Historical / Allegorical Paintings

Artist: Peter Egeli (b. 1934)
Title:  The Ark of Maryland approaching Chesapeake Bay, March 1634
Date: 1986
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 39 x 24"
Accession number: MSA SC 1545-3573

Artist: Francis Blackwell Mayer (1827-1899)
Title:  The Burning of the Peggy Stewart
Date: 1896
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 72 x 53"
Accession number: MSA SC 1545-1111

In October, 1774, Annapolis experienced its own “tea party,” reminiscent of the uprising that occurred the year before in Boston Harbor.  When the brigantine Peggy Stewart arrived at the port of Annapolis on Friday, October 14, laden with a cargo of tea, its contents were subject to a highly controversial tax imposed by Britain on goods imported to America. When the owner of the Peggy Stewart, Anthony Stewart, paid the “tea tax,” he violated the non-importation resolution implemented by the colonists in protest.

By Wednesday, October 19, a crowd had gathered in Annapolis threatening Stewart’s life if he did not destroy the ship and its cargo. Unwilling to accept Stewart’s offer to destroy the tea, the crowd demanded that the vessel be burned. Fearing the mob might attack his home where his wife lay ill, Stewart gave in to their demands. Artist Frank B. Mayer depicts the scene when Stewart, escorted aboard the Peggy Stewart by members of the crowd, was forced to set alight his own ship and its cargo of tea.

Artist: William Arthur Smith (1918-1989)
Title: Charles Willson Peale
Date: 1968
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 66 x 78"
Accession number: MSA SC 1545-3500

This mural of renowned artist Charles Willson Peale was one of nine murals originally commissioned in 1966 for the Maryland House Travel Plaza near Aberdeen, Maryland. This series of murals depicted individuals and events significant in Maryland’s history. In 2002, because of damage to the murals and in anticipation of the future redevelopment of the travel plaza, the murals were carefully removed and were rolled and stored in a climate-controlled storage facility.

As the owner, the Maryland Transportation Authority sought appropriate repositories for each of the vignettes, and in 2018, three were added to the Maryland State Archives’ Artistic Property Collection. These views of Lord Baltimore and the Maryland Charter, Charles Willson Peale and George Washington and the Continental Congress have strong connections to displays in the Maryland State House and to other objects in the State’s collections.  

William Arthur Smith's works are included in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, the Library of Congress, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the James A. Michener Museum. He was a portraitist and illustrator whose work regularly appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan, True, and other publications. Besides being compelling paintings, and long beloved by travelers along Interstate-95, the group of murals was also important in the development of the Visual Artists’ Rights Act of 1990. In 1988, the artist and his family stopped while passing through the area only to discover that one of the vignettes had a doorway cut through during remodeling, with the subjects repainted and signed by a different artist. He had no legal recourse at the time because he did not own the painting, but his case is widely cited as having helped pave the way for this legislation, referred to as VARA.

Artist: Tompkins Harrison Matteson (1813-1884)
Title: Founding of Maryland
Date: 1853
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 37 x 51"
Accession number: MSA SC 1545-2551

"The Founding of Maryland" was painted in 1853. Correspondence relating to this painting notes that despite the title of the painting, there are questions regarding  its meaning. At an exhibit at the Maryland Historical Society in 1971, the Director, Mr Manakee and the Curator hung the painting next to the original Acts of Toleration, because they were certain that this was the scene being depicted. They pointed out the similarity of the central figure to the figure in an etching of Cecil Calvert which the MHS owns, the prominence of the document and Puritan costumes. While there is not conclusive evidence of the correct title or subject of the painting, the interpretation of the piece as an allegorical depiction of the The Acts of Toleration is a strong possibility.

Tompkins Harrison Matteson, the artist, was born in Peterboro, N.Y in 1813. In 1813 he moved to NYC. In 1850 he retired to Sherburne, MA., where he died in 1884. He was always busy, painted many portraits and taught groups of students, among whom was Elihu Vedder. "The Founding of the Colony of Maryland" was formerly in the collection of Avis and Rockwell Gardiner until its purchase by Arthur Houghton, Jr. in the 1970's; Mr. Houghton gave the painting to the Archives in 1983. Since  it was given to the Archives it was first exhibited at the Hall of Records on the St. John's campus and is currently in the State House, Senate Lounge.

