AboutFace: Copley’s Portrait of a Colonial Silversmith · 2011. 1. 11. · John Singleton Copley...

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans

Curriculum Connections

Images

Websites for further study

Bibliography

About Face: Copley’s Portrait of a Colonial Silversmith About Face: Copley’s Portrait of a Colonial Silversmith explores the lives and work of two artists within colonial Boston prior to the outbreak of the American Revolution. John Singleton Copley was the most popular portrait painter in colonial America. In addition to painting some of the leading patriots of the time, such as Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Paul Revere, Copley also painted the portrait of a silversmith named Nathaniel Hurd. In fact, Copley appears to have painted Nathaniel Hurd three times. The MAG’s mysteriously unfinished portrait of Hurd, the centerpiece of this exhibit, is contrasted with the completed portrait owned by the Cleveland Museum of Art. (The third version, a miniature, is in a private collection.) Nathaniel Hurd was a talented engraver whose skill and craftsmanship made him one of the most sought after silversmiths in Boston.

In addition to focusing upon paintings by Copley and silver pieces by Hurd, this exhibit aims to contextualize these works and other objects within the daily life of colonial Boston. This interactive exhibit and accompanying teaching packet will:

�❍ make primary source documents (art works, objects, and written texts) central to providing students with a view of the experiences of men and women who were alive around the time of the American Revolution.

�❍ develop students' critical looking and thinking skills as they gain experience in interpreting historical documents.

�❍ analyze different interpretations of a key political turning point in American history through the study of visual and written documents of the Boston Massacre.

�❍ explore important social issues through portraiture.�❍ evaluate the colonial American economy through primary source documents, like Nathaniel

Hurd’s Table of Conversions and a colonial coin.

The About Face exhibit includes two computer kiosks with an interactive CD-ROM experience that allows students to navigate their own exploration. In this CD-ROM, the biographies of John Singleton Copley and Nathaniel Hurd are directly tied to the people and events that led up the American Revolution. Students can explore simulations of a house and silversmith workshop in colonial Boston . Students will be exposed to the issues of identity and social status that are addressed through the manipulation of Nathaniel Hurd’s portrait.

About Face is made possible with support from Dorothy and Dan Gill and by the Museum Loan Network, a program administered by MIT's Office of the Arts, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts. Additional support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts and the Vanden Brul Conservation Fund.

Text by Jessica Marten and Education Department staff Web design by Lu Harper

Visiting the exhibit:

About Face was designed to encourage a self-guided experience of the exhibit. The exhibit contains a great deal of activities for students to engage in while visiting the Memorial Art Gallery. The label texts use interactive formats, there are two computer kiosks containing the About Face CD-ROM, and there are a number of books available for reference on life in colonial America. In addition to other activities present in the exhibit room, there are a number of lesson plans in this interactive exhibit and in the accompanying teaching packet that require student participation while at the Gallery.

http://loanet.mit.edu/http://loanet.mit.edu/

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography

About Face: Copley’s Portrait of a Colonial Silversmith

About Face: Copley’s Portrait of a Colonial Silversmith explores the lives and work of two artists within colonial Boston prior to the outbreak of the American Revolution. John Singleton Copley was the most popular portrait painter in colonial America. In addition to painting some of the leading patriots of the time, such as Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Paul Revere, Copley also painted the portrait of a silversmith named Nathaniel Hurd. In fact, Copley appears to have painted Nathaniel Hurd three times. The MAG’s mysteriously unfinished portrait of Hurd, the centerpiece of this exhibit, is contrasted with the completed portrait owned by the Cleveland Museum of Art. (The third version, a miniature, is in a private collection.) Nathaniel Hurd was a talented engraver whose skill and craftsmanship made him one of the most sought after silversmiths in Boston.

In addition to focusing upon paintings by Copley and silver pieces by Hurd, this exhibit aims to contextualize these works and other objects within the daily life of colonial Boston. This interactive exhibit and accompanying teaching packet will:

�❍ make primary source documents (art works, objects, and written texts) central to providing students with a view of the experiences of men and women who were alive around the time of the American Revolution.

�❍ develop students' critical looking and thinking skills as they gain experience in interpreting historical documents.

�❍ analyze different interpretations of a key political turning point in American history through the study of visual and written documents of the Boston Massacre.

�❍ explore important social issues through portraiture.

�❍ evaluate the colonial American economy through primary source documents, like Nathaniel Hurd’s Table of Conversions and a colonial coin.

The About Face exhibit includes two computer kiosks with an interactive CD-ROM experience that allows students to navigate their own exploration. In this CD-ROM, the biographies of John Singleton Copley and Nathaniel Hurd are directly tied to the people and events that led up the

About Face is made possible with support from Dorothy and Dan Gill and by the Museum Loan Network, a program administered by MIT's Office of the Arts, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts. Additional support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts and the Vanden Brul Conservation Fund.

Text by Jessica Marten and Education Department staff Web design by Lu Harper

American Revolution. Students can explore simulations of a house and silversmith workshop in colonial Boston . Students will be exposed to the issues of identity and social status that are addressed through the manipulation of Nathaniel Hurd’s portrait.

Visiting the exhibit:

About Face was designed to encourage a self-guided experience of the exhibit. The exhibit contains a great deal of activities for students to engage in while visiting the Memorial Art Gallery. The label texts use interactive formats, there are two computer kiosks containing the About Face CD-ROM, and there are a number of books available for reference on life in colonial America. In addition to other activities present in the exhibit room, there are a number of lesson plans in this interactive exhibit and in the accompanying teaching packet that require student participation while at the Gallery.

http://loanet.mit.edu/http://loanet.mit.edu/

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography

Getting Started: Teaching Materials for the Memorial Art Gallery exhibit

About Face: Copley’s Portrait of a Colonial Silversmith1.

This online slide set and teaching materials duplicate actual slide sets and teaching material packets that are intended to prepare you and your students for the About Face exhibit at the Memorial Art Gallery. Slide Sets and packets are available for loan from the Gallery's Teacher Resource Center.

2. There is a great deal of information in this teaching packet organized to make choosing lessons as easy as possible for teachers. This teaching packet is divided by topic. Within each topic there are images, information, and lessons that will help make your visit to the About Face exhibit as rewarding as possible.

3. Familiarize yourself with the slides and materials in this teaching packet prior to sharing them with your students.

4. Each slide is numbered and labeled to correspond to the background information.

5. Each lesson has a Curriculum Connection label to identify the lesson's educational focus.

6. The Information section for each slide is intended to provide you, the teacher, with some background on each object and does not necessarily need to be made available to the students. You will find that most of the pre-visit materials and activities expect that the students will have little or no prior knowledge of the objects before examining them.

7. Each group of slides and their Information sections are accompanied by a number of suggested lesson plans and questions. The lesson plans are available to be used or altered as each teacher sees fit in designing a gallery visit around her/his class's needs and interests.

8. The Think about it suggestions provide questions meant to facilitate further

http://mag.rochester.edu/library/#trc

discussion and/or research. 9.

Relevant websites and other works in the Memorial Art Gallery are included in an effort to expand the students' learning experience beyond the About Face exhibit. These options will provide students with an opportunity to apply the analytical looking skills developed in this exhibit to new materials.

10. Included in this teaching packet is a CD-ROM that is also found on the two computer kiosks in the exhibit room of the About Face exhibit. The CD-ROM copy provided in the teaching packet is intended for post-visit classroom use.

What to do when visiting the exhibition: About Face was designed to encourage a self-guided experience of the exhibit. This packet suggests additional activities to enhance student learning in the exhibit. The installation of the About Face exhibit contains a great deal of activities for students to engage in while visiting the Memorial Art Gallery. The label texts use interactive formats, there are two computer kiosks containing the About Face CD-ROM, and there are a number of books available for reference on life in colonial America. In addition to other activities present in the exhibit room, there are a number of lesson plans in this teaching packet that require student participation while at the Gallery.

