Than Meets the Eye - Picturing Early America

“Portraits,
Landscapes,
History
Paintings;
More
Than
Meets
The
Eye;
a
middle
school
unit
connecting
Art,
History,
and
Language
Arts”
George
Caleb
Bingham,
Raftsmen
Playing
Cards
(1847)
NEH
Picturing
America
Salem
State
College July
,
2009
Debbie
Corleto
Portraits,
Landscapes,
History
Painting:
More
than
Meets
the
Eye,
a
middle
school
unit
connecting
Art,
History
and
Language
Arts.
Portraits
Landscapes
History
Painting
Introduction
Visual
documents
• 
include
photographs,
films,
paintings,
and
other
types
of
artwork.
• 
capture
moments
in
time,
they
can
provide
evidence
of
changes
over
time.
• include
evidence
about
a
culture
at
specific
moments
in
history:
its
customs,
preferences,
styles,
special
occasions,
work,
and
play.
• has
a
creator
with
a
point
of
view
‐‐
such
as
a
painter,
sculptor,
or
film
maker.
Even
photographs
were
created
by
photographers
using
film
and
cameras
to
create
desired
effects.
• Think
about
the
creator's
point
of
view
when
you
review
visual
documents.
What
was
the
creator's
purpose?
Why
this
pose?
Why
that
perspective?
• 
Why
that
framing?
Why
this
distance?
Why
this
subject?
What
was
included?
What
was
excluded?
• 
Using
visual
documents
as
primary
sources
requires
careful
analysis
of
the
content
and
the
point
of
view
of
the
creator.
(
Library
of
Congress
Learning
page,
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/psources/types.html#visual
)
• In
analyzing
a
variety
of
primary
and
secondary
sources
including,
poems,
sculpture,
letters,
essays,
and
paintings,
you
will
see
how
America
Identified
itself
as
a
nation.
Essential
Question:
The
question
at
hand
is
“How
Did
America
identify
itself
as
a
nation
through
its
History/
Narrative
Painting,
Portrait
Painting,
Landscape
Paintings
and
Prints”.
Early
Morning
at
Cold
Spring,
Asher
B.
Durand,
1850
Portrait
of
Mrs.
Harrison
Gray
Otis,
by
Gilbert
Stuart,
1809
Jasper
Francis
Cropsey
(American,
1823‐1900)Eagle
Cliff,
Franconia
Notch,
New
Hampshire,
1858
Time;
2,
45
minute
periods
per
week,
about
8‐10
weeks
This
is
a
3‐year
curriculum
beginning
in
Grade
6
and
continuing
through
grades
7
&
8.
Target
Level:
Grade
6‐7‐
8
Students
:
approximately
500
students
per
week
Grouping:
4
heterogeneous
groups
with
modifications
for
Gifted
and
Talented
where
needed.
Curriculum
Fit:
Art,
Social
Studies,
Language
Arts,
Technology.
Use
this
lesson
for
classes
studying
U.S.
history
through
art
and
for
those
learning
the
process
of
reading
paintings
and
1868
Lake
Tahoe
by
Albert
Bierstadt
landscapes
as
primary
sources
and
as
history
paintings.
GIFTED
AND
TALENTED
EXTENSION
–
• Encourage
or
require
gifted
and
talented
students
to
use
historical
document
and
artifact
primary
resources
in
conjunction
with
the
primary
source
paintings
while
investigating
the
essential
question.
• 
Have
them
find
broadsides,
newspapers
etc.
that
describe
the
period
or
the
event.
The
G&T
students
should
be
faced
with
the
challenging
task
both
of
understanding
the
primary
resources
and
integrating
them
into
their
own
product
,upon
discussion
with
the
teacher.
• Some
suggestions
for
Gifted
and
Talented
extensions
are
:
newspaper
reporter
interviewing
the
sitter
in
the
portrait,
or
person
in
the
history
painting;
Photojournalist
capturing
moments
that
tell
a
story
–(requires
internet
research
to
find
newspaper
articles
and
photographs
coinciding
with
and
expanding
the
period)
;
an
interview
with
the
artist
regarding
his
commission
and
completion
of
the
painting.
