Our artifact of the month is a painting of President George Washington by Fred Rhoades, who was only 12 when he made the painting and its oval frame about 1852. The painting is currently on display in the Revolutionary War Era case in the main hall.
George Washington seems an apt subject for our May artifact. Join us on Thursday, May 14 at 7 pm for our talk on George Washington’s First Spy by author and historian John Bell. See details on the talk here.
Born in Stoneham, Fred (Alfred P. Rhoades,1840-1922) was from a family of talented amateur artists including his mother Mary Stevens Gerry, and sister Mary Louise (Rhoades) Trowbridge, who also have work in the collection. A Civil War veteran who was wounded at the battle of Chancellorsville in 1863, he was active in town commercial and civic life. It was in Fred Rhoades honor that our first artifact, a vase made in Liverpool, England around 1815, was donated by his wife Annie in 1922. That vase also features an image of George Washington.
Alfred P. Rhoades, Portrait of George Washington, 1851. Oil on canvas. 6 x 4.5 inches. [282] Gift of Annie Trowbridge.