Learning to Look Did you know that many people will spend less than 30 seconds looking at paintings? These are the same people that spend six or more hours reading a book, two hours watching a movie or play, and more than an hour listening to a CD. Why are people so quick to look away from art? If you spent less than 30 seconds listening to a symphony, would you truly understand the way the composer uses instruments and rhythm to create a mood or express an emotion? Many people not only listen to symphonies in their entirety, but also will happily listen to them again and again. By taking the time to truly listen to and experience music, you open yourself up to a rich and engaging experience with the style and content of the music. The same goes for a work of art. The amount of time people spend looking at and experiencing a work of art generally does not do justice to the amount of time artists spend creating art. Some artists can spend months and years working and reworking their art! It is our job as viewers to explore the relationships between the painting's formal qualities (ex. line, color, shape, etc.), its content, and our personal reaction to the work.

Many viewers don't take the time to ask questions or develop their personal aesthetic reaction to a painting. Why are some paintings or sculptures more visually appealing to you than others? What can you do to encourage basic looking and thinking skills in yourself and your students? Begin by taking the time to look and cultivate an aesthetic response to a work of art. You'll be amazed what happens when you look at a painting or sculpture for an extended period of time, about two to four minutes. Begin asking questions addressing the visual nature of the art in front of you:

● What are the most prominent elements of this work? Line? Color? Light? Shape?● How do these elements affect your reaction to the work of art?● How does the artist's use of these elements relate to the subject matter of the work?● Can you identify what it is that does or does not attract you to the work of art?

These questions can be difficult to answer. An aesthetic reaction is a personal, subjective experience. You may find a painting attractive or engaging for entirely different reasons than the person standing next to you. The key is to take your time, look at the painting, and allow your immediate reaction to be expressed. Then capture that reaction, and reflect upon it. Ask yourself what is it about the painting that caused you to react the way you did? After you have reflected on your reaction, look at the painting again. There is a very good chance you will see something new that you had not noticed before.

It might help to provide you with some vocabulary to explain your responses to a work of art.

Formal Elements of Painting: Line - Line is technically a mark made by a moving point. Lines can function in many ways in art to define space, or create the illusion of forms in space. Lines can also be very expressive formal elements. When you see a line that is thick, dark, and steady, it appears stable and strong. If a painting has an outline of a man in a thick, dark, steady line, then the figure of the man appears stable and strong. Sometimes artists will use a thin, winding, erratic line to express something about what they are drawing. For example, if an artist drew the outline of a man with a thin, winding, erratic line, then the figure of the man might appear unstable, or nervous.

Color - Color has been used in many ways throughout the history of art. Some artists use descriptive color, meaning they depict color in the way it appears in the actual world. If the sky is blue, then they will paint it blue. Other artists use color in a subjective way to express something they are trying to convey. For example, an artist may paint his/her sky red to express something about themselves, the sky, or the meaning of the painting.

Space - In painting, space is created by the artist's manipulation of the paint on the canvas. The artist can create an illusion of a three-dimensional environment on a two-dimensional surface. For example, a three-dimensional space is created when an artist paints a convincing depiction of a room with objects that appear to exist within that space. Some artists prefer to create paintings that retain a two-dimensional, flat surface.

Light - Light can act to define space in a painting. This is visible when we see an artist using light to cause an object to cast a shadow, or reflect off an object to make it appear as a solid form. Light is also sometimes used for expression, or to create a mood. Painting a figure in a dark room may express something ominous or frightening to the viewer. A figure drenched in sunlight expresses something quite different.

Composition - Composition is generally understood as the way in which the artist organizes the formal elements (ex. line, color, and light) in his painting. Composition too can be expressive or descriptive. A composition that consists of 12 figures of people all squeezed into a corner of the canvas will express something different than a composition that is symmetrical, with six figures evenly distributed on each side of the canvas.

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography

Lesson Plans Unit Introduction Lesson Plan

Portraits as Keys to History

Nathaniel Hurd: portraiture & identity

Life as a colonial silversmith. A lesson in point of view

Self-portraits and fashioning your own identity

Identity of Women in Portraiture Signs, symbols, identities and women in the

American RevolutionPaul Revere and Point of View Images and accounts of the Boston Massacre The figure of Paul Revere. Romanticizing

colonial American history Document Based QuestionFirefighting and Community in Colonial America What can objects tell us? Document Based QuestionColonial Trades and Apprenticeships SilversmithsArtists in Colonial America John Singleton CopleyColonial Silver and Tea Items of social significance, yesterday and

today

Colonial American Trade, Currency, and Economy The instability of a colonial economy What can money tell us? Document Based QuestionJohn Singleton Copley and British Portraiture Picturing historyMake it Yourself! The Spoon Game

CD-ROM Activities

Tea Party Activities

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography


The curriculum connection is indicated in the upper right-hand corner of each Unit Introduction and Lesson Plan. For a list of all Units and Lesson Plans by curricular area, follow the links below.

ART ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS SOCIAL STUDIES

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography

Text by Jessica Marten Web design by Lu Harper

Images Click on the thumbnail or link to see a full-size image.

Portrait of Nathaniel Hurd from the Cleveland Museum of Art

Image #1

John Singleton Copley American, 1737-1815 Nathaniel Hurd, ca. 1765 Oil on canvas, 29 3/8 x 24 5/8"

Memorial Art Gallery Marion Stratton Gould Fund, 44.2

Image #2


Cleveland Museum of Art Gift of John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust

Image #3

John Singleton Copley American, 1737-1815 Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Mifflin (Sarah Morris), 1773 Oil on ticking, 60 ½ x 48"

Philadelphia Museum of Art

http://magart.rochester.edu/VieO292http://www.clemusart.com/museum/collect/world/hurd.htmhttp://www.clemusart.com/museum/collect/world/hurd.htmfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/Mifflin.jpgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/dongen.jpghttp://magart.rochester.edu/VieO357http://magart.rochester.edu/VieO391

Image #4

Kees van Dongen Dutch, 1877-1968 Portrait of a Woman, ca. 1903 Oil on canvas, 39 3/8 x 27 ¾"

Memorial Art Gallery Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Irving S. Norry, 66.27

Image #5

Ralph Earl American, 1751-1801 Mary Smith Booth, 1790 Oil on canvas, 38 x 31"


Image #6

Jefferson Gauntt American Josephine Dixon

Memorial Art Gallery Gift of Mrs. George Barlow Penny, 42.45

Image #7

Jacob Jordaens Flemish, ca. 1640 Portrait of Elizabeth Jordaens

Memorial Art Gallery Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Fred W. Gelb, 74.102

Image #8

M.M. Manchester American, active ca. 1840s Judge and Mrs. Arthur Yates, 1840 Oil on canvas, 36 x 58 ¾"

Memorial Art Gallery Gallery Purchase, 41.30

Image #9

Ammi Phillips American, 1788-1865 Old Woman with a Bible, ca. 1834 Oil on linen, 33 ½ x 28"

Memorial Art Gallery Beatrice M. Padelford Trust, 84.22

Midnight Ride of Paul Revere from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

http://magart.rochester.edu/VieO5034http://magart.rochester.edu/VieO549http://magart.rochester.edu/VieO633file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/RevereMass.jpgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/CopleyRevere.jpghttp://www.metmuseum.org/collections/view1.asp?dep=21&item=50%2E117

Image #10

Paul Revere American Engraving of the Boston Massacre, 1770

American Antiquarian Society

Image #11

John Singleton Copley American, 1737-1815 Paul Revere, 1768 Oil on canvas, 35 x 28 ½"

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Image #12

Grant Wood American, 1891-1942 Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, 1931 Oil on composition board, 30 x 40"

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Arthur H. Hearn Fund, 1950. (50.117)

Image 13:

Possibly Henry Dawkins. American Certificate of the Hand-in-Hand Fire Company, 1753 (detail) Engraving

I.N. Phelps Stokes Collection Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

Image #14

J. Fenno American Fire Bucket, 1799 Leather

Courtesy of the Bostonian Society/Old State House

Exterior photo of Paul Revere's home in Boston, MA

Courtesy of the Paul Revere Memorial Association

file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/firescene.jpgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/fenno.jpgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/RevereHouseExterior.jpgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/www.paulreverehouse.orgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/www.paulreverehouse.org

Image #16

Paul Revere after Christian Remick Landing of the Troops in Boston Harbor, 1770 Engraving

Boston Athenæum

Image #17

Interior photo of the kitchen in Paul Revere House

Courtesy of the Paul Revere Memorial Association

Image #18

John Neagle American Pat Lyon at the Forge, 1826-1827 Oil on canvas


Image 19:

Jacob Hurd American, d. 1758 Teapot, ca. 1740 Silver with wood handle 97.6.3

Historic Deerfield Inc., Deerfield, Massachusetts Gift of Janette F. Weber in memory of her husband, Frederick C. Weber, Jr., M.D.