• Students
should
be
encouraged
to
create
their
own
ideas
for
products.
In
this
unit
you
will
investigate;
GRADE
6
Portraits;
the
Lansdowne
Washington
Portrait,
by
Gilbert
Stuart;
The
Thomas
Smith
Self
Portrait;
Isaac Royall and
His Family
Robert Feke, 1741
Grade
7
Landscapes;
the
Landscape
Paintings
of
Thomas
Cole
,
The
Notch
of
the
White
mountains,
Crawford
Notch,
1839
The
plantation
Landscapes
of
Junius
Brutus
Stearns,
Washington
as
a
Farmer
at
Mount
Vernon,
1851
.
Grade
8
‐History
Paintings
The
History
Paintings
of
Emmanuelle
Leutze,
Washington
Crossing
the
Delaware;
The
History
Paintings
of
Emmanuelle
Leutze,
Westward
the
Course
of
the
empire;
George
Caleb
Bingham,
The
county
Election;
Albert
Bierstadt,
Yosemite
Valley.
Drawing Techniques Class
William Bartram pencil sketches
Pottery
Class
Watercolors
of
John
White,
Prints
by
deBry
and
Pottery
Objectives
1. Students
shall
look
at
various
paintings
and
prints
to
determine
the
answer
to
the
questions
above.
2. Students
shall
also
use
the
primary
sources
and
use
Ws(
analyzing
a
painting
etc.
,)
to
analyze
the
paintings
and
prints.
3. Students
shall
also
use
the
internet
to
research
on
their
own,
already
digitized
sources
that
support
their
research
to
answer
the
Essential
above
.
4. Students
shall
learn
to
‘
read’
a
History
painting
5. Students
shall
learn
to
‘read’
a
landscape
6. Students
shall
learn
to
‘
read’
a
portrait
7. Students
shall
learn
the
vocabulary
necessary
to
accomplish
these
objectives.
8. Students
shall
read
the
poems
and
letters
of
Thomas
Cole
and
others
and
determine
if
these
are
primary
source
documents.
Lessons
and
Activities
ACTIVITIES
For
GRADES
6‐7‐8
"The
Surround"
by
George
Catlin
Activity
1
Students
will
be
placed
in
cooperative
groups
made
up
of
4
students.
Each
group
will
analyze
the
paintings
for
their
grade
level,
Grade
6
Portraits;Grade
7
Landscapes;Grade
8
history
paintings.
Students
should
have
copies
of
the
paintings
on
their
desks
Students
will
use
the
5
W’s
to
analyze
documents
(WHO?
WHAT?
WHERE?
WHEN?
WHY?
.
They
will
be
instructed
to
ask,
but
not
limit
themselves
to
the
following:
Who
created
the
painting?
Who
is
it
aimed
at?
What
subject
does
the
painting
address?
.
Where
did
the
painting
originate?
Where
was
its
final
destination?
When
was
the
painted
created?
Why
was
the
painting
created?
If
there
is
more
than
one
painting
dealing
with
the
same
subject,
when
was
the
first
painting
created?
The
last?
Students
shall
decide
whether
or
not
they
believe
this
painting
to
be
a
primary
source?
If
so
why?
Students
must
be
able
to
back
up
their
decision
with
facts
and
ideas.
Frederick
Church,
Niagara
Activity 2 – Grade 7 & 8 Only
• Students shall look at the primary source documentsletters and essays of Thomas Cole.
• Students shall use the written document analysis
worksheet.
• Students shall compare the written documents and decide
how each shows the nations identity emerging.
• Students shall then Read Thomas Cole’s Essay on
American Scenery ,American Monthly Magazine 1 (January
1836) see Ws and books “The Life and Works of Thomas
Cole, Louis Legrand” and “Thomas Cole’s Poems”
These may be broken up and each read a different piece.
