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| The mural today |
Here at the Old Washington County Jail, one of our most popular exhibits is Ernest Hamlin Baker's The Economic Activities of the Narragansett Planters. Baker painted this mural in 1939 for the Wakefield Post Office having been commissioned by the Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture. Every year PHS receives numerous visits from college students, school groups, and individuals who wish to study the mural and its themes. Many remember seeing it in the Wakefield Post Office before it was moved here to PHS in 1998 after the Post Office shut down, others are seeing it for the first time.
In the summer of 2012 a woman came in and requested to see the mural. You can imagine our surprise when she told us that her name was June Williams and that she was the granddaughter of Ernest Hamlin Baker. What an opportunity it was for us here at PHS to hear some of her anecdotes about her grandfather and his art. At the end of her visit, she briefly mentioned that she had some concept sketches and photos of him working on the mural that she might consider donating.
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| The Artist at Work |
Fast forward to early March of 2013; with Ms. William's visit as a distant, yet fond memory we were conducting business as usual when a large package arrived in the mail. Inside, there were several photos of the mural's production, a photo of the finished mural, one clipping of the mural from a magazine, six concept sketches, and one unrelated drawing. With this astounding gift, most notably the concept sketches, we have a more comprehensive idea of Baker's thought process during production.
Certain themes and subjects were always part of Baker's plan. In every sketch, the Narragansett Pacer is prominently displayed. Slaves are seen herding sheep, moving grain, or stacking cheese boxes. At least one ship is always passing by in the background, and a planter is always perched on top of a horse, directing those below.
Other subjects got left out in Baker's final product. Natives stand on the far left side in some sketches: they wave to the viewer or inspect a husk of corn. Baker had planned to paint a windmill, before settling on the gristmill for the final painting, and at one point had included colonial homes. Even the layout of the painting evolved over time; he moved from a single cohesive scene to playing with the idea of a "polyptych" (multiple panels) that depicted daily life in Narragansett including fishing, hunting, and gambling. In the end these ideas were discarded.
For the moment, these concept sketches are not on display. That does not mean, however, that you cannot come in to view them! They are stored in our archives along with other documents related to Narragansett, South Kingstown, and Rhode Island history. Stop by Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday from 1-4pm to see them for yourself! We look forward to seeing you soon.
Eleanor