Image 20:

Nathaniel Hurd American, 1729/30-1777 Cann Silver 54.457

Historic Deerfield Inc., Deerfield, Massachusetts

Image 21:

Nathaniel Hurd American, 1729/30-1777 Teapot Silver 60.1045

Courtesy, Winterthur Museum

file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/TroopsLanding.jpgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/RevereHouseInterior.jpgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/Neagle.jpgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/www.paulreverehouse.orgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/www.paulreverehouse.orgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/97-6-3full.jpgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/54-457full.jpgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/60-1045full.jpghttp://www.historic-deerfield.org/http://www.historic-deerfield.org/

Image #22

Nathaniel Hurd American, 1729/30-1777 Cream Pail Silver

Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, Massachusetts Museum Purchase, 1936.51

Image #23:

Nathaniel Hurd American, 1729/30-1777 Table of Conversions Engraving


Image #24

Thomas Gainsborough British, 1727-1788 Man with Book Seated in a Landscape, ca. 1753 Oil on canvas, 24 x 20"

Memorial Art Gallery Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Fred W. Geib, 75.115

Image #25 :

Sir Joshua Reynolds English, 1723-1792 Portrait of Miss Hoare, 1782 Oil on canvas, 36 3/16 x 28"

Memorial Art Gallery George Eastman Collection of the University of Rochester, 77.1

Image #26:

W. Champney; Bufford, lithographer, 1856. Boston Massacre, March 5th 1770

©Bettmann/CORBIS

file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/CreamPail.jpgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/HurdTable.gifhttp://magart.rochester.edu/VieO4804http://magart.rochester.edu/VieO4233file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/PelhamMassacre.jpg

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography

Websites:

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook12.html "Internet Modern History Sourcebook"

*This site is great for primary source documents.

http://americanhistory.si.edu/hohr/springer/index.htm "You be the Historian"

*Looks at primary source documents (both texts and objects), to try to figure out what a late 18th century colonial family was like. Available for printing is 'Questions for Future Historians' worksheet for further analysis and discussion. 'In Conclusion' section has historians giving their opinions on the family based on their study of the primary source documents.

http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/boston/index.html "Colonial Boston Unearthed"

*Discusses archaeological findings from 'The Big Dig'. The contents of a colonial privy are used to make a hypothesis about the occupation of a woman who lived and worked in her house.

http://www.history.org/almanack.htm "Colonial Williamsburg"

*Go to 'Archaeology for Kids' page. There are a lot of interesting activities for students to explore, but most relevant is the 'Artifact Challenge' which provides photographs of artifacts and has multiple choice questions asking the students what they believed these objects were used for. When students guess the correct answer, there is an explanation of what the object is and how it was used. The page 'Experience Colonial Life' is also very interesting.

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook12.htmlhttp://americanhistory.si.edu/hohr/springer/index.htmhttp://www.archaeology.org/online/features/boston/index.htmlhttp://www.history.org/almanack.htm

http://www.earlyamerica.com/ "Archiving Early America"

*This site includes newspapers, maps, writings, lives of Early Americans, notable women of Early America, and how to read a 200 year old document.

http://www.earlyamerica.com/portraits/index.html "Gallery of Early American Portraits"

*This site provides a menu of portraits of such notable historic figures as John Hancock, John and Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin.

http://theweboftime.com/ "American History from the Web of Time"

*A magazine of American history, archaeology, and museum exhibits for kids.

http://www.bham.wednet.edu/colonial.htm "Colonial American History Resources"

*This is another great resource site including links to sites related to famous historical figures, colonial skills, religion in the colonies, etc.

http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/ Liberty: the American Revolution

http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/road.html Liberty: the road to Revolution Game

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2h3147b.html "Engraving showing the death of Crispus Attucks"

http://www.coloradocollege.edu/dept/hy/hy243ruiz/research/military.html

http://www.earlyamerica.com/http://www.earlyamerica.com/portraits/index.htmlhttp://theweboftime.com/http://www.bham.wednet.edu/colonial.htmhttp://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/road.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2h3147b.htmlhttp://www.coloradocollege.edu/dept/hy/hy243ruiz/research/military.html

"African Americans in Early American Military History"

*This site contains a good basic introduction to the participation of African Americans in the military in colonial America. This site also contains a useful bibliography and Internet links to relevant archive sources.

http://www.nga.gov/feature/watson/index.html "Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley" at the National Gallery of Art

*This website looks at Copley's painting Watson and the Shark, which he painted in London after leaving America. This site focuses upon the story behind the painting, the artist, the formal elements of the painting, and the historical and artistic influences on Copley.

http://www.nga.gov/feature/watson/index.html

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography

Books

For Elementary Students:

Brenner, Barbara. If You Were There in 1776. Simon and Schuster for Young Readers, New York, 1994.

*This book contains chapters covering such subjects as, The World in 1776, The Way they Looked, Farmers, Enslaved People, etc.

Carlson, Laurie. Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World. Chicago Review Press, Chicago, 1997.

*This book is full of explanations of life in colonial America. Most notably, students can gain first-hand knowledge of the daily experiences and responsibilities of colonial kids through activities such as making soap, quill pens and rag rugs, churning butter, and playing games like Hide the Thimble.

Forbes, Esther. Johnny Tremain. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1943.

Howarth, Sarah. Colonial People. The Millbrook Press, Connecticut, 1994.

*This book focuses upon the different categories of people that existed in colonial America. This includes chapters on Native Americans, Puritans, Goodwives, Fur Traders, Servants, etc.

King, Penny and Roundhill Clare. Artist’s Workshop: Portraits. Crabtree Publishing Company.

*This book contains creative suggestions and activities on how kids can make portraits. These activities include a historical element by using portraits by well-known artists as examples.

Moore, Kay. If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution. Scholastic, New York,

1997.

*This source is rich in discussion of the life experiences of people involved in the American Revolution. Many interesting, pertinent questions are answered, such as, What was life like for the Loyalists during the war? Did children of loyalist and patriot families go to school? How did they dress differently?

Rappaport, Doreen. The Boston Coffee Party. HarperCollins, 1988.

*This book is for Grades 2-4, and tells a short story based in Revolutionary Era America.

For Upper Elementary and Junior High School:

Brandt, Keith, Paul Revere Son of Liberty. Troll Associates, New Jersey, 1982.

Forbes, Esther, Johnny Tremain. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1943.

*A historical novel based partly on the life of Paul Revere.

King, Penny and Roundhill Clare. Artist’s Workshop: Portraits. Crabtree Publishing Company.


Leehey, Patrick, What Was The Name of Paul Revere's Horse?: Twenty Questions About Paul Revere, Asked and Answered, Boston: Paul Revere Memorial Association, 1997.

