REMINDERS:
To visit the R. W. Norton Art Gallery website, go to http://www.rwnaf.org/.
The new exhibit, Albino R. Hinojosa: An American Realist will run through September 20, 2009.
The next First Saturday on September 5, 2009 is Being Framed: The Art of Frame-Making.
The next Saturday Speaker
will be Dr. Dana Kress on September 17, 2009 at 2p.m. Dr. Kress will be discussing Dangerous Liaisons: Benjamin Franklin in France, 1776-1785.
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Dr. Dana Kress,
Professor of French at Centenary College |
Around the Gallery
Editor
Kristi Kohl
Contributors
Everl Adair
Gary D. Ford
Jennifer DeFratis
Kip Dehart
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The American professional serves not only his community, but also the world at large. Whether they came on the Mayflower or filtered through Ellis Island, arrived in ragged garments or attired in silks and spats, Americans rolled up their sleeves and got busy the moment their feet hit the ground. I think School House Rock sang it best: Mother Necessity, where would we be/ without the inventions of your progeny?
Well, for starters, we would not have the R.W. Norton Art Gallery, where several works portrayed here celebrate the “can-do” spirit of Americans. As you may or may not know, Mr. R.W. Norton, Sr., whose portrait hangs in the lobby entrance, made his money in the oil trade, and he couldn’t have done so without the innovation of Edwin Drake. Back in the 1800s, oil rock could be refined and used for many purposes, but the real problem was in how to collect that black gold in usable quantities. “Crazy Drake,” as some called him, believed the method lay in drilling for oil, much the way salt is mined. In August of 1859 in Titusville, Pennsylvania, after exhausting his lines of credit and the support of his friends and family, he finally struck oil nearly 70 feet from the surface, ushering in a new technological era.
In the nation’s infancy, Americans often imitated and adopted British styles. Some artists went so far as to paint American plants over English country scenes. During these early years of the republic, Americans copied British technology in many areas, including bridge and canal building. By the mid-1800s, however, America was matching Great Britain in leading the world in technological innovation. They gave the world the steam engine. We gave the world the steamboat. They gave the world railways. We gave the world locomotives. Their artists started experimenting with the quality of light in paintings; our artists became Luminists. In the 20th century, American technology rose to dominance in major sectors of British life: mass production methods pioneered by Henry Ford, telephones, manned flight, light bulbs, skyscrapers, and computers.
In the Thomas Moran painting, View of Philadelphia from Belmont Plateau, Fairmont Park (above), a rainbow arches above the city of Philadelphia in the background. That is the artist saying: “Where America chooses to go, goodness follows.” This painting, and the quote by another American entrepreneur John S. Herrington say it best: “There are no dreams too large, no innovation unimaginable and no frontiers beyond our reach.”
Jennifer DeFratis,
Tour and Special Events Coordinator
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View of Philadelphia from Belmont Plateau, Fairmont Park by Thomas Moran
19th Century Landscape and Lifestyle Gallery |
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TIPS FROM KIP: French Mulberry Just in Time for Fall
French mulberry (Callicarpa americana), also known as American beautyberry or Wild gooseberry, is a multiple-stemmed shrub with ornamental flowers and clusters of violet-colored fruit. The shrubs grow in dry, open woods and moist thickets, and have adapted to climates with hot, humid summers and moderate winters. Native to Asia, mulberry plants occur naturally on wooded slopes in the southern United States from Florida to Texas and north to Maryland. Native Americans used the roots, leaves, and branches of the plant for various medicinal purposes including the treatment of fevers, rheumatism, dizziness, stomach aches, colic, and itchy skin. Some cultures brew a tea with its roots and crush leaves for mosquito and tick repellants. Wildlife likes it, too. Raw berries provide a food source for many animals including birds, insects, and mammals.
Although French mulberry grows wild, the Norton displays several plants in its 40-acre gardens. Here’s how you can grow it, too:
1) Provide a sunny location with partial shade and a well-drained soil.
2) Prune plants to ground level in winter after the fruits are gone to ensure new growth and abundant berry production for the next year.
