EXHIBITION OF RARE CIVIL WAR DRAWINGS
OPENS AT THE PICTURE GALLERY ON SEPTEMBER 4, 2010
Civil War Drawings from the Becker Collection, September 4- October 11, 2010
Curators: Judy Bookbinder and Sheila Gallagher
Public reception and curators’ talk: Saturday September 4, 2010 4:30-6:00.
Detail of Francis H. Schell (1834-1909), “Skirmish with the Texas Rangers on Tuesday the Eighteenth”, December 18, 1861, graphite on wove paper, 18 x 22 in.
This exhibition presents a selection of approximately forty-five drawings from the Becker Collection, the largest group of Civil War drawings in private hands. Joseph Becker and his colleagues, who, during the nineteenth century served as artist-reporters for Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, executed these drawings often under harrowing conditions. This collection of firsthand drawings, most of which were never published, have been on public display only once before. It includes original drawings by some of the era’s most notable artists and landmark works long thought lost or destroyed. As the United States prepares to observe the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the Becker Collection adds significantly to the nation’s understanding of its conflicted past. At a time when photography could only capture staged or still moments, the Special Artists risked their lives to record live-action historical events. The drawings in this exhibition are dramatic representations of the events that divided and defined a nation and testaments to the contributions Special Artists made to the development of American journalism and the history of American art.
For more information about the Becker Collection please visit: http://idesweb.bc.edu/becker/
To book school tours, please contact: Judi_Tatem@nps.gov, 603-675-2175 (X 100) or Gregory_C_Schwarz@nps.gov