Stevenson, Augusta, Paul Revere Boston Patriot. MacMillan Publishing Company, New York, 1986.

Videos:

Silversmith of Williamsburg: The Extraordinary Work of a Skilled Craftsman. Colonial Williamsburg Videocassette. 1971 (44 minutes and available in the Teacher Resource Center, MAG).

file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/teacher.htm

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography

Selections from the Diary and Autobiography of John Adams

“I…devoted myself to endless labour and Anxiety if not to infamy and death, and that for nothing, except, what indeed was and ought to be all in all, a sense of duty. In the Evening I expressed to Mrs. Adams all my Apprehensions: That excellent Lady, who has always encouraged me, burst into a flood of Tears, but said she was very sensible of all the Danger to her and to our Children as well as to me, but she thought I had done as I ought, she was very willing to share in all that was to come and place her trust in Providence.

“Before or after the Tryal, Preston sent me ten Guineas and at the Tryal of the Soldiers afterwards Eight Guineas more, which were…all the pecuniary Reward I ever had for fourteen or fifteen days labour, in the most exhausting and fatiguing Causes I ever tried: for hazarding a Popularity very general and very hardly earned: and for incurring a Clamour and popular Suspicions and prejudices, which are not yet worn out and never will be forgotten as long as History of this Period is read…It was immediately bruited abroad that I had engaged for Preston and the Soldiers, and occasioned a great clamour…

“The Part I took in Defense of Cptn. Preston and the Soldiers, procured me Anxiety, and Obloquy enough. It was, however, one of the most gallant, generous, manly and disinterested Actions of my whole Life, and one of the best Pieces of Service I ever rendered my Country. Judgement of Death against those Soldiers would have been as foul a Stain upon this Country as the Executions of the Quakers or Witches, anciently. As the Evidence was, the Verdict of the Jury was exactly right.

“This however is no Reason why the Town should not call the Action of that Night a Massacre, nor is it any Argument in favour of the Governor or Minister, who caused them to be sent here. But it is the strongest Proofs of the Danger of Standing Armies.”

The above quotes were taken from Adams, John. Diary and Autobiography of John Adams. L.H. Butterfield, Editor. Cambridge, MA: the Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1961.

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography

Lesson Plans Unit Introduction

Art Social Studies

Artists in Colonial America

Image 1:



Image 2:


Cleveland Museum of Art Gift of John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust


http://magart.rochester.edu/VieO292http://www.clemusart.com/museum/collect/world/hurd.htmhttp://www.clemusart.com/museum/collect/world/hurd.htmhttp://www.clemusart.com/museum/collect/world/hurd.htm

Text by Jessica Marten Web design by Lu Harper

Information:

John Singleton Copley was the premier portrait artist in America prior to the American Revolution. He was the favorite of Boston's upper class because of his amazing talent in satisfying his patrons' taste for portraits that were both realistic and flattering. During this time in American history, portrait artists were not valued for their intense creativity and individuality as they are in today's society, but rather for their ability to portray their subjects in a realistic manner. As a matter of fact, artists were considered to be just one other kind of tradesman, like a silversmith or a milliner. Artists learned their skill like any other trade, through an apprenticeship.

Although colonial Boston society did not differentiate artists from other tradesmen, Copley strongly believed in the value of his individuality and creativity as central to his artistic career. He said, regarding his patrons in America, "the people generally regard [painting] no more than any other useful trade, as they sometimes term it, like that of a Carpenter tailor or shew maker [sic], not as one of the most noble Arts in the World (Staiti, p35)." In this statement, Copley expresses his belief that the skill of painting is superior to those skills of other trades.

Yet, just like the Boston silversmiths, Nathaniel Hurd and Paul Revere, Copley also learned his trade through an apprenticeship. Colonial America had no significant artistic history to draw influence from or schools for artists-in-training like those in Europe. This left Copley no choice but to learn his skill through the traditional apprenticeship and his subsequent self-training.

Copley was introduced to the art world through his apprenticeship with his stepfather, Peter Pelham, a well-known engraver from England. Copley gained a great deal of guidance and artistic knowledge about European art from his stepfather, who died when Copley was only thirteen years old. After his stepfather passed away, Copley continued to look to the art of Europe for his influence and education. Many of Copley's portraits show his American patrons with clothes, objects, and settings modeled after prints of European portraits (Stebbins, p 79). Without a teacher to guide him in his style and subject matter, Copley trained himself to be a better artist based upon European sources. He copied anatomy drawings from European books because the nude model was still considered taboo in American culture. He also read many European theoretical treatises on art and kept correspondence with two of the major artists in England at the time, Joshua Reynolds and the American ex-Patriot, Benjamin West.

Vocabulary:

portrait - a work of art that represents a specific person.

patron - a wealthy person who financially supports an artist, or pays them to create art for them.

milliner - a person who designs or makes women's hats.

trade - another name for the occupations people had during the colonial era. Usually it required some prior training through an apprenticeship during which time the necessary skills would be learned.

apprenticeship - a common way for young men to learn a trade during colonial times. Boys were often apprenticed to a master tradesman for a prescribed period of time to acquire the skills of the trade by watching and working with their experienced master.

silversmith - one whose occupation is making and repairing articles of silver.

engraver - a tradesman who cuts letters and designs into a surface from which prints are made.

Sources:

King, Penny and Roundhill, Clare. Artist's Workshop: Portraits. Crabtree Publishing Company


Rebora, Carrie, "Transforming Colonists into Goddesses and Sultans: John Singleton Copley, His Clients, and Their Studio Collaboration," The American Art Journal, vol. XXVII, numbers 1 & 2, 1995-1996. pp. 4-37

Saunders, Richard H. and Miles, Ellen G. American Colonial Portraits: 1700-1776. Smithsonian

Institution Press for the National Portrait Gallery, Washington City, 1987.

Staiti, Paul, "Accounting for Copley," in Rebora, Carrie and Staiti, Paul, et. al. John Singleton Copley in America. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, 1995. pp. 25-51

Stebbins Jr., Theodore E. "An American Despite Himself," in Rebora, Carrie and Staiti, Paul, et. al. John Singleton Copley in America. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, 1995. pp. 79-102

Relevant website:


"Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley" at the National Gallery of Art

*This website looks at Copley's painting Watson and the Shark, which he painted in London after leaving America. This site focuses upon the story behind the painting, the artist, the formal elements of the painting, and the historical and artistic influences on Copley.

Suggested Lesson:

Artists in Colonial America: John Singleton Copley


Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography

Paul Revere and Point of View Art English Language Arts

Social StudiesImages and accounts of the Boston Massacre

Objectives:

Students will

�❍ visually analyze the engraving of the Boston Massacre by Paul Revere.

�❍ critically approach textual and visual primary source documents to begin asking questions about point-of-view and subjective history.

�❍ approach issues surrounding the exclusion of minority groups in historical accounts.

�❍ conduct independent research on the roles of African-Americans before and during the American Revolution.

Lesson times:

If you attend the About Face exhibit at the Memorial Art Gallery, this lesson consists of suggested visit, and post-visit activities.

Vocabulary:

engraving - image made by taking the impression from an engraved and inked metal or wood block.

Patriot - a colonial who believed that America should not be ruled by England.

point-of-view - the place from which, or way in which, something is viewed or considered; standpoint; the viewpoint from which a story is narrated.

silversmith - one whose occupation is making and repairing articles of silver.

subjective - determined by and emphasizing the ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc. of the artist or writer, not just rigidly transcribing or reflecting reality.

Townshend Act - (1767) laws passed by Parliament that taxed goods such as glass, paper, silk, lead, and tea.

Prior Knowledge:

Students should have begun study of colonial America, with some basic background in pre-Revolutionary Boston, at least up to and including the Boston Massacre.

