October 14, 2006 through February 11, 2007
Fogg Art Museum (more about the Fogg)

Raphaelle Peale (1774–1825), Artemas Ward (1727–1800), 1795. Oil on canvas, 72.4 x 61.8 x 4.5 cm. Photo: Courtesy of the General Artemas Ward Museum, Shrewsbury, Mass., HU 1661.

This exhibition is drawn from the General Artemas Ward Museum in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Artemas Ward (1727-1800) commanded the revolutionary force besieging British-controlled Boston from April 1775 until the appointment of George Washington two months later. Objects associated with Ward are presented in counterpoint with others owned or made by his female descendants. Their lives, unlike his, remained private, yet it was through their efforts that his memory was preserved. The exhibition raises questions regarding contrasts between public and private in relation to gender roles. By presenting ordinary artifacts for aesthetic attention, it also questions the assumption that their aesthetic qualities are irrelevant to the writing of history.

Organized by Ivan Gaskell, Margaret S. Winthrop Curator of Painting, Sculpture, and Decorative Arts, and Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, 300th Anniversary University Professor, Department of History. Funding has been provided by a grant from the Office of the Provost, Harvard University.

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