Family of Major Marsh and Enslaved Women
Artist
Unknown
CultureAmerican
Dateca. 1790
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions25 7/8 x 33 5/8 in. (65.7 x 85.4 cm)
Overall, Frame: 33 3/16 x 40 7/8 in. (84.2 x 103.8 cm)
Overall, Frame: 33 3/16 x 40 7/8 in. (84.2 x 103.8 cm)
Credit LineGift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch
Object number76.53.17
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 209
Label TextFamily of Major Marsh and Enslaved Women, ca. 1790 Oil on canvas The three enslaved women who appear in the background of this group portrait don a type of head covering known as a tignon. This practice originated in Louisiana as a form of resistance to oppressive laws which dictated that women of African descent—both enslaved and free—cover their hair when out in public. In response, women of color developed elaborate styles of headdress that carved out a space for both personal expression and resistance to white supremacy. Though these women’s identities are now lost to us, within this portrait of a slave-owning family, a subtle remnant of their personalities and act of resistance endures. Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch 76.53.17 ProvenanceHerbert Schiffer, Pa., 1961; Purchased by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, November 21, 1961, Md.; On loan from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch to the Chrysler Museum, December 13, 1974-1976; Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch to the Chrysler Museum of Art, 1976. Exhibition History"Three Hundred Years of American Art in the Chrysler Museum," Chrysler Museum at Norfolk, Va., March 1 - July 4, 1976. "Before Freedom Came: African-American Life in the Antebellum South," The Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, Va., July - December 1991; McKissick Museum, Columbia, S.C., January - March 1992, National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, Wilberforce, Okla., April - June 1992. "Behind the Seen: The Chrysler's Hidden Museum," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., October 21, 2005 - February 19, 2006. "Reopening of the Joan P. Brock Galleries," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., Opening in March of 2008. Published ReferencesDennis R. Anderson, _Three Hundred Years of American Art in the Chrysler Museum_, exh. cat., Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Va., 1975, 137. Foreword by Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., preface by Clifford W. Schaefer, and introduction by Dennis R. Anderson, _48 Masterpieces from the Collection of Edgar William & Bernice Chrysler Garbisch_ (Norfolk, Va.: The Chrysler Museum, 1975), 29, plate 9. Thomas Fleming, _Liberty! The American Revolution_ (New York: Viking Press, 1997), 22. _Liberty!_, videocassette/DVD, Twin Cities Public Television, Middlemarch Films for PBS, 1997. (broadcast rights renewed through 2008). Paul Boyer, et al, _The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People_ (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999; 4th edition 2002). Russell Freedman, _Give Me Liberty!: The Story of the Declaration of Independence_ (New York: Holiday House, 2000). Dorothy Mains Prince, _Phillis Wheatley: Make Her Black and Bid Her Sing_, 4 min., Pembroke, Mass., Sojourns LLC, 2004, videorecording/cassette. "The World Turned Upside Down," episode 5 of _Liberty! The American Revolution_, produced by Twin Cities Public Television, Inc. in association with Middlemarch Films, Inc., 6 hours, PBS, 2004, videorecording. The History Channel, _The Revolution, Episode 3: "Declaring Independence,"_ New York, NY, Partisan Pictures, 2006, DVD.