Materials:

1. Image

Image #10



file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/RevereMass.jpg

Image #11

John Singleton Copley American, 1737-1815 Paul Revere, 1768 Oil on canvas, 35 x 28 ½"


2. Photocopy of the engraving of Boston Massacre (attached in teacher's packet)

3. What is this visual document? worksheet (HTML)4. Internet access for follow-up lessons (optional)5. Captain Thomas Preston's Account of the Boston Massacre6. Anonymous Account of the Boston Massacre 7. Verse accompanying Paul Revere's engraving of the Boston Massacre

(HTML)

Lesson:

1. Divide class into groups of three students each. Give each group of students a photocopy of the Boston Massacre engraving and the What is this visual document? worksheet.

2. Observe the broadside engraving in the "About Face" exhibit or project slides #10 & 11, the engraving of Boston Massacre by Paul Revere and the portrait of Paul Revere by John Singleton Copley.

3. Each group can take about 15-20 minutes to complete their worksheet based on their observation of the slides. The worksheet involves the students visually analyzing the engraving of the Boston Massacre by Paul Revere. It asks:

● What is going on here? What makes you say that?● Where does this appear to be taking place? What visual clues tell you this?

file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/CopleyRevere.jpgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/VisualDocument.dochttp://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1751-1775/bostonmassacre/prest.htmhttp://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1751-1775/bostonmassacre/anon.htmfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/BostonMassacreVerse.doc

● When does this appear to be taking place? What visual clues tell you this?● What does this image tell us about the event that occurred on March 5, 1770?● How is this image structured?● How many figures are there on each side of the picture?● On which side are the American Patriots, and on which side are the British

soldiers? How can you tell?● What colors do you see? Where are they?● Trace the color red through the image. What visual connections are made

here?● What side is the artist on? What visual details make that evident to you?

4. When that part of the lesson is complete, the class will reconvene and discuss each group's findings.

5. Emphasize the students' abilities to 'read' a visual image. Try to get the students to articulate the way in which they interpreted meaning through combining their 'reading' of visual clues and their own historical knowledge.

6. Encourage students to try a similar exercise with the images they will encounter on their visit to the Memorial Art Gallery.

Follow-up (Option 1):

A discussion of this representation of the Boston Massacre by Paul Revere leads to questions about the role of African Americans in the American Revolution. Although Crispus Attucks (ca. 1723-1770) was commonly known to be the first man to die at the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere has failed to portray him in this engraving. Why might Paul Revere have excluded the role of Crispus Attucks as one of the primary figures of the patriotic cause in the Boston Massacre? After the visit to the Memorial Art Gallery, students can research the experiences of African Americans leading up to the Revolution. Addressing such questions as:

● How could patriotic colonials who were calling for their rights to freedom keep men and women enslaved?

● What were the roles of African American men and women in the Northeast prior to the Revolution?

● Did African-Americans participate in the war against England? If so, for what side did they fight?

Helpful websites for research:

http://www.coloradocollege.edu/dept/hy/hy243ruiz/research/military.html "African Americans in Early American Military History"

This site contains a good basic introduction to the participation of African Americans in the military in colonial America. This site also contains a useful bibliography and internet links to relevant archive sources.

http://www.rit.edu/~nrcgsh/bx.html "The Black Experience in America"

This is the text of a book written by Norman Coombs called The Black Experience in America written as a part of The Immigrant Heritage of America for Twayne Press, 1972. The most pertinent chapter being Chapter 4, 'All Men are Created Equal'.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2h3147b.html "Engraving showing the death of Crispus Attucks"

Follow-up (Option 2):

This exercise is intended to get the students thinking about 'point of view' and the problems inherent in taking historical accounts as fact. Students will read the verse accompanying Paul Revere's engraving of the Boston Massacre (attached). Or, for younger students, extract some of the most powerful words from the Boston Massacre verse for classroom consideration. What kind of messages do these words

http://www.coloradocollege.edu/dept/hy/hy243ruiz/research/military.htmlhttp://www.rit.edu/~nrcgsh/bx/bx04a.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2h3147b.html

convey to readers?

Then direct your students to the "Internet Modern History Sourcebook" (these materials are also provided in the teaching packet). This site is great for primary source documents. In the 'American Independence' page, go to the 'American Revolution' list. There are two entirely different first hand accounts of the Boston Massacre. An anonymous colonist wrote one version of the event and the British military leader present at the event, Captain Thomas Preston, wrote the other account. How do we know which version of the event is accurate? After reading both versions (or a segment chosen from both), have the students write a verse about the Boston Massacre from the point of view of a British soldier. Or for more visually minded students, have them draw a version of the Boston Massacre from the point of view of Captain Prescott.

Evaluation:

Students should be evaluated on their participation in the pre-visit looking exercise, their attempt to question the point of view of unfamiliar works they encounter on the Gallery visit, their ability to research and report on the roles of African Americans in the American Revolution, and/or view historical events from the point of view of the 'other side'.

Summary:

Students will participate in a looking exercise of Paul Revere's engraving of the Boston Massacre that will introduce issues of point of view and subjective history. The analytical looking skills gained in this pre-visit exercise will be practiced on unfamiliar images while at the Memorial Art Gallery. Post-visit research on the roles of African Americans in the American Revolution will be conducted in response to the frequent exclusion of minorities in historical accounts. Creating an account of the Boston Massacre from the point of view of a British soldier will provide the students with personal insight into subjective history.

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook12.htmlhttp://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1751-1775/bostonmassacre/anon.htmhttp://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1751-1775/bostonmassacre/prest.htmhttp://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1751-1775/bostonmassacre/prest.htm

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography

Document Based Question

Pre-Revolution Politics: Boston Massacre

11th-grade students

Directions:

Look at the images and the documents in Part A, and answer the questions after each one. Then read the directions in Part B and write your essay.

Historical Context:

Boston was a major port in America in the 18th century, shipping goods back to England and British colonies in the Caribbean and India, and receiving goods for sale throughout the thirteen colonies. Merchants were Boston's leading citizens. But Boston was also a center of American protests against the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts; the protesters were led by Sam Adams and included primarily upper and middle class businessmen, artisans, merchants and lawyers.

Part A:

There are three sections (I, II, and III) to be examined and questions to answer in this part.

I. Closely examine the two broadsides (newspaper flyers or posters--images below) depicting events in Boston on March 5, 1770. And answer questions a-c.

Image #10:



Image #26:

W. Champney; Bufford, lithographer, 1856 Boston Massacre, March 5th, 1770

©Bettmann/CORBIS

A. What information can you find in the Paul Revere poster? What details are emphasized? What techniques does Paul Revere use to draw your attention to certain details? What is his point of view, or understanding of hte events in Boston on March 5?

2. What information do you find in the second broadside by W. Champney who completed his Boston massacre lithograph in 1856, 86 years after the event? What information is similar to the first poster? What is different? What information has Champney taken from the Revere view? What might explain the differences?

3. What point of view about the causes of the Boston Massacre is shared by both artists?

file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/RevereMass.jpgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/PelhamMassacre.jpg

2. The British soldiers were put on trial in Boston for the killing of five colonials on March 5, 1770. Read Testimony and Depositions from the Trial of the British Soldiers.

A. What were the incidents that led up to the shooting?2. Was this a calculated event or did the tragedy occur in the heat of the

moment?3. How does the testimony of each eyewitness support or refute the

information in the two broadsides?

3. Read the statements by the defense and the comments by the lead defense attorney, John Adams: Selections from the Diary and Autobiography of John Adams.

A. Why did Adams agree to defend the British soldiers?2. What was the outcome of the trial?

Part B:

Using your knowledge of American history and the information you have learned by examining these documents and objects, write an essay in which you:

● Compare the various views of the Boston Massacre as seen by the participants and onlookers.

● Discuss the reasons why different persons saw the Boston Massacre from different perspectives.

● Discuss the importance of the Boston Massacre in shaping the American colonists' attitude toward the British and toward their own cause.

