Lecture Series

RESCHEDULED from February 20 to February 25 Presentation #1 The Selfie: From Stone Age to Digital Age The Digital Revolution has launched an unprecedented communications revolution. Individuals have an ability […]

Presentation #2 “A Wise man will Find us to be Rogues by our Face”: Physiognomy and Portraiture Johnathan Swift’s observation about the relationship between character and physical features sums up […]

Presentation #3 “You Cannot Paint her too Beautiful for my Imagination”: Domesticity, Death, and Photography in 19th Century Portraiture Portraiture is so often thought of as being a means to […]

Presentation #4 Art vs. Tyranny: The Ultimate Selfie Pierre Daura, Modern Artist and resident mid-20th century Rockbridge County, Virginia, resident, created a unique Cubist inspired work of art in late […]

Portraiture is often thought of as being a means to capture the image of a sitter determined to have his or her likeness preserved on canvas. However, not all sitters […]

Scott Crawford will explore how 19th century mourning culture helped decode a late 19th century painting, leading the National Gallery of Art to change the painting’s name. This talk will […]

Mike Hudson, Historic Smithfield’s Executive Director, will discuss Victorian-era postmortem photography and mourning practices. Mike also contributed to a book entitled “Beyond the Dark Veil” which will be available for […]