"Unknown Sitters" at THNOC
to
The Historic New Orleans Collection 533 Royal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
Alexandra Kennon Shahin
"Unknown Sitters," on exhibit at the Historic New Orleans Collection.
Oftentimes, the portraits from history that receive the most attention are of famous figures such as presidents, royalty, and members of the aristocracy. Yet within The Historic New Orleans Collection's holdings, there are countless portraits of individuals whose identities are unknown, as they are missing from the historical record and therefore lost to history. A new exhibition at THNOC displays these portraits of "Unknown Sitters," alongside curatorial text that delves into potential narratives of the subjects' lives, based on clues garnered from the sitters' clothing and surroundings, as well as the biographies of the artists who painted them. hnoc.org.