About my Gallery...

Gallery Name: Through Another’s Eyes

Location:  Coolsville

Who runs it: Lisa Strebel

What do we show?  We specialize in art from the Revolutionary War.

The Road to Independence

Exhibition Name: "The Road to Independence"

Artists:

            John Singleton Copley

            Paul Revere

            Nathaniel Currier

            Robert Edge Pine & Edward Savage

            John Trumbull

            John Binns
            Arnold Friberg

            Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze

            Howard Chandler Christy

            Archibald M. Willard

Exhibition Statement:

     This exhibition is a visual representation of the most influential people and most dramatic events that led to establishing the United States.  It was hard to pick only ten items that adequately tell the story of the struggle for independence.  They paint a vivid picture of these moments that helped these people create the Republic of the United States.  These exhibits convey the moment in a way that words alone are not capable of.  They present a vivid picture of this pivotal time in our nation's history.

Paul Revere

John Singleton Copley

Paul Revere

Oil on Canvas

35 × 28.5 in (88.9 × 72.4 cm)

1768

John Singleton Copley (1738-1815) was an American painter who is famous for his portrait paintings, primarily of important figures in Colonial New England.  One of his most popular portraits is of Paul Revere.

This is Copley’s only finished work of an artisan in shirtsleeves, and shows him at work.  It is one of only a few portraits Copley did of craftsmen, which illustrates how important and respected Revere was, to have his portrait done in this fashion.  Revere is one of the most prominent figures in Early American history not only for his work in the militia and his warning of the British troops advancing, but also for his artwork.  We are lucky to have this portrait as well as some of his pieces of silver to admire today. 

Art historian, Paul Staiti commented, “Copley was the greatest and most influential painter in colonial America, producing about 350 works of art.”

The Bloody Massacre Perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5th 1770

Paul Revere

“The Bloody Massacre Perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5^th 1770”

Copper engraving with watercolor on laid paper

25.8 x 33.4 cm. (plate)

March 28, 1770

Paul Revere(1734-1818) was an American silversmith and militia officer in the American Revoultion.  He is most famous for alerting the militia of the British forces approaching, as made famous in Henry Wasworth Longfellow’s poem “Paul Revere’s Ride”.  One thing that makes Paul Revere so interesting is that not only was he a prominent figure in the militia, he was also a gifted artist.  Most people know of his work with silver: his teapots and such.  But most people don’t realize that he was also a gifted engraver.  This engraving shows his skill in an area different than what he specialized in.  This piece is also important because it helped spread the word of what happened in the Massacre.  It was printed in the newspapers within a few days of the event and helped to spread awareness of what happened that day.

Margret Atkinson, an elementary school teacher wrote…”’ The Bloody Massacre Perpetrated in King Street...’ reflects a patriot perspective on this important event in American history.”’

The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor

Nathaniel Currier

The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor

Color Lithograph

8.5 x 13 in.

1846

Nathaniel Currier (1813-1888) was an American lithographer and founder of Currier and Ives printmaking firm.   Initially Currier focused on printing sheet music, letterheads, hand bills, etc.  Soon after he began his career he began to focus on creating pictures of current events such as “ The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor”.  The Boston Tea Party (as it is known today) was the Sons of Liberty showing the British Government that they were not going to accept the outrageous taxes on tea.  It was one of many issues that led to the Revolutionary War. 

“Each of us have, in our mind's eye, a visual image of what it was like to live a hundred or hundred and fifty years ago. Perhaps the most vivid of these come from movies, westerns such as Stagecoach, small period pieces like Little Women, or great epics like Gone with the Wind. Some of our images come from the genre paintings of the era, such as the work of Eastman Johnson. In some cases, crude photos of great events come to mind; all of which have served to illustrate the ponderous old American history books we all used to lug back and forth to class every day in high school. And if we still had those books, and peered into them once more, we might realize yet another type of imagery we've probably forgotten about, but which once made up a very great part of how American's saw themselves in the nineteenth century--the lithographic print. And at the top of that pictorial genre is the name, Currier and Ives.” Jim Lane

Congress Voting for the Declaration of Independence

Robert Edge Pine & Edward Savage (1761-1817)

Congress Voting for the Declaration of Independence

Medium:  Unfinished stipple engraving printed on hand laid paper

Dimensions:  18 3/4 x 25 3/8”

1788

Robert Edge Pine and Edward Savage- Robert Edge Pine was an English Artist who came to the United States in 1783.  He was most famous for his paintings of historical events and portraits.  Pine died in 1788 leaving his painting “Congress Voting Independence” unfinished.  Edward Savage was an American goldsmith, engraver, and artist who obtained and finished Pine’s painting.  Savage began work on an engraving of this painting, but died before it was completed.  This print is one of the rare few made off the unfinished plate.  This engraving is showing one of the most important moments in out nation’s history: our founding fathers declaring independence from British rule. 

As stated on the Library of Congress website, “Edward Savage's engraving, based on Robert Edge Pine's painting of the presentation of the Declaration of Independence to the Continental Congress, is considered one of the most realistic renditions of this historic event.” 

Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence

Oil on Canvas

365.76 cm × 548.64 cm (144 in × 216 in)

1819

John Trumbull(1756-1843) was an American artist famous for his historical paintings.  Trumbull was a soldier in the Revolutionary War.  After he resigned from the Army he painted small pictures of the war and mini portraits.  With help from Thomas Jefferson he began, “Declaration of Independence”, which now hangs in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol. This defining moment in our history is so important that it was produced for everyone to enjoy.  If you can’t make it to the Capitol Building, all you need to do is pull out a two-dollar bill to see this, the greatest moment in our history.  And the fact that Trumbull had help from Thomas Jefferson, the undisputed father of the Declaration, makes this piece even more special. 

John Trumbull stated in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, "The greatest motive I had or have for engaging in or for continuing my pursuit of painting has been the wish of commemorating the great events of our country's Revolution."