3) If needed, you may transplant the hardy bush to a more desirable location.
4) Although primarily grown from seed, shrubs may be propagated with softwood cuttings.
The striking berries of the French mulberry contrast beautifully with other plants. It sports light green leaves in late summer, produces striking red berries just in time for fall, and lasts well into winter. As you meander through our gardens in the next few months, look for red berries—French mulberry’s contribution to fall color.
Kip Dehart, Landscape Director
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OUT IN THE GARDENS: The Ancient Beauty of Ferns
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| Autumn Fern |
Ferns first appeared in fossil record during the Paleozoic Era about 300 million years ago. By the Triassic period (250 to 200 million years ago), the first evidence of the ancestors of today’s ferns appeared, with modern families of the plant thriving by the late-Cretaceous period (100-65 million years ago). Although many theories abound, the origins and evolution of ferns remain unknown. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the many varieties of this ancient plant throughout the Norton gardens.
Usually thought of as growing in moist, shady, woodland habitats, many fern species thrive in rocky crevices in deserts. They also prosper in wetlands such as bogs and swamps, and even climb tropical trees. Ferns’ distinctive leaves, called fronds (the new ones are known as crosiers, or fiddleheads) grow in different shapes, sizes, and colors. Ferns reproduce from spores beneath fronds. The gardens at the Norton display just a few of the 20,000 species of ferns and include these:
1) Autumn Fern tolerates heat if given enough shade and moisture. In spring, the fronds unfurl in a copper red, then turn bronze, and finally a shiny dark green. Its contrasting frond color and lacy texture create a striking border in our Tropical Garden.
2) Japanese Painted Fern displays a soft grey metallic color with hints of red and blue. This hardy, low maintenance plant prefers partial shade and moist conditions. Look for it around our lower pond area.
3) Beech fern prefers dappled sunlight to medium shade. Its fronds are arrowhead-shaped, with the lowest pair of leaflets pointing out at a diagonal like “wings.” Spot Beech Fern in the lower shade garden near the foot bridge.
4) Holly Fern boasts unusual coarse-textured, glossy green fronds. This native of Asia can withstand dry air and low light, and grows well in our upper shade garden.
5) Cinnamon fern prefers moist wooded areas along stream banks. Its large green leaves surround tall fronds resembling cinnamon sticks. You’ll find clusters of the fern near the otter sculpture, Ring of Bright Water.
Ferns offer many uses besides fillers in flower arrangements and gardens. As we mentioned, some cultures eat them, but we advise you not to try that. The plant appears in biological fertilizers and helps in the treatment and cleansing of wounds. The next time you receive a floral arrangement with fern stems or you notice a fern in a landscape, remember the mysterious origins and many uses of this prehistoric plant.
Note: Despite their deceiving names and resemblance to real ferns, Asparagus Fern and Foxtail Fern are not true ferns.
Kristi Kohl, Staff Researcher
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| Cinnamon Fern |
Holly Fern |
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VOICES FROM THE ARCHIVES: Alonzo W. Coon, U.S. Navy
Alonzo W. Coon was stationed near San Francisco when Japan surrendered and VJ Day marked the end of World War II. He saw a city erupt in joy.
“When the war was over the first time we got news of it in the office before it was announced on the base. About a half dozen of us and the warrant officer who was in charge he said, ‘You all want a pass to go into town to see the celebration?’ We all said yes. So he started writing. We all got out there and it wasn’t ten minutes until a couple of cars stopped and picked us all up, took us right down to the main part of San Francisco. You have never seen such goings on. There were thousands of people on the street. Women were kissing everybody…It was something else. People were drinking out of bottles, walking up and down the street, passing out bottles of liquor and wine. Champagne was bubbling out of bottles. It was wild. No traffic. I mean they just closed the streets down.”
Interviewer: Any ornery activity? “Any vandalism or violence?”
“I did not see any. I mean just happiness.”
Mr. Coon is among more than 400 men and women from the Shreveport area who graciously gave their time to tell us their life stories of service and sacrifice. We’re preserving those stories as part of our Oral History Project, an ongoing effort to interview members of the World War II generation, along with veterans of subsequent American conflicts. We also want to hear from eyewitnesses and participants in the civil rights struggle, as well as those who shaped the economical and cultural heritage of the city and the nation.
