Who Are the Unknown Sitters?
A new HNOC art exhibition asks the viewer to imagine their identities
NEW ORLEANS — Studying history requires imagination. Viewing the new interactive exhibition Unknown Sitters, drawn from painted portraits from the holdings of the Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC), will require it of gallery visitors as well. The subjects of these 26 portraits are unidentified in the historical record, their identities lost or erased from history for a variety of reasons.
On view April 5 through Oct. 6, 2024, Unknown Sitters will ask visitors to tell us who they are. In addition to the portraits, the exhibition features several engaging activities exploring the practice of portraiture from the perspectives of both artist and subject.
“Creole in a red headdress,”between 1830 and 1850; oil oncanvas by Jacques Guillaume Lucien Amans (1801–1888). (THNOC;acquisition made possible by the DianaHelis Henry Art Fund of the HelisFoundation in memory of Charles A. Snyder, 2010.0306)
“When family estates were sold, beloved portraits were divorced from their historical narratives,” said Lydia Blackmore, the exhibition’s curator. “Sometimes artists did not record the name of sitters, particularly when the sitter was a paid model. Portraits of children, the elderly, women and people of color were more likely to lose their identities than those of white men. With this exhibition, the Historic New Orleans Collection explores the power of imagination beyond the traditional sphere of historical inquiry and welcomes a wider group of thinkers and storytellers to engage with historical portraiture.”
Unknown Sitters has already tapped the power of imagination through the HNOC education department’s annual Student Writing Contest, which invited students from elementary, middle and high school to submit creative responses imagining the names and stories of the paintings’ subjects. More than 1,000 submissions were received, with at least one from every US state. The winning entries will be displayed in the exhibition.
When grouped together, the works in Unknown Sitters reflect the field of portraiture in New Orleans art history and illuminate gaps and biases in the historical record. Visitors are invited to look into the eyes of the sitters, view other objects in the paintings, learn about the artists and then imagine a story for each mysterious subject.
Unknown Sitters is sponsored by Baptist Community Ministries. Media partners in the exhibition’s presentation are The Times-Picayune | Nola.com and WVUE-FOX 8.
Unknown Sitters will be on view Tuesday through Saturday, from 9:30 a.m. to 4: 30 p.m. and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 4: 30 p.m. on the first floor of HNOC’s Tricentennial Wing at 520 Royal St. Admission is free but reservations are encouraged. Learn more about Unknown Sitters and plan your visit at hnoc.org.
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About the Historic New Orleans Collection
Founded in 1966, the Historic New Orleans Collection is a museum, research center and publisher dedicated to the stewardship of the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South. For more information, visit www.hnoc.org, call (504) 523-4662 or follow HNOC on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, and LinkedIn.