Teacher support information Object analysis questions to use to focus students' looking and direct their thinking:

● What do you see?● What details are emphasized more than others?

● How is the picture arranged?● Who are the groups of people in the picture?● Are the two sides of the picture, and the two groups of people, portrayed in the

same way?● What colors are used and what emotions do the colors evoke?● What evidence is there that this is an accurate representation of the event?● What evidence is there that the artist is more interested in presenting a

particular point of view than in portraying the facts of the event?

Additional documents:

● Resource material: Verse accompanying Paul Revere’s engraving of the Boston Massacre (HTML or Word)

Resource material: Additional eyewitness accounts of the events on March 5, 1770:

● Captain Thomas Preston's Account of the Boston Massacre ● Anonymous Account of the Boston Massacre

Web sites:

http://www.si.umich.edu/spies/print-bostonmassacre.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2h3147b.html

Criteria for Rating Student Responses

file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/BostonMassacreVerse.dochttp://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1751-1775/bostonmassacre/prest.htmhttp://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1751-1775/bostonmassacre/anon.htmhttp://www.si.umich.edu/spies/print-bostonmassacre.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2h3147b.html

Name:______________________________

Name:______________________________ Date:_____________

Worksheet: What is this visual document?

Directions: Look in depth at the engraving of the Boston Massacre. As a group, answer the following questions. When you respond to questions about what the image looks like, describe what you are seeing as if you are telling someone about it over the telephone. In other words, take time to look at the image and be detailed in your description.

1. What is going on here? What makes you say that?

2. Where does this appear to be taking place? What visual clues tell you this?

3. When does this appear to be taking place? What visual clues tell you this?

4. What does this image tell us about the event that occurred on March 5, 1770?

5. How is this image structured?

6. How many figures are there on each side of the picture?

7. On which side are the American Patriots, and on which side are the British soldiers? How can you tell?

8. What colors do you see? Where are they?

9. Trace the color red through the image. What visual connections are made here?

10. What side is the artist on? What visual details make that evident to you?

Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________

Verse accompanying Paul Revere’s engraving of the Boston Massacre:

Unhappy Boston! See thy sons deplore, Thy hallowed walks besmeared with guiltless core While faithless Preston and his savage bands – With murderous rancor stretch their bloody hands, Like fierce barbarians grinning over their pray, Approve the carnage and enjoy the day.

If scalding drops rage from Anguish wrung If speechless sorrows laboring for a tongue Or if a weeping world can ought appease The plaintive ghosts of victims such as these; The patriots’ copious tears for each are shed A glorious tribute which embalms the dead.

But know fate summons to that awful goal Where justice stripped the murdered of his soul Should venal C-ts the scandal of the land Snatch the relentless villain from her hand Keen execrations on this plate inscribed. Shall reach a judge who never can be bribed.

Vocabulary:

besmeared smeared, dirtied

rancor bitter ill will

carnage great and bloody slaughter

appease to calm or pacify

plaintive expressive of suffering

copious abundant, plentiful

venal open to corrupt influence, especially bribery

execrations things that are cursed, detested

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography


English Language Arts Social Studies

John Singleton Copley and British Portraiture

Image 24:

Thomas Gainsborough British, 1727-1788 Man with Book Seated in a Landscape, ca. 1753 Oil on canvas, 24 x 20"

Memorial Art Gallery Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Fred W. Geib, 75.115

Image 25:

Joshua Reynolds English, 1723-1792 Portrait of Miss Hoare, 1782 Oil on canvas, 36 3/16 x 28"

Memorial Art Gallery George Eastman Collection of the University of Rochester, 77.1

file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/Gainsborough.jpgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/Reynolds.jpg

Information:

John Singleton Copley had a great deal of respect and admiration for British artists. Despite his success as a portrait painter in America, Copley eventually moved to London before the Revolution began. He and his family's emigration allowed him become a part of the European art world. His move was also about his family's safety. It was Copley's father-in-law's tea that was dumped into the harbor at the Boston Tea Party.

Neither of these portraits is directly related to the About Face exhibit. Rather they are included to motivate students to look elsewhere in the museum and ask similar questions as those asked about the Nathaniel Hurd portrait. Both works are portraits of and by British people roughly contemporary with the Hurd portrait. These portraits are intended to show the students a different point of view concerning the British population. These are visual documents that can put faces to, and therefore humanize, the 'other side' in the American Revolution.

Vocabulary:

portrait - a work of art that represents a specific person.

sitter - the person who is the subject of the portrait.

Lesson:

John Singleton Copley and British Portraiture: Picturing history

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography

Curriculum Connections: Art

Unit Introduction Lesson Plan



Paul Revere and Point of View

Images and accounts of the Boston Massacre


Colonial Trades and Apprenticeships

Silversmiths


John Singleton Copley

Colonial American Trade, Currency, and Economy

What can money tell us?Make it Yourself!

The Spoon Game

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography

Curriculum Connections: English Language Arts






Identity of Women in Portraiture

Signs, symbols, identities, and women in the American Revolution

Paul Revere and Point of View

Images and accounts of the Boston Massacre

The figure of Paul Revere. Romanticizing colonial American history


Colonial Trades and Apprenticeships

Silversmiths


John Singleton Copley

John Singleton Copley and British Portraiture

Picturing history

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography

Curriculum Connections: Social Studies






Identity of Women in Portraiture Signs, symbols, identities and women in the

American RevolutionPaul Revere and Point of View Images and accounts of the Boston Massacre The figure of Paul Revere. Romanticizing

colonial American history Document Based QuestionFirefighting and Community in Colonial America

What can objects tell us? Document Based QuestionColonial Trades and Apprenticeships SilversmithsArtists in Colonial America John Singleton CopleyColonial Silver and Tea

Items of social significance, yesterday and today


The instability of a colonial economy What can money tell us? Document Based QuestionJohn Singleton Copley and British Portraiture Picturing historyMake it Yourself! The Spoon Game

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography

CD-ROM Activities/Features

Compare the Portraits:

This activity allows students to compare and contrast the two portraits of Nathaniel Hurd by John Singleton Copley. As students identify differences between the two portraits, they’re given interesting information about colonial Boston. These explanations also address the way portraits can create an identity, as well as tell us about past fashions, trends, and social status. This exercise helps to develop students’ critical looking skills.

Mystery History:

In this activity, the biographies of the two historical figures, John Singleton Copley and Nathaniel Hurd are tied to an important turning point in American History, the American Revolution.

The Dressing Room:

This activity allows students to insert Nathaniel Hurd’s face into other paintings in the Memorial Art Gallery collection. This exercise addresses issues of social status and class as embodied in clothing, pose, furnishings, and how these things are used to shape identity in portraiture.

Heraldry:

This activity addresses issues relating to heraldry and social class. Students can create their own coat of arms.

Tea Party:

This game places students inside a computer simulation of John Hancock’s house in colonial Boston. Their job is to find everything on their inventory list in order

to help set up for a tea party. Once the items are found, their domestic use and context are explained. Other Tea Party activities for students.

Silversmith Shop:

This game places students inside a silversmith shop in colonial Boston. Their task is to turn silver coins into silver objects.

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography


Art Social Studies


Image 23:



Information:

Colonial Boston boasted an international harbor. The large amount of trade that went on helped fuel the colonial economy. Because of this high level of international trade, the currencies of many different countries were constantly flowing in and out of the city of Boston. The coins from all of the different countries contained different amounts of silver. The weight and value of a coin was determined by the amount of silver in it. It was difficult for colonial Bostonians to keep up with the many different currencies and their fluctuating values. In an effort to help the people of Boston, Nathaniel Hurd engraved a Table of Conversions that provided Bostonians with the knowledge they needed to conduct fair business. This table of conversions contains the different weights and values for the most common coins in use in colonial Boston.

Vocabulary:

currency - the money in circulation in any country.