Click here to view additional photographs and to listen to the audio of the interview with Mr. Coon.
If you or someone you know would like to share stories with us, please call (318) 865-4201, or contact ohp@rwnaf.org.
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FEATURED ARTIST IN THE COLLECTION:Sam Colt: The Name that Won the West
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Colt Revolver, Single-Action Army Model
Firearms Gallery |
In the nineteenth century, Sam Colt's name was synonymous with his revolving-breech pistol, a weapon that was said to have "won the West." The second youngest of seven children, Colt was born in Hartford, Connecticut on July 19, 1814. A confident, even reckless boy, he showed an early interest in explosives and weapons. While on a voyage to India as an apprentice sailor, young Colt designed an innovative gun with an automatic, revolving chamber.
In 1835, he took out his first patent and founded Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Company in Paterson, New Jersey. His pistol was unique. Its design allowed several shots to be fired in succession without reloading. A single-shot weapon took 20 seconds to reload -- a dangerous interval, especially for frontiersmen and soldiers fighting Indians who could fire six arrows or run 150 yards with spear and tomahawks in that time. Army officers used Colt's weapon in the 1830s, but production defects prevented widespread approval of the firearm. Colt improved manufacturing, and by 1848 his products were safer.
Colt’s weapons contributed to the U.S. Army's success in the Mexican War, and to the resulting westward expansion of American territory. A Texas Ranger, Captain Samuel Walker, wrote the inventor a testimonial that read, in part: "Your pistols...[are] the most perfect weapon in the World... to keep the various warlike tribes of Indians and marauding Mexicans in subjection."
Throughout the 1850s, Colt continued to improve his now-famous revolver. He refined his manufacturing process into a model of precision, automation, and process integration. He also saw the value of mythmaking, and marketed his gun as an essential part of the American frontier. In addition to the military, his customers included Forty-Niners heading to the California Gold Rush; emigrants headed west; cowboys; and lawmen on the nation's western frontier. A slogan of the day went, "God created men equal; Colonel Colt made them equal..." The inventor died a year after the Civil War broke out, at the young age of forty-six, having never fired a gun at another person.
Many of Sam Colt’s handguns are on display in the Gun Room in the South Wing of the Norton.
Jennifer DeFratis, Tour and Special Events Coordinator
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FEATURED ARTWORK IN THE COLLECTION: Puritan by Augustus Saint-Gaudens
The stern-faced gentleman represented in Puritan by Augustus Saint-Gaudens is the very embodiment of those early American settlers. His stern face clearly reflects his work ethic. Even while strolling in the woods [pine needles underfoot], he is frowning. Puritans simply couldn’t have fun. If they were having fun, they weren’t working and if they weren’t working they were on the road to displeasing God and possibly losing their place in heaven.
The Protestant (or Puritan) work ethic emerged after combining the doctrines of spiritual leaders Martin Luther and John Calvin. Both believed work was the will of God, but that a person may choose his profession AND his religion and work very hard to make life the very best it could be. They re-invested profits in their businesses, and believed success was evidence of being one of God’s chosen elect. By the 18th century diligence in work, scrupulous use of time, and deferment of pleasure had become a part of the popular philosophy of work in the Western world.
The early adventurers to America were looking for a new Eden, with no hope or illusions of a life of ease. From their viewpoint, the moral life was one of hard work and determination, and they approached the task of building a new world in the wilderness as an opportunity to prove their own moral worth.
Jennifer DeFratis, Tour and Special Events Coordinator
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Puritan by Augustus Saint-Gaudens
American History Gallery |
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BEHIND THE SCENES: Gerry Ward, Grounds and Building Superintendent
Gerry Ward, Grounds and Building Superintendent for the R. W. Norton Art Gallery, has worked for the museum in various capacities for over twenty years. He oversees all activities at the Norton including grounds improvements, building renovations, and security issues. His daily tasks range from ordering construction and landscape supplies to repairing fences, from hiring contractors to choosing exotic wood for pedestals and flooring for the museum, and from clarifying invoices to literally putting out fires. Gerry’s job is never the same from day to day. When I asked him what he planned to do the day I interviewed him, he said, “I don’t know yet!”