( see appendix or online at website below)
http://www.geocities.com/steletti/pages/scenery.html
Various artists, Silver of the 18th, 19th and 20th C
Grade 6 Activity 1
Students should have copies of the portraits
on their desks.
Discuss the various types of Portraits;
Single portrait,
Double portrait
Family Portrait
Occupational Portrait
Commissioned Portrait
Show the portraits,
1. Gilbert Stuart,
George Washington, Lansdowne Portrait;
2. Thomas Smith, Self –Portrait
3. Robert Feke, Isaac Royall’s Family
Ask Students the following questions;
Who do you see?
How is he standing?
What is he wearing?
Where is he?
Is this while he is in office or after he leaves ?
Is he wealthy or not? How can you tell?
What can you say about the background?
When finished- show students the Ws on the Lansdowne Portrait
Activity 2
Thomas Smith, Self-Portrait;
Ask Students the following
questions;
Who do you see?
How is he standing?
What is he wearing?
Where is he?
Is he wealthy or not? How can you
tell?
What is his job
What is happening in the
background?
Why is it there?
What 2 things are on the table.
How would you describe Mr. Smith?
What type of person can you say he
is?
Activity 3
Sir Isaac Royall Family Portrait, Robert Feke
One of Feke’s most
Famous paintings was
“The Isaac Royall
Family”
painted in 1741, and
now housed at
Harvard College
Robert Feke (1707 - 1752) was
an American portrait painter
born on Long Island , New
York . 1741, is the year he
painted his first portrait, Family
of Isaac Royall.
Sixteen portraits in total are
known to be by Feke, and an
additional 50 are disputed to be
by him.
His paintings are known for
their sobriety and uniformity,
but also for their rich colours
and accuracy.
Feke worked in Boston,
painting wealthy merchants and
landowners, from 1741 until
1750, when he disappeared
Use the same questions that were used for
George Washington and Thomas Smith
portraits.
Activity 4
Show the video “Picturing the Presidents”
Discuss the portraits seen. Discuss what
was included in the portraits and why.
Have students discuss what they learned
from the video.
Activity 5
Groups of students shall analyze the Portrait Painting “ the Lansdowne
Portrait of George Washington, by Gilbert Stuart . ( Info Ws on
Lansdowne Portrait and Ws on Reading Portraiture – adapted from the
Smithsonian)
Students shall then analyze and compare and contrast it to Thomas
Smith’s “Self Portrait” . ( Info sheet on Thomas Smith, self portrait,)
Ws , reading portraiture)
Students shall also examine the dollar bill and the portrait of
Washington on it and through examination of a series of portraits (ws
of portraits of GW) of Washington painted, determine which portrait
was used for the dollar.
Students shall compare and contrast what they found in the 2
paintings .(Use Venn Diagrams)
Students shall answer the essential question
”How Did America identify itself as a nation through its portraits?”
Be sure to include in your answer 3 supporting facts as to How this was
done.
Grant Wood (American, 1892–1942). The
Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, 1931
Students shall re-create a full – figure painting
Before creating their own full figure portraits in
watercolor, Students should Think about the
Questions below;
Who am I?. This leads to a long list of related questions. Here are a
few:
What are the distinctive things that make me "me"?
How do I want people to see me?
How can I express my many different sides?
How can I reinvent myself for various purposes or times in my life?
How am I changing from day to day or year to year?
Who do I want to become?
http://www.nga.gov/education/classroom/self_portraits/
At This point, students shall learn how to use watercolors to do
their Full – Figure Portraits.
Discuss watercolor terms;
Wet on wet, watercolor wash , dry brush. Demonstrate these
techniques; Students can use a combination of watercolor
techniques to complete their full-figure portrait.
Activity 6
Write a poem based on one of the
portraits using the information you have
now.
Poems may be Diamonte Poems, Haiku,
Cinquain or any other style the student
may choose.
Optional Activity
Students shall research Other portrait artists of the same period
And their works and create a powerpoint presentation and /or a
brochure with biographical facts and pictures of their paintings.