Suggested Website:

file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/HurdTable.gif

www.eh.net/ehresources/howmuch/doelarq.php "Economic History ResourcesHow Much is That?"

Suggested Lesson:

Colonial American Trade, Currency, and Economy: The instability of a colonial economy

Colonial American Trade, Currency, and Economy: What can money tell us?

http://www.eh.net/ehresources/howmuch/doelarq.php

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography

Colonial American Trade, Currency, and Economy Social Studies

The instability of a colonial economy

Objective: Students will

● study the provided primary source document and ask questions of it in order to better understand the state of the economy in pre-Revolutionary Boston.

Lesson Times:

If you attend the About Face exhibit at the Memorial Art Gallery, this lesson is suggested as a pre-visit activity.

Vocabulary:

currency - the money in circulation in any country.

Prior Knowledge:

Students should have begun study of colonial America, with some basic background in pre-Revolutionary Boston.

Materials:

1. Image

Image #23:



2. Nathaniel Hurd's Table of Conversions (photocopy attached in teacher's kits)3. What is this? worksheet (HTML or Word)

Lesson:

1. The students will break into groups of 4 or 5. Give each student a photocopy of Hurd's Table of Conversions and/or look at image #23.

2. Give each group a worksheet to complete. The worksheet asks questions directed towards clarifying the students' looking:

● What kinds of symbols or signs do you recognize? (letters? numbers? symbols?) ● Is there anything (letter, number, or symbol) on this source that you have never seen

before?● Can you identify what those might mean? Explain your answer.● Do you have any idea when this was made? · Where do you think this was made?● Have you ever seen anything like this before? Where? What was it?● What do you think this was used for?

3. After the worksheet is done, discuss the different parts of the table together while you project Image #23 of the Table of Conversions. As a group try to come up with a few possible functions of this table.

Follow-up (Option #1):

file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/HurdTable.giffile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/HurdTable.giffile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/ColonialEconomyWorksheet.doc

After discussing the possible functions of the table, tell your students more about colonial Boston's economy. Tell them that the coins on the chart were the currencies of many countries. Tell them that Boston was an international harbor that traded with many countries in Europe and around the world. Ask them to apply the observations they've already come up with to this new information. Does this help determine the use for such a table?

Follow-up (Option #2):

Boston merchants imported items from many parts of the world. Merchants traded in many foreign currencies. Silver itself was shipped from foreign lands before it was fashioned into silverware and teapots by Boston silver smiths. Where were the silver mines? Who controlled the mining and sale of silver? How would the silver get to the port of Boston? What was the British mercantile policy toward trade with other countries?

Think about it: Boston had over 40 wharves and was the busiest port in the colonies. The New England merchants who prospered the most off of these trade opportunities were the men who patronized John Singleton Copley. Many of these wealthy merchants were involved in the trade route that fueled slavery in America, known as the triangular trade.

● What are the moral implications of the activities of the New England merchants?● How did their actions affect the lives of people in other colonies and other countries?● Does this reflect upon John Singleton Copley at all?

Evaluation: Students should be assessed on their ability to identify and discuss features of Hurd's Table of Conversions and their participation in using information about cultural context in order to better guess its function.

Summary: Students will be given the Table of Conversions engraved by Nathaniel Hurd to observe and discuss. Based on their observations, the class will collaborate in coming up with the possible functions of this table. Information about Boston's international harbor and fluctuating economy will be joined with student observations in order to come to some conclusions about the

economy in colonial Boston.

Additional Activity:

a. To see how inflation has changed the value of the dollar, refer to: www.eh.net/ehresources/howmuch/dollarq.php

b. To see how inflation has changed the value of English money, refer to: www.eh.net/ehresources/howmuch/poundq.php

http://www.eh.net/ehresources/howmuch/dollarq.phphttp://www.eh.net/ehresources/howmuch/poundq.php

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography


Colonial Economy

7th and 8th-grade students

Directions:

● Carefully read the question. Brainstorm about what you already know about this topic. How would you answer this question if you had no documents?

● Read each document carefully and take notes about each document and object.● Use your knowledge of social studies and the information in the documents and

objects to formulate a thesis that answers the question.● Use examples from the documents to support your thesis.● Write a well-organized and relevant essay that answers the question.

Documents or Materials to Use:

1. Where does Silver Come From? map from Discover Silver! The Jerome and Rita Gans Collection of English Silver, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,©1998 (in slide set)

2. Currency Vocabulary 3. Images (below)

Image #2:

John Singleton Copley American, 1737-1815 Nathaniel Hurd, ca. 1765 Oil on canvas, 30 3/8 x 25 3/8”

Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust


Image #3:

John Singleton Copley American, 1737-1815 Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Mifflin (Sarah Morris), 1773 Oil on ticking, 60 ½ x 48”

Philadelphia Museum

http://www.clemusart.com/museum/collect/world/hurd.htmhttp://www.clemusart.com/museum/collect/world/hurd.htmfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/Mifflin.jpg

Image #5:

Ralph Earl American, 1751-1801 Mary Smith Booth, 1790 Oil on canvas, 38 x 31”


Image #23:



file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/Earl.jpgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/HurdTable.gif

Image #24:

Thomas Gainsborough British, 1727-1788 Man with Book Seated in a Landscape, ca. 1753 Oil on canvas, 24 x 20”

Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Fred W. Geib, 75.115

Image #25:

Sir Joshua Reynolds English, 1723-1792 Portrait of Miss Hoare, 1782 Oil on canvas, 36 3/16 x 28”

George Eastman Collection of the University of Rochester, 77.1

file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/Gainsborough.jpgfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/Reynolds.jpg

Historical Context:

By the late 18th Century, Boston was an international harbor and merchants traded with many countries in Europe and around the world. The people of Boston were wealthy enough to import and enjoy products from all over the world.

Question:

What evidence can you find to support this view of a global economy in colonial Boston?

Name:______________________________ Date:__________

Worksheet: What is this?

Directions: As a group, look carefully at the printed “mystery” object and answer the following questions.

1. What kinds of symbols or signs do you recognize? (letters? numbers? symbols?)

2. Is there anything (letter, number, or symbol) on this object that you have never seen before?

3. Can you identify what those writings might mean? Explain your answer.

4. When do you think this object was made? What evidence have you used?

5. Do you have any idea where this was made? What evidence have you used?

6. Have you ever seen anything like it before? Where? What was it?

7. What do you think it was used for?

8. Why would this object be included among Nathaniel Hurd’s things?

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography

Portraits as Keys to History English Language Arts Social Studies

Life as a colonial silversmith

Objectives:

Students will

● write a journal entry as Nathaniel Hurd.● consider the life experiences of people who lived in colonial Boston prior to

the American Revolution.● specifically address political issues regarding the conflicts between the Patriots

and the Loyalists.

Lesson Times:

If you attend the About Face exhibit in the Memorial Art Gallery, this lesson depends upon visit to the Gill Center and includes post-visit activities.

Vocabulary:

identity the characteristics and qualities of a person, considered collectively and regarded as essential to that person's self-awareness. Loyalist a colonist who believed America should be ruled by England. Patriot a colonist who believed America should not be ruled by England. silversmith one whose occupation is making and repairing articles of silver.

Prior Knowledge:

Students should be familiar with the political, social, and economic conditions of life in Boston prior to the American Revolution. Students should have experienced the About Face exhibit at the Memorial Art Gallery.

Materials:1. A lesson in point of view worksheet #1 (html or Word document)2. A lesson in point of view worksheet #2 (html or Word document)3. A lesson in point of view worksheet #3 (html or Word document)Lesson:

1. Give each student a copy of worksheet #1. The students can complete the worksheet while they are in the About Face exhibit. Let them know that this worksheet will be an important part of completing their assignment back in the classroom. Worksheet #1 asks:

● Where did Nathaniel Hurd live?● When did he live?● What was going on in American history during this time?● What did he do for a living?● What kinds of things did he make?● What was his social status?● Who were his customers?● What do you know about his family?● What else do we know about him by reading his will?● When did he die and why is this significant?● List all the documents you have used to answer these ten questions.

