Alexandra Kennon Shahin
"Unknown Sitters," on exhibit at The Historic New Orleans Collection.
When The Historic New Orleans Collection’s Curator of Decorative Arts Lydia Blackmore was tasked with overseeing the organization’s massive collection of artwork, she conducted a portrait census. She discovered that of the many portraits in THNOC’s collection, around 120 were of subjects whose identities were entirely unknown. Captivating as they are despite (perhaps because of) their mystery, many of these portraits had never before been displayed.
Blackmore decided it was time for these hidden gems of the collection—which vary across time, subject demographic, and artistic style—to finally be seen. But to curate an exhibition of portraits whose subjects' identities are entirely unknown required some creativity.
Alexandra Kennon Shahin
"Unknown Sitters," on exhibit at the Historic New Orleans Collection.
“When family estates were sold, beloved portraits were divorced from their historical narratives,” said Blackmore. “Sometimes artists did not record the name of sitters, particularly when the sitter was a paid model. Portraits of children, the elderly, women, and people of color were more likely to lose their identities than those of white men. With this exhibition, The Historic New Orleans Collection explores the power of imagination beyond the traditional sphere of historical inquiry, and welcomes a wider group of thinkers and storytellers to engage with historical portraiture.”
The resulting exhibition is innovative, and engaging across time. The portraits themselves are captivating—in lieu of historical certainty about the subject, viewers are invited to engage their imaginations to consider who the individuals might have been. Purple labels next to the portraits unpack what can be gauged curatorially based on factors like context, expression, dress, time period, art style, and so on—these serve as a fascinating, investigative look into art history, and illuminate more about subjects and artists than one might expect.
Also next to each portrait is a green label—these are the first-place results of THNOC’s annual Student Writing Contest, and each contains a story by an elementary, middle, or high school student imagining the subject's name and narrative. These delightfully deviate from the seriousness fine art is often approached with, and range from laugh-out-loud funny to somberly chilling.
Alexandra Kennon Shahin
"Unknown Sitters," on exhibit at the Historic New Orleans Collection.
Over the course of the exhibition's run, THNOC invites all to write and submit their own stories about the subjects, the best of which will be displayed alongside the portraits. Drawing tables and art supplies beckon guests to draw portraits of their own—either of those they are with, or of themselves. Antique mirrors from the collection are also placed throughout the exhibition, reminding the viewer of their own place in history—perhaps inspiring them to wonder how the historical record will one day consider them. And, it’s all truly pulled into the 21st century with an ornately framed photo station, where guests can take their own “portrait” to share as they like.
“I felt like I was being spoken to across time,” said one viewer. “So often we think of portraits in terms of who they were or what they did—this just lets them be humans.”
Unknown Sitters is on display in THNOC's Exhibition Center at 533 Royal Street now until October 6, 2024. Admission is always free. Learn more at hnoc.org.
