The Filson Historical Society Blog

John Sneed (1755-1855), painted 1855 by unknown artist.

On the third floor landing, just outside the door to the curator’s office, hangs a very unusual portrait: Mr. John Sneed.

Nearly all of the Filson visitors who reach the third floor, without fail, pause to marvel at this unusual image of the elderly man. Perhaps it’s his no-nonsense expression that captures the imagination? Sneed was 100 years old when he sat for this portrait. Who wouldn’t be cranky at having to sit still for long stretches at such an age! Perhaps it’s the starkness and honesty of his old age that compels the viewer? There are few comparisons for Sneed’s portrait in American 19^th-century portraiture, as historical portraiture of elderly people is rare.

John Sneed was born in 1755 Albemarle, Co., Virginia where his father worked as Thomas Jefferson’s first teacher. At the age of 14, Sneed was said to have been employed as Thomas Jefferson’s personal secretary. In February 1778 he enlisted in the army and fought in the Revolutionary War, serving until January 1782. During the Battle of Guilford, Sneed was taken prisoner and did not return to his regiment until after the Battle of Eutaw, some six months later. Sneed married Sarah Johnson; together they settled in Boyle County and had ten children. Family tradition asserts that Sneed was so frugal that he was known to walk from his home in Danville all the way to Lexington to collect his veteran’s pension several times a year.  He did this even in his elderly years, as opposed to paying for a carriage or a courier service. At the age of 100, Sneed passed away in 1855, only a few months after this portrait was painted by an unknown artist.

One of my favorite paintings in the Ferguson Mansion hangs in the stairwell on the way to the basement level. It is a portrait of a certain Mrs. Denton Whipps, painted by a mysterious unknown artist, and generously donated by Mrs. Walter Osborne.

This painting utilizes a severe palette of white, black and gray. Mrs. Whipps’ luminous skin vividly contrasts with her crimson lips and brown eyes, as well as the black beads of her necklace. Similarly, the white ruffles surrounding her neck stand out strongly against Mrs. Whipps’ black dress and provide symmetry to the white and black ruffles of her headpiece. The strong nose and determined mouth signify that Mrs. Whipps is not to be trifled with. At the same time, her eyes hold a reassuring kindness.

Both this portrait and others in The Filson Collection bring to mind the contemporary artist Anne Faith Nicholls. Nicholls employs a striking use of folk art imagery and animal totems, and there is an environmental edge to her work as well. Nicholls characterizes herself as a Neo-folk artist, which has been defined as a recent outgrowth of folk art influenced by early colonial American and European folk art paintings and Surrealism. This movement is considered to be a part of both the high-low art aesthetic and the outsider art perspective.

“Hold Back Against the Naysayers” by Nicholls depicts a seated woman with Gothic hair, a thundercloud above raining down on her head (click http://www.annefaithnicholls.com/#goto=painting-portfolio&viewimage=20 to view). The details of her clothing, such as her riding boots and corseted dress, as well as her exaggeratedly pale, heart-shaped face, evoke an earlier era. Looking out at the viewer with wide eyes, she resolutely grasps the collar of a flame-breathing dog. Winged hands point to her in accusation. The palette of this painting echoes that of the portrait of Mrs. Whipps, with luminous white utilized to emphasize the woman’s face. The oval that frames the woman and her frenetic dog in lace-like curves is also white. Faux-wood panels in shades of gray radiate from the framed scene like dreary sunrays.

Nicholls seemingly depicts this woman’s twin in her painting “Catch or Release” (click http://www.annefaithnicholls.com/#goto=painting-portfolio&viewimage=22 to view). Here, the woman holds a beached whale distinctive for its small scale. The dank landscape, which includes felled trees, a burning house and a weeping cloud, echoes the whale’s distress. Plants float in the lower corners of the picture like seaweed. The painting also features alternating panels of gray and a curved white oval, accentuating the woman in her grief.

The environmental concerns and dark emotions that Nicholls depicts in her work are a world away from the serenity of Mrs. Denton Whipps. But the palette and style of portraits like the ones that hang in The Filson have clear repercussions on present-day artists, even as these portraits continue to provoke enjoyment from Filson visitors.

The Filson wishes you a Happy Independence Day!

There is a long history of cross-dressing in theatrical productions.   Ancient Greek dramas, Japanese Kabuki theater, and Shakespeare’s plays all have a tradition of males performing female roles, as women were not allowed to appear on stage in these milieux.  In the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, both men and women engaged in cross-dressing in vaudeville halls and the Pantomime tradition of Victorian and Edwardian English theater for comic effect, titillation, and as a nod to older traditions. Cross-dressing is also frequently found in the dramatic performances of same-sex educational institutions of that era, for obvious reasons.

Louisville Male High School Freshman Ballet, 1903

The Filson has a collection of early 20th Century photographs from Louisville’s Male High School that are as amusing as they are charming.  One photograph features the Freshman class of 1903 dressed as ballerinas, while the rest comprise a series of photographs of students dressed as familiar fairytale and nursery rhyme characters such as Little Nancy (Nanny) Etticote, Polly-Put-the-Kettle-On, Margery Daw, the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, and a fairy princess, ca. 1901.

Gray as "Polly," Male High School Theater Production, ca. 1901

These photographs are fascinating on many levels; they provide insight into theater and costume history, attitudes regarding gender and masculinity in the early 20th Century, and the preservation of traditional storytelling and the Edwardian fairytale revival.  They also serve as a record of one of Louisville’s earliest and most prestigious high schools.

Cabell as "Margery Daw," Louisville Male High School Theater production, ca. 1901

Using your dog to win an Easter egg hunt is not allowed, kids!

Or perhaps she is simply auditioning for the role of the Cadbury Easter Bunny!