stirke Diary (Entry 2)

Connecting History Series (Entry 2)


Volunteer researcher, Cynthia N., heads off this series by examining the diary of Lt. Henry Stirke and his connection to several fascinating historical events.

 

Ivory portrait of Lt. Stirke

REVOLUTIONARY WAR DIARY

OF BRITISH LT. HENRY STIRKE

1776-1778

The Rare Books Collection of Morristown National Historical Park has in its collection a diary
written by British Lieutenant Henry Stirke during his assignment with the 10^th Regiment of Foot, during the Revolutionary War. It covers the period from 1776-1778, during which period Lt. Stirke was fighting on the British side. In his diary he chronicles the activities of his regiment, associated regiments, and Hessian forces.

Most of the entries are quite short, in which he objectively records the events of the day. However, throughout his diary, he makes careful note of the injuries and deaths that occur in his own regiment and those with which he travelled. He expresses regret for the death or injury of anyone in the British regiments.
 

An entry for June 20, 1776 reads:

“A very melancholy accident happen’d; a Portuguese Sailor belonging to the Nautilus Merchantman, slip’d between our Transport and their boat, and was drownded.”

It might be thought that toward the end of Lt. Stirke’s assignment in the War with America, he might have become inured to the injuries and deaths of his compatriots. However, in his later entries he continues to note the individual deaths and injuries of his comrades.

During this same time period, his diary shows an unempathetic view of losses sustained by the enemy Rebel troops during the whole conflict.  He exhibits a pronounced emotional detachment in his description of a very bloody massacre of Rebel troops at Paoli, PA.



On September 21, 1777, he writes:

“About 12 O’Clock last night, Genl: Grey with ye: 2d: Battalion of Light Infantry, 42d: & 44^th: Regts:, with some Light Dragoons Surpris’d Genl: Waines brigade in their Camp, (which lay in our Rear, in order to insult us on our march) and without firing a Shot, put about 300 of the Rebels to Death with ye: Bayonet, and took 200 prisoners with all their baggage ~ Our loss was 1 Captn: [Captn: Wolfe] kill’d, with a Sergt:, and private; and 1 Lt: Wounded”.

He was very careful to note those wounded and killed on the British side, but expressed no empathy for the 300 Rebels who were bayonetted to death. Perhaps the psychological mechanism of the dehumanization of the enemy was his emotional defense against the horrors of war.

Lt. Stirke’s diary provides a contemporary, British-biased view of many of the events of the war. He was present in New York when a fire destroyed a large portion of Manhattan. General Washington’s troops were forced to flee, and the British troops occupied the city.



Lt. Stirke writes, on September 22^nd, 1776:

“About 1 O’Clock in the morning a fire broke out in New York, which consum’d about a fourth part of the City – It was set fire to in different places, by some of they Rebels that Conceal’d themselves in the Town – several were caught in the very Fact, and immediately put to death; and others have been taken up on suspicion – Two very handsome Churches Genl: Robinsons House, and Valuable furniture, with many other fine Houses were reduc’d to Ashes – “

 

September 22 entry- side one

Sept 22 entry- side two

Throughout most of his diary, Lt. Stirke makes entries on a regular basis, noting the movements and activities of his regiment and associated regiments. He and his regiment followed General George Washington across the state of New Jersey. He writes that they “arriv’d at Prince Town; appointed for their Winter Quarters” on December 15, 1776.” 

He is thunderously silent about the events that occurred in late December 1776 and the beginning of January, 1777, when the colonists achieved major victories at the battles of Trenton and Princeton.

A few months later, sometime after February 1, 1777, he refers to the defeat of the Hessian troops in Trenton by General Washington’s army:

“That unlucky affair of Colonel Ralls’s [the Hessian Colonel] at Trent Town, happening soon after; [after his December 15, 1776 entry] caus’d a Genl: change of Quarters in the Jerseys, to the Whole Army. The Light Infantry took post at the Bridge of Brunswick, about a mile above the Town; where we spent a Very Disagreeable Winter, continually harress’d in Observing the motions of the Enemy…”

Lt. Stirke’s diary illustrates very clearly that the same events can often be interpreted in different ways, intellectually and emotionally, depending upon the filter through which they are viewed by the various participants. A different history can, and usually is, written by both sides.

Please click here to read more about Henry Stirke's Diary [Entry 1] 

Blog entry by volunteer researcher, Cynthia N.
Photos by volunteer Steve Newfield.

Flat Ranger Rodriguez Visits Morristown

We had a special guest with us today. Flat Ranger Rodriguez came all the way from Texas to visit Morristown National Historical Park.

He enjoyed tea in bedroom where George Washington stayed during the winter encampment of 1779/1780.

He rested on a reproduction camp bed.

He took the wool wheel for a spin.

He admired the Ford Mansion's unique architecture.

He rode the cannon carriage.

He examined a Charles Darwin letter in the Lloyd W. Smith Archival Collection. He was surprised to find so many neat historical documents in the archives!

He re-shelved some rare books.

He checked out the exhibits too. He really liked the Varick punchbowl.

He conducted humidity, light, and temperature readings

in the special collections storage areas.

Before he left, he made sure to get his National Parks Passport stamped.

Thanks for all of your hard work Flat Ranger Rodriguez! Have fun at your next stop!

A Park for Every Classroom Immersion Workshop

We would like to extend a special thanks to the educators, park staff, and community partners who helped pilot the Park for Every Classroom (PEC) workshop model here at Morristown. Thank you for two days of intensive Park resource exploration, scholarly discussion, and lesson development.

We hope to see you and your students soon!

Learn more about this project HERE.