They shall then present to the class.
Hiram Powers (American, 1805–1873). Benjamin Franklin, 1862
Grade 7 LANDSCAPES .
Activity 1
Grade 7 group will examine and analyze the landscape paintings
of Thomas Cole ,The Notch of the White Mountains,Crawford
Notch,
Plantation Landscapes of Junius Brutus Stearns, Washington as a
Farmer at mount Vernon, 1851. ( See Ws )
Begin by discussing the various types of landscapes;
Picturesque
Sublime
The Beautiful
Topographical
Show examples of each
Have Students brainstorm what words would be used to describe
the examples you will show. Lead students to understand,
Sublime, Picturesque and The Beautiful through the examples.
Thomas Cole (American, b. England, 1801–1848). View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton,
Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm - The Oxbow, 1836
Activity 2
Discuss what is seen at first look.
Discuss what type landscape it is- refer to activity 1 discussion.
Students shall use the Feldman method to begin their discussion.
They shall use the painting analysis worksheets and the Landscape
Ws as well as the Objective Observation and Subjective Observation
WS to further study the paintings.
Students will then compare the 2 paintings, using a compare and
contrast chart .
Students shall decide whether each is Sublime,The Beautiful or
Picturesque or topographical. ( see Vocabulary Sheet for definitions of
Sublime, The Beautiful and Picturesque)
Finally , these students shall answer the essential question
”How Did America identify itself as a nation through its landscape
painting?”.
Be sure to have at least 3 facts to back this up.
FELDMAN METHOD OF ART CRITICICM
Edmund Feldman, Professor of art at the University of Georgia, developed an easy 4-step method for
evaluating a work of art:
1. DESCRIPTION
what can be seen in the artwork.
2. ANALYSIS
what relationships exist among what is seen.
3. INTERPRETATION what is the content or meaning based on steps 1 & 2.
4. JUDGEMENT
what is your evaluation of the work based on steps 1,2,3.
By following the Feldman Method, the critical process is not passive, but active and exploratory. Notice that the
process moves from the strictly objective statements in step 1 to a subjective response in step 4, ( or from
specific to general).
DESCRIPTIVE words about an artwork are like pointers; they draw attention to something worth seeing- so
remember the words that you use must be neutral. Do not use terms that denote value judgments such as
beautiful, disorderly, funny looking, harmonious etc. Instead focus on the factual information such as smooth,
bright, round, a lake, a triangular shape,. Do not jump to conclusions.
ANALYSIS of relationships such as size, shape, color, texture, space and volume encourages a complete
examination of the art. It also reveals the decision making process of the artist who wants the viewer to make
certain connection within the artwork.
INTERPRETATION is the meaning of the work based on the information from steps 1 & 2. Interpretation is
about ideas ( not descriptions ) or sensations and feelings. Don’t be afraid of revising your interpretation when
new facts are discovered.
JUDGEMENT , the final step, is often the first statement expressed about an artwork before it has really been
examined. Judgment in that case is neither informed nor critical but simply an opinion. Feldman identifies 3
philosophies of Art that are useful in justifying careful evaluation:
FORMALISM
stresses the importance of the formal or visual elements of Art ( technique,
composition etc.)
EXPRESSIVISM stresses the importance of the ideas or feelings in a convincing manner.
INSTRUMENTALISM stresses the importance of the social intention of the work ( relates positive content or
can constructively influence human behavior).
Activity 3
• Students will further discuss the Cole painting , The Notch of the White
Mountains,Crawford Notch, after reading Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story “The
Ambitious Guest”. (see Ws for story)
• Students will discuss whether or not Cole’s painting portrayed the story.
• Students shall read the poetry of Cole and his letters. ( see books “The life and
Works of Thomas Cole” by Louis Legrand and the “Collected Poems”, by
Thomas Cole).
• Students shall also look at the “Essays of American Scenery” by Thomas Cole
in reference to the landscape. What kind of landscape does he paint based on
these essays ( romantic landscape Ws ) (primary document analysis).
Activity 4
• Students shall then choose one of Cole’s poems and paint a landscape in the
manner of Cole, paying close attention to the poem to guide them as to what
they need to include in it.
• At this point Review the techniques of watercolor with students. Review terms;
• Watercolor wash,dry on wet,wet on wet, and dry brush; foreground,
background, and framing the composition.
•  Also review what to include to make their landscape, Sublime, Picturesque
and “The Beautiful”.
John James Audubon (American, b. Haiti, 1785-1851). Robert Havell (American, 1793-1878), Engraver after John James
Audubon. American Flamingo, 1838
Activity 5
Students shall write a story based on their own landscape
painting.
Base the writing on the forms that Cole used in his essays or
on a story that you create like the “Ambitious Guest” or on a
story that the painting reminds you of.
Story must have Beginning , middle and ending
Drawing Techniques Class
William Bartram pencil sketches
Show examples of Bartram’s sketches.
Discuss his life and work.
Discuss Pencil Drawing techniques;
Hatching
Cross-hatching
Tonal blending
Stippling
After careful observation of Bartram’s works, Students shall
begin to create their own outdoor nature scene, in his style. This
is an exercise that works best outdoors. Children make several
sketches of the flora, fauna etc outdoors, choose one and use
all 4 techniques to represent the scene.
N. C. Wyeth (American, 1882–1945). Last of the Mohicans, cover
illustration, 1919
Grade 8
shall analyze History Painting( Narrative Painting) , through;
Emmanuelle Leutze “Washington Crossing the Delaware” ,
Emmanuelle Leutze,Westward the course of the empire
George Caleb bingham, The County Election, 1852,
Albert Bierstadt, Looking Down Yosemite
Winslow Homer (American, 1836–1910). The Veteran in a New Field, 1865
Activity 1
Discuss the Characteristics of History Painting;
Historical aspect
Narrative
Didactic
Be sure that students are familiar with these terms.
Students shall use the Painting analysis Ws, and the Objective
and Subjective WS and the Feldman Method. Also refer to the
resource book Picturing America.
http://picturingamerica.neh.gov/educators.php?
subPage=edu_guide
Students shall define History painting based on their knowledge
of the definitions of the categories of History painting. (See
Vocabulary sheet for History Painting)
Thomas Eakins (American, 1844-1916). John Biglin in a Single Scull, ca. 1873
Activity 2
• Students shall then through careful analysis and
discussion,
decide if all 4 of these are history paintings
find 3 strong facts and details to support their
findings.
• Write a short persuasive argument to defend your
position.
• Activity 3
• Students shall then discuss what is WRONG with these
paintings, if anything .Are they completely accurate? (e.g.
Washington crossing the Delaware- was the sun out, was
it daytime?....etc.)
http://www.ushistory.org/washingtoncrossing/history/
whatswrong.htm
Augustus Saint-Gaudens (American, 1848–1907). Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment
Memorial, 1884–1897
Activity 4
Students shall then choose an historic event from their social
studies book and create their own History painting for this
event . Being careful to adhere to the definition of history
painting as presented to them.
Students may use Mixed Media to create their History
Paintings. Review the use of watercolor, Colored Pencil
techniques, and drawing techniques.
Students should review and define the characteristics of
history painting here.
Historicity
Narrativity
Didactic content
Students shall be able to define the terms of History painting.
Students shall then go back to their first writing and decide
how accurate they were based on what they observed first
hand..
John Singer Sargent (American, 1856-1925). Portrait of a Boy, 1890
.
Activity 5
Finally , students shall answer the essential
question
“How Did America identify itself as a nation
through its history paintings”?
Be sure to have facts and details to back up
your answer.
Childe Hassam (American, 1859–1935). Allies Day, May 1917, 1917
.
Pottery Class.
Activity 1
Discuss how Watercolors were reproduced as engravings for mass
viewing. Show examples . Discuss John White and deBry.
Pottery class shall review the prints of various paintings as well as
pottery pieces from the period.
They shall use the artifact analysis sheet.
