Tuesday Talk September 2023 - 'By Women's Hands': Female Artists in the MESDA

Henrietta Johnston (1674-1729) is the earliest known female professional artist who worked in the American South. Her pastel portrait of Frances L’Escott, now on loan to the DAR Museum, reflects her considerable skill. But for Johnston, this painting was more than an expression of her talent: it was a means to ensure the survival of her family. Join Lea C. Lane, curator of the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, for an exploration of how Henrietta Johnston and other female artists left their mark on the material world of the American South. Enslaved or free, urban or rural, rich and poor, these women worked within a society that limited their participation in artistic production. Despite these challenges, they produced enduring objects of art and utility that survive as a testament to their creative genius.

Speaker: Lea Lane, curator of the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts