December Issue 2000
SC State Museum Offers Exhibit From Permanent Collection in Columbia, SC
Today Audubon prints, Edgefield pottery and miniature portraits are art. But in the 1800s, before the advent of NatureScene, Tupperware and Kodak, they had very practical purposes.
In the exhibit Fine, Folk and Fancy: 19th-Century Works from the Permanent Collection, which can be seen until March 15, 2001, the SC State Museum, in Columbia, SC, looks at a time before technology made everyday objects inexpensive and easy to obtain.
"In the 20th century, people basically
did art for art's sake," says Robin Waites, the museum's
chief curator of art. "It's hard for us to understand that
in the 19th century and earlier, people made art for patrons or
for specific purposes. There was a lot of 'creativity' in it,
but most of the work was functional."
The museum is displaying prints by Alexander Wilson (1766-1813),
the "father of American ornithology," and John James
Audubon (1785-1851), whose realistic and beautiful
engravings set the standard for natural history illustration.
Works like these were once how people learned about nature.
The museum has an excellent collection of Edgefield
pottery, a gift of the Gignilliat family, Waites says. Before
plastic dishes, tin cans and commercial dairies, the pots held
everything from milk to meat to moonshine.
Before photography made it easy to record images, portraits were
a way of honoring public figures, such as John C. Calhoun, and
remembering loved ones. A miniature portrait was often worn as
a locket or displayed in a bedroom. The museum is showing full-size
works by artists such as William Harrison Scarborough (1812-1871)
and miniatures by Charles Fraser (1782-1860) and Edward Greene
Malbone (1777-1807).
Fine, Folk and Fancy includes quilts, furniture, daguerreotypes and images of important Civil War battles by artists such as Xanthus Smith (1839-1929) and Theodore R. Davis (1840-1894).
Coming on the heels of 100 Years/100 Artists: Views of the 20th Century in South Carolina Art, "I felt it was important to show visitors what was going on in the 19th century," Waites says. It is a good opportunity to display work from the permanent collection. Waites also hopes some people might spot gaps in the collection and perhaps try to fill them with donations.
For further information check our SC Institutional
Gallery listings or call the Museum at 803/898-4921.
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
427, Bonneau, SC 29431
Telephone, Answering Machine and FAX: 843/825-3408
E-Mail: carolinart@aol.com
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