Activity 2
Students shall then research and analyze how some of these prints
were put on pottery pieces in blue and white. ( see internet site)
These students shall then choose a print and put it on the white
stoneware in pottery and finish with blue glaze.
Activity 3
Students shall then answer the essential question
“Did America identify itself as a nation through prints and pottery?”
” How could a potter be a part of the national identity?
American Art- Pottery from engravings
FINAL ASSESSMENT
All classes shall be able to
define;
the aspects of History painting
in terms of the different types
of painting;
History painting,
Portraits,
Landscapes
still Life.;
the characteristics of portrait
paintings and what
each
should say;
the use of landscape paintings
as possible history
paintings.
Louis Comfort Tiffany (American, 1848–1933). Autumn Landscape, 1923–1924.
Resources
Books
Picturing a Nation, DavidW.Lubin, Yale University Press ,1994.
Plantation Landscapes
National Gallery of Art, Thames and Hudson, 2005.
Treasures from the National Museum of American Art, William Kloss, Smithsonian Institute Press,
Washington, 1985
Point of View Landscapes from the Addison Collection, Addison Gallery, Andover, MA., 1992.
The Empire of the Eye, Landscape Representation and Amercan Cultural Politics 1825-1875, Angela
Miller , Cornell University Press, 1993.
American Genre Painting The politics of everyday life, Elizabeth Johns, Yale University Press, 1991.
Picturing America Teacher Resource Book, National Endowment for the Humanities, Washington D.C., .
Ninteenth Century American Art, Barbara Groseclose, Oxford University Press, 2000.
The Anatomy of Nature, Geology and American Landscape Painting 1825-1875, Rebecca Bedell,
Princeton University Press, 2001.
120 Great Paintings of the American West, CarolBelanger Grafton, Dover Publications, 2008.
American Painting, Francesca Castria Marchetti, Watson-Guptill Publiations, 2002.
Gilbert Stuart, Carrie Rebora Barratt and Ellen G. Miles, Metropolitan Musuem of Art, Yale University Press,
2004.
The Inquiring Eye American Paintings teaching packet, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. 1995.
American Visions, Robert Hughes
Video
Picturing the Presidents, SmithsonianNetworks.
Websites
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/98/environ/observe.html
.http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/psources/studqsts.html
http://www.worcesterart.org/Collection/Early_American/Artists/smith/self/discussion.html
http://i3.iofferphoto.com/img/item/257/459/22/o_BLUE_LIBERTY.jpg
http://www.virtualjamestown.org/images/white_debry_html/introduction.html
http://www.virtualjamestown.org/images/white_debry_html/jamestown.html
http://www.geocities.com/steletti/pages/scenery.html
http://www.online-literature.com/hawthorne/123/
Additional Resources
http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2005/stuart/index.shtm
Gilbert Stuart
http://www.nga.gov/feature/wilmerding/
NGA, American Masters
http://www.nga.gov/feature/moran/index.html
NGA, Thomas Moran
http://www.nga.gov/feature/remington/remington.htm
NGA Remington
http://www.nga.gov/kids/scoop-cropsey.pdf
NGA, Exploring Jasper Crospey
http://www.nga.gov/kids/homerscoop.pdf
Exploring Homer
http://www.nga.gov/education/classroom/pdf/scoop_shaw.pdf
NGA, Shaw Memorial
http://www.nga.gov/kids/catlin/catlin1.html
George Catlin and American Indians
http://www.nga.gov/kids/heade/heade1.html
Martin Johnson Heade
http://www.nga.gov/education/schoolarts/peale.htm
NGA, First family of American art, PEALE
http://www.nga.gov/feature/homer/homersplash.htm
NGA, Homer
National Endowment
for the
Humanities
Picturing Early America:
People,places &events,
1770-1870
Salem State College
July , 2009
Dr.PatriciaJohnston
Jessica Lanier
Debbie Corleto
McGlynn Middle School
Meford, MA. 02155
Asher B. Durand
The Kindred Spirits