'Holy Smokes' - Revolutionary War Curator's Priceless Reaction to Historic Find
While most of our grandparents seem to hoard a miscellaneous collection of old junk in their attics, occasionally these hoarding tendencies can lead to the most remarkable historical finds.
And if that find was remarkable enough to make a seasoned museum curator express a sense of shock and wonder?
Then you would have something rare on your hands indeed.
According to The Washington Post, Judith Hernstadt was just such a collector, a New York native who collected all sorts of 18th century artifacts and paraphernalia in her New York City apartment for over 40 years.
Upon learning about Hernstadt’s extensive collection, the curator of Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution, Matthew Skic, asked to see her collection.
Hernstadt agreed, though complications caused by the pandemic delayed Skic’s, visit until August 2023.
Among her impressive collection was a pen and ink drawing that Skic immediately recognized as depicting a group of soldiers from the Revolutionary War, along with two women and a baby.
A collector of early American art unknowingly owned one of the earliest eyewitness depictions of American troops and their female companions during the Revolutionary War. It will soon go on display in Philadelphia. https://t.co/zvlxki6Yyn
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 15, 2024
But, as Skic told the Post, that wasn’t all. Studying the picture closer, Skic saw that one of the soldiers was wearing a “distinctive American garment called a hunting shirt. It was a typical garment of the Continental Army, worn by American soldiers.”
Meaning, this was “one of the earliest eyewitness depictions of American troops and their female companions during the Revolutionary War,” according to the Post.
As ArtNet noted, the women were not a rare site during the war, with an estimated 2,000 women accompanying the troops.
Skic received Hernstadt’s permission to bring the image back to the museum to study it further, where he received the true shock of his life.
First, as ArtNet reported, his study of the sketch showed that the image depicted North Carolina soldiers, per the barely legible and incomplete inscription at the bottom.
The incomplete inscription read, “An exact representation of a waggon belonging to the north carolina brigade of continental troops which passed thro Philadelphia august done by…”
Second, the Post reported, after extensive research into both the artist and the date of the image, Skic found that it dated to 1777, to which he exclaimed “Holy Smokes!”
Now, why was this discovery enough to make Skic exclaim in wonder (albeit rather tamely)?
Because, again, depictions of these women, known as “camp followers,” are quite rare, probably in part because George Washington himself saw them as “a clog upon every movement,” according to ArtNet.
Before the discovery of this sketch, the earliest known depiction of camp followers dated to 1782, not long before the war ended, the Post reported.
Not only that, but the image was drawn by Swiss philosopher and artist Pierre Eugene du Simitiere, who came to the U.S. in 1774 and painted one of the first official portraits of Washington, as well as proposed a design for the official crest of the United States.
“Holy smokes,” then, was a massive understatement.
Hernstadt herself was so thrilled with the historical significance of the drawing, she generously donated it to Skic’s museum, where it will be unveiled on Wednesday.
Hernstadt said, “I’m thrilled he found out so much about this sketch. I collect early American art because it helps me understand the past and know how we evolved.”
And she was right to be thrilled.
For as much as many people think they know about American history, this discovery showed that there was so much still out there to discover and learn.
As the country approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding, discoveries like these serve to highlight just how amazing and unique the United States really is, at least for myself.
In an era of rapidly declining patriotism and national pride, the unearthing of a rare sketch like this might serve to bolster some of that lagging national pride.
At the very least, for those who never lost the love for their country, it might serve as a reminder of everything our ancestors overcame to create one of the greatest countries that has ever existed.
I know it did for me.
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