Mid-Week Pictorial

Next year marks the 100th anniversary of World War I.  While looking through stacks of old newspaper I found three of these pull-out sections from 1915 issues of the New York Times.  They contain photo essays depicting scenes from war-torn Europe. 

 

 

There is a ton of interesting information in these photos.  In 1915 America had already declared its neutrality in the Great War.  President Woodrow Wilson asked American citizens to be neutral “in thought and deed”.  The New York Times at first look seems to be complying.  In the photo to the left you can see pictures from the fortifications of both sides of the war. 

 

 

 

Although President Wilson requested neutrality, many Americans were eager to enter the war.  Here in the Northeast most people were sympathetic to the British and French cause.  The New York Times appears to be giving some preference to this side.  The centerfold of the newspaper highlights the faces of the Belgian royal children.  The German invasion of Belgium brought Great Britain into the war.  I would guess that the New York Times was trying to bring some sympathy to the Allies by choosing these photos for the centerfold.

 

 

 

 

Of course, two years after these pictures were published the U.S. did join in the Great War on the side of the Allies.  The U.S. helped to bring an end to the destruction of the continent.  This photo shows interior shots from the destruction of a church in rural France.   

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

World War I really did effect the whole world.  Pictures in this collection show troops from the Ottoman Empire, Romania, India, and Egypt.  The New York Times managed to catch scenes from all of the different theatres of war.



These are just some of the newspapers we have in our collection.  We have around two hundred newspapers ranging in age from 1775 to 1970.  Come on in to PHS to check out our archives and I'm sure we'll find something interesting to show you.  Hope to see you soon.

 

Patricia 

New Drawings of the Baker Mural

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.



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