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The History Center’s ‘Historic Paintings Unwrapped’ to display a new series of local historical artworkOpening Reception:Historic Paintings Unwrapped: Month TwoFriday, December 4th, 2009
Jefferson Beardsley, Portrait of Helen Blakeslee Noble, oil on canvas, date unknown
The History Center’s ‘Historic Paintings Unwrapped’ project continues, with a brand new installment of historical artworks from the painting collection. In the project’s second month, we feature the work of local artists Henry Walton, Jefferson Beardsley, and others. Walton, who lived in the Finger Lakes region for part of his life, produced exquisite hand-colored lithograph views of Ithaca in the 1830s and 1840s. Beardsley was an innovative photographer as well as a painter in Ithaca during the mid and late 19th century. He often worked with Cornell faculty and students as his subjects. Our records inform us that The History Center has over 200 paintings in its collection. Most have not been seen in a very, very long time and are stored in crates and other containers, so we thought it was time to see what we have! In October 2009, we began the process, bringing the crates, a few at a time, into the gallery, to open them up and exhibit the pictures for all to see. Each painting will be on display for about a month so come often to see them all by the end of April, 2010. As we hang each piece, we will assess them for condition, retention, future storage, and improved record-keeping. We are also taking this opportunity to condense some items in deep-storage in the first floor locked storage area so that the paintings can be repacked and moved into the empty space. This will make room in our archives for more heavily used documents and photographs. The Exhibit is on view through December on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 11-5pm. For more information, call 273.8284. The History Center is located at 401 E. State St, Ithaca, NY, First floor of the Gateway Center.
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