2. After their visit to the Gallery, the students will write a journal entry as Nathaniel Hurd based on the information they compiled about him while at the exhibit. This will necessitate that the students be creative in expressing Nathaniel Hurd's point of view based on the factual, historical information they have from the exhibit.

3. The students need to address issues relating to politics, social issues, and economics in colonial Boston. Give each student a copy of worksheet #2. Let them know that the questions on worksheet #2 are meant to serve as a guide for suggested avenues of exploration in writing their journal entries. Worksheet #2 contains such questions as:

file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/ColonialSilversmithWorksheet1.docfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/ColonialSilversmithWorksheet2.docfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/ColonialSilversmithWorksheet3.htmlfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/ColonialSilversmithWorksheet3.doc

● Would Hurd have preferred the unfinished portrait by Copley, or the finished portrait? Why?

● What was it like to live in a colonial city with an international harbor?● What was his relationship with his customers?● What did he think about the turbulent time he was living in? Was he excited,

threatened, indifferent?● If you think he was a Patriot, how did he feel about those who remained loyal

to England?● Would he have felt that America was being mistreated by England?● If you think he was a Loyalist, what were his thoughts on the uprisings against

England by his fellow colonists?

4. This lesson can be completed as a homework assignment. Allow the students 25-30 minutes to write their entry.

Follow-up: After students hand in their journal entries, willing students can read their entries to give the class an idea of the many possibilities available when it comes to point of view.

Evaluation: Students should be evaluated on their success in creatively and accurately incorporating information from their visit to the About Face exhibit in exploring the experiences of a silversmith in pre-Revolutionary Boston.

Summary: Writing a journal entry for a historical figure will allow students to bring history to life and gain a personal connection to the life experiences of a historical figure. Students will include consideration of cultural components such as politics, social issues, and economy in creating their journal. A focus upon the political issues regarding the conflicts between the American Patriots and Loyalists will address historical issues, like subjectivity and point-of-view.

Suggested Reading: Forbes, Esther. Johnny Tremain. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1943.

Suggested Video:

Silversmith of Williamsburg: The Extraordinary Work of a Skilled Craftsman. Colonial Williamsburg Videocassette. 1971 (44 minutes and available in the Teacher Resource Center, MAG).

Suggested Websites:

● http://www.earlyamerica.com/portraits/index.html "Gallery of Early American Portraits" *This site provides a menu of portraits of such notable historic figures as John Hancock, John and Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin.

● http://www.bham.wednet.edu/colonial.htm "Colonial American History Resources" *This is another great resource site including links to sites related to famous historical figures, colonial skills, religion in the colonies, etc.

● http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle/episode1.html "Liberty: Chronicle of the Revolution: Boston 1774"

file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/teacher.htmfile:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/teacher.htmhttp://www.earlyamerica.com/portraits/index.htmlhttp://www.bham.wednet.edu/colonial.htmhttp://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle/episode1.html

Name: _____________________________ Date: _______________

Worksheet #1: Life as a colonial silversmith. A lesson in point of view

Directions: Answer the following questions during your Gallery visit to the ‘About Face’ exhibit. You will need this information to complete the rest of this assignment after your visit, so be sure to answer these questions thoroughly.

1. Where did Nathaniel Hurd live?

2. When did he live?

3. What was going on in American history during this time?

4. What did he do for a living?

5. What kinds of things did he make?

6. What was his social status?

7. Who were his customers?

8. What do you know about his family?

9. What else do we know about him by reading his will?

10. When did he die and why is this important?

11. List all the documents and objects you have used to answer these 10 questions.

Name: _____________________________ Date: _______________

Worksheet #2: Life as a colonial silversmith. A lesson in point of view

Directions: Using your observations from the ‘About Face’ exhibit and your knowledge of colonial Boston, answer the following questions.

1. Would Hurd have preferred the unfinished portrait by Copley, or the finished portrait? Why?

2. What was it like to live in a colonial city with an international harbor?

3. Who were Nathaniel Hurd’s customers?

4. What did he think about the turbulent time he was living in? Was he excited, threatened, indifferent?

5. If you think he was a Patriot, how did he feel about those who remained loyal to England?

6. Would he have felt that America was being mistreated by England?

7. If you think he was a Loyalist, what were his thoughts on the uprisings against England by his fellow colonists?

Name: _____________________________ Date: _______________

Worksheet # 3: Life as a colonial silversmith. A lesson in point of view.

a.) Use the observation and interpretations worksheets as a guide to write a journal entry for Nathaniel Hurd. Consider his daily routine as well as his thoughts about the exciting things happening in Boston.

b.) Do a personal journal based on the objects you would find in your locker or bedroom.

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography


Social Studies

Colonial Silver and Tea: An Introduction

Image 19:



Courtesy of Historic Deerfield, Inc.,

Photography by Amanda Merullo

http://www.historic-deerfield.org/file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/97-6-3full.jpg

Image 21:

Nathaniel Hurd American, 1729/30-1777 Teapot Silver 60.1045

Courtesy, Winterthur Museum

Image 22:

Nathaniel Hurd American, 1729/30-1777 Cream Pail Silver

Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, Massachusetts, Museum Purchase, 1936.51

Information: Quite often in colonial Boston, wealthy families would melt down silver coins to make household objects, such as this teapot and cream pail. The logic in doing this was to protect their money. There were no banks for people to safeguard their money in and silver coins were easy to steal and hard to trace. Silver objects decorated with the family's coat of arms (visible on this teapot) were easily identifiable and therefore less likely to be stolen. In addition, after silver was cast into objects it maintained the same value it had in coin form. Therefore silver objects such as spoons and teapots could also be used as a form of currency.

Many of the silver objects made in colonial Boston pertained to tea. Although colonials made teapots out of silver for the practical purpose of protecting their money, the value of the material

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used to cast the objects also expressed the social importance of tea in colonial America. Because of the high cost of tea and all the necessary accessories, the ritual of tea became a sign of social status. Silver tea sets were valuable because of their precious material, as well as their social significance.

Before the American Revolution, the fashions in colonial America were largely based on the fashions in England. The popularity of drinking tea in England influenced the trend in America. Due to the Townshend Acts, the duties on tea caused the beverage to become politically charged. After the Boston Tea Party, many upper class families stopped drinking tea as a symbol of political protest and consequently, the demand for silver teapots dropped drastically.

Vocabulary:

coat of arms a decorative symbol that represents a family line. cast to form hot metal into a particular shape by pouring into a mold.

currency the money in circulation in any country.

Townshend Acts (1767) laws passed by Parliament that taxed goods such as glass, paper, silk, lead, and tea in the American colonies.

Suggested Lesson:

Colonial Silver and Tea: Items of significance, yesterday and today

Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans


Images


Bibliography


Art English Language Arts

Social StudiesColonial Trades and Apprenticeships

Image 19:



Courtesy of Historic Deerfield, Inc.,

Photography by Amanda Merullo

Image 20:

Nathaniel Hurd American, 1729/30-1777 Cann Silver 54.457

Historic Deerfield Inc., Deerfield, MassachusettsCourtesy of Historic Deerfield,

Inc., Photography by Amanda Merullo

http://www.historic-deerfield.org/file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/97-6-3full.jpghttp://www.historic-deerfield.org/file:///L|/PR/Website/teachers/classroomResources/copley/images/54-457full.jpg

Image 21:

Nathani

AboutFace: Copley’s Portrait of a Colonial Silversmith · 2011. 1. 11. · John Singleton Copley...

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Transcript of AboutFace: Copley’s Portrait of a Colonial Silversmith · 2011. 1. 11. · John Singleton Copley...