One of the most endearing qualities about him is that he is very approachable. If you are visiting the museum and notice a bearded man wearing a plaid shirt and straw hat, more than likely, it is Gerry. Feel free to let him know about your visit to the museum and gardens. If you don’t approach him, he will probably approach you! Gerry always wants to hear what our visitors have to say, so share your ideas!
Kristi Kohl, Staff Researcher
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DID YOU KNOW?
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Benjamin Franklin (miniature)
by Joseph Siffred Duplessis
American History Gallery |
In the words of Henry Steele Commager, “In [Benjamin] Franklin could be merged the virtues of Puritanism without its defects, the illumination of the Enlightenment without its heat.” Boston-born Franklin is credited with espousing and living by example the values of American character--a marriage of the practical and democratic Puritan tradition of thrift, hard work, education, and community spirit with scientific and tolerant values of the Enlightenment. After working as a printer’s apprentice, Franklin soon went into business for himself and became famous for his Poor Richard’s Almanack.
He was also a prolific inventor. To his credit are the lightning rod, the Franklin (pot-bellied) stove, bifocal glasses, and the urinary catheter, among numerous others. It may surprise you that Franklin never patented any of his inventions. He viewed them as a form of social altruism, a selfless act that may have given rise to the idea of “paying it forward,” where one good deed is repaid to a third party, and not reciprocated to the original Samaritan.
Other Franklin innovations to aid the community include establishing the U.S. post office and serving as Postmaster General, organizing the first volunteer firefighting company, creating anti-counterfeiting techniques for the new American currency, and founding the first hospital and public library. In a new country there is a LOT of work to do, and old Ben certainly rolled up his sleeves and got busy.
Jennifer DeFratis, Tour and Special Events Coordinator
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FROM THE VAULTS: Tintypes
In America, traveling photographers followed the armies in the Civil War producing tintypes of soldiers. The photographer would cut tin (actually a thin iron sheet) to size, and then coated it with a substance similar to tar. He snapped the picture, then put the sheet into a vat of chemicals. It was “set” in about a minute. The photographer handed the soldier the first “instant” photo. This process was cheap, and the results could be mailed home without breaking.
Professor Hamilton L. Smith of Kenyon College, Ohio, made the first tintypes in the United States, and introduced the process to the photographic industry. His amazing contribution made photography available to working classes, not just to the more well-to-do. Up until that point, the taking of a portrait had been more of a special “event”; with the introduction of tintypes, we begin to see more relaxed, spontaneous poses.
One pose made history. In tintypes, the image would normally be reversed, left to right, but some cameras included a mirror or prism that made the image appear the ‘right way round.’ This topsy-turvy quirk led to the assumption that Billy the Kid was left handed, after a tintype photo showed him brandishing a rifle in his left hand. He actually held it in his right hand. The photo was merely reversed.
Gelatin emulsion dry plates eventually replaced tintypes in the 1880s, although street photographers in various parts of the world kept the process alive until the 1950s and the advent of 35mm and Polaroid photography.
Jennifer DeFratis, Tour and Special Events Coordinator
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SATURDAY SPEAKER: Dr. Dana Kress,
Professor of French at Centenary College
Saturday, September 17, at 2 p.m.
Dangerous Liaisons: Benjamin Franklin in France, 1776-1785
Since his death in 1790, many French citizens believe Benjamin Franklin was the best president that our nation (n)ever had. During his years in France as the American ambassador, Franklin seemingly whiled away his time in frivolous pursuits: playing chess, seducing the great dames of Louis XVIs court, and dabbling with his printing press in Passy turning out his lighthearted Bagatelles. How did this gout-ridden, octogenarian, bon-vivant seduce a nation and change the course of western civilization? Join us as Dr. Kress of Centenary College attempts to unravel this mystery and regales us with tales of Franklin's own stories.
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