Artist: William Arthur Smith (1918-1989)
Title: George Washington and the Continental Congress
Date: 1968
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 66 x 107"
Accession number: MSA SC 1545-3501

This mural depicting George Washington resigning his military commission to the Continnental Congress is one of nine murals originally commissioned in 1966 for the Maryland House Travel Plaza near Aberdeen, Maryland. This series of murals included individuals and events significant in Maryland’s history. In 2002, because of damage to the murals and in anticipation of the future redevelopment of the travel plaza, the murals were carefully removed and were rolled and stored in a climate-controlled storage facility.

As the owner, the Maryland Transportation Authority sought appropriate repositories for each of the vignettes, and in 2018, three were added to the Maryland State Archives’ Artistic Property Collection. These views of Lord Baltimore and the Maryland Charter, Charles Willson Peale and George Washington and the Continental Congress have strong connections to displays in the Maryland State House and to other objects in the State’s collections.  

William Arthur Smith's works are included in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, the Library of Congress, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the James A. Michener Museum. He was a portraitist and illustrator whose work regularly appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan, True, and other publications. Besides being compelling paintings, and long beloved by travelers along Interstate-95, the group of murals was also important in the development of the Visual Artists’ Rights Act of 1990. In 1988, the artist and his family stopped while passing through the area only to discover that one of the vignettes had a doorway cut through during remodeling, with the subjects repainted and signed by a different artist. He had no legal recourse at the time because he did not own the painting, but his case is widely cited as having helped pave the way for this legislation, referred to as VARA.

Artist: Joseph Sheppard (b.1930)
Title: Last Moments of Command
Date: 1989
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 87 x 64 1/2"
Accession number: MSA SC 1545-3140

The setting for this mural by noted Baltimore artist Joseph Sheppard is the committee room off the Old Senate Chamber in the Maryland State House moments before George Washington is to resign his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army before Congress then sitting in Annapolis.

It is December 23, 1783, a little before noon, Washington and congressional committees which include Thomas Jefferson and James McHenry, have carefully planned the ceremony; it is to be a solemn and moving occasion. The triumphant general will bow to civil authority and Congress will raise their hats in his honor  waiting in the committee room with Washington are his aides, Col. Benjamin Walker and Col. David Humphrey; a former aide, now congressmen, James McHenry; Governor and Congressman William Paca; Congressman Thomas Jefferson; Secretary of Congress Charles Thompson; Congressman Edward Lloyd; General William Smallwood; President of the Maryland Senate, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, and Molly Ridout, daughter of former Governor Samuel Ogle, the only woman present at the ceremony to leave a record of the event. Joe Sheppard captures the tension of the moment.

General George Washington has just checked the final draft of his speech against the first draft that he had already given to the Protocol Committee.  This is the very document that James McHenry holds so tightly in his right hand, a document which was owned by McHenry’s descendents but was acquired by the state of Maryland in 2006. In but a moment Washington will fold his copy of the speech and place it in his coat pocket. Escorted by Charles Thomson and aides Walker and Humphrys, General Washington will enter the chamber and sit at the secretary’s table until called upon to speak.

 

Artist: William Arthur Smith (1918-1989)
Title: Lord Baltimore and the Charter of Maryland
Date: 1968
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 66 3/4 x 78"
Accession number: MSA SC 1545-3499

This mural depicting Lord Baltimore (Cecil Calvert) and the Charter of Maryland is one of nine murals originally commissioned in 1966 for the Maryland House Travel Plaza near Aberdeen, Maryland. This series of murals featured individuals and events significant in Maryland’s history. In 2002, because of damage to the murals and in anticipation of the future redevelopment of the travel plaza, the murals were carefully removed and were rolled and stored in a climate-controlled storage facility.

As the owner, the Maryland Transportation Authority sought appropriate repositories for each of the vignettes, and in 2018, three were added to the Maryland State Archives’ Artistic Property Collection. These views of Lord Baltimore and the Maryland Charter  and have strong connections to displays in the Maryland State House and to other objects in the State’s collections.  

William Arthur Smith's works are included in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, the Library of Congress, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the James A. Michener Museum. He was a portraitist and illustrator whose work regularly appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan, True, and other publications. Besides being compelling paintings, and long beloved by travelers along Interstate-95, the group of murals was also important in the development of the Visual Artists’ Rights Act of 1990. In 1988, the artist and his family stopped while passing through the area only to discover that one of the vignettes had a doorway cut through during remodeling, with the subjects repainted and

Artist: Francis Blackwell Mayer (1827-1899)
Title: The Planting of the Colony of Maryland
Date: 1893
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 67 x 98"
Accession number: MSA SC 1545-1125

This painting commemorates the landing of the first settlers in the colony of Maryland on March 25, 1634 on St. Clement’s Island in what is now St. Mary’s County.  Led by Leonard Calvert, first proprietary governor, the group departed from Cowes, England, in November 1633 aboard two ships, the Ark and the Dove. In this scene, the settlers, in thanksgiving for their safe arrival, prepare to erect a rough-hewn cross, symbolizing the religious tolerance upon which the colony was founded.  The events of this historic day are commemorated annually on March 25, “Maryland Day.”

In creating this image, the artist Frank B. Mayer relied upon the first person account of Father Andrew White, a Jesuit priest who was among the original settlers. Father White is depicted at the far left of the image, following the procession of cross-bearers. Governor Leonard Calvert is depicted at the center of the painting, with a sword at his side.

Artist: Percy Jenkins
Title: USS Maryland
Date: n.d.
Medium: Oil on canvas board
Dimensions: 16 x 29"
Accession number: MSA SC 1545-1142

Artist: Edwin White (1817-1877)
Title: Washington Resigning His Commission
Date: 1858
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 92 x 168"
Accession number: MSA SC 1545-1112

This monumental painting depicts the scene in the Old Senate Chamber of the Maryland State House on December 23, 1783, when General George Washington resigned his commission as Commander-in-Chief of the victorious Continental Army. Washington's resignation was delivered at a meeting of the Continental Congress, which convened in Annapolis on November 26. The solemn ceremony is well documented in first person accounts as well as in the published rules of the ceremony, which stated that, "the President and members are to be seated and covered...The General is to be seated with an aide on each side, standing...the General is to arise, and address Congress...the President is to deliver the answer of Congress...the General...is to bow to Congress, which they are to return by uncovering without bowing." The stiff formality and deference were designed to re-emphasize the supremacy of the civilian representatives of the people over the military. Despite this formality, one witness, James McHenry, reported that "the spectators all wept, and there was hardly a member of Congress who did not drop tears."

Edwin White was born in Massachusetts and began painting at an early age. He exhibited at the National Academy in New York where he was also a member. Specializing in historical scenes, his work has been displayed in such institutions as the Pennsylvania Academy, the Boston Athenaeum, the American Art Union, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. In portraying the scene of Washington's resignation, White took some liberties in depicting those present at the ceremony, including such figures as Martha Washington and her niece who were at the Washington home in Mount Vernon, Virginia, at the time. This painting was commissioned by the Maryland Legislature in 1856. White was selected as the artist in 1858, and the painting was completed the following year.

A similar painting depicting the scene of Washington's Resignation was painted by John Trumbull (1756-1843) between 1822 and 1824. It is installed in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol.

Artist: Richard Schlecht 
Title: Watching and Waiting
Date: 2012
Medium: Watercolor
Dimensions: 26 x 34”
Accession number: MSA SC 1545-3468

This watercolor was commissioned by the Friends of the Maryland State Archives in 2012 for the exhibition "'The Enemy Nearly All 'Round Us': Annapolis and the War of 1812" at the Maryland State House. This image was part of a wall-size graphic that was installed in the Stairwell Room of the Maryland State House for the exhibition. The scence depicts the State House and the harbor of Annapolis as it appeared in September 1814. A small image of the HMS Menaleus was used in the mural so that it would appear as if it was viewed from the State House Dome by a spyglass.

 

Artist: Richard Schlecht 
Title: The HMS Menaleus
Date: 2012
Medium: Watercolor
Dimensions: 12 x 16”
Accession number: MSA SC 1545-3469

This watercolor was commissioned by the Friends of the Maryland State Archives in 2012 for the exhibition "'The Enemy Nearly All 'Round Us': Annapolis and the War of 1812" at the Maryland State House. This image was part of a wall-size graphic that was installed in the Stairwell Room of the Maryland State House for the exhibition. The image of the HMS Menaleus was used as an inset on the larger mural Watching and Waiting so that it would appear as if it was viewed from the State House Dome by a spyglass.