ACTIVITY: Reading a Portrait Summary: In the early autumn of 1842, a group of Philadelphia s prominent Whig citizens commissioned John B. Neagle to paint a full-length portrait of Henry Clay, a portrait that served as a political icon during the statesman s bid for the presidency of the United States in 1844. The artist travelled to Clay s farm Ashland in Lexington, Kentucky, and remained in the state painting prominent people until early 1843. John Sartain developed a mezzotint (reproducible print) of the portrait in 1843. Students will view this 1842 portrait of Henry Clay and analyze the symbolism embedded in it. Length of Time: 1 class session Materials: Mezzotint portrait of Henry Clay For each student, a copy of the Portrait Analysis sheet Prerequisites: Students should have viewed the video clip and read the background essay before this activity. Instructions: Project the mezzotint portrait of Henry Clay (included below) and lead a guided discussion using the questions in the Portrait Activity. Explain that this is a reproduction of a color oil painting. As needed, identify the various objects in the background (shuttle, anvil, plow, cattle, ship). Formative Assessment: Ask students to individually complete the Portrait Analysis sheet as they view the portrait. Extension: You can integrate a hands-on self-portrait lesson to deepen student understanding of symbolism in portraiture using the lesson Mixed Media Self Portrait (part of the KET Looking At Paintings series found at www.ket.org/painting/ selfportrait_middle.htm). Present the lesson yourself or collaborate with the art specialist at your school or a visiting artist-in-residence. Activity adapted from George Washington Portrait Activity, prepared by Mike Deetsch, Kentucky Historical Society (2009). Social Studies Historic Archaeology 1
Types of Guided Questions that Help Facilitate Inquiry into an Artifact or Work of Art Convergent (closed) questions Convergent questions ask visitors to put together facts and observations to form an answer. Although several answers may be possible, they tend to converge to one expected answer. Examples What is a symbol? What is an attribute? What is a gesture? What is a facial expression? What kind of clothing is Henry Clay wearing? What is the background setting? What props are placed around him? Divergent (open) questions Divergent questions have several right answers. Students are encouraged to generate their own ideas or take a new perspective on a given topic by remembering information and organizing it. Examples What can you tell me about Henry Clay s gesture? His posture? His facial expression? If you were going to have your portrait made, what are some things you would want included? What do the props in the painting tell us about Henry Clay? Question Type Example Purpose Memory Question What do you know about Henry Clay? To recall prior knowledge and experience. Personal experience questions Have you ever had your portrait taken? Where were you? What were you wearing? Are you familiar with gestures and facial expressions? Make a face that appears sad, happy, angry, etc. To involve the group without difficulty or threat. To set the state for further questions in the exploration of artifacts; to define the theme of the lesson. To show interest in a group s response. To assess their comfort/background. Description Evidence What do you see surrounding Henry Clay? What do you see that makes you believe he was an important statesman? What do you see that indicates he was a successful farmer? What might the globe at his feet represent? What might the ship in the background represent? What might the column represent? To build student s observation skills. To encourage students to back up their interpretations with evidence from the artifact or setting (accountable talk). Compare and Contrast Compare this portrait to other portraits of Henry Clay found at www.gpoaccess. gov/serialset/cdocuments/sd107-11/ pdf/64-79.pdf To build students analysis skills. 2 Historic Archaeology Social Studies
Premise or hook Evaluation This portrait was commissioned by a group of Clay s supporters during Clay s bid for the presidency. How does knowing this impact your perception of the portrait? Did the artist do an accurate job of portraying Henry Clay? To introduce facts or pertinent information that will help students go further in their interpretation and analysis. To build students skills at judging, valuing, defending, or justifying choices. Social Studies Historic Archaeology 3
Henry Clay by John B. Neagle (1842). National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. 4 Historic Archaeology Social Studies
Name: Date: Portrait Analysis Describe the Painting When was it created? Who commissioned it? Describe the Subject Gender and approximate age: Clothing: Pose (standing, sitting upright, relaxed, sprawled out, lying down, active): Does the subject appear to be looking at the viewer or at something else? If something else, at what is the subject looking? What kind of expression does the subject have? Describe the Setting or Background What is the setting of the portrait? Does the setting have symbolic meaning? What objects are included in the painting? What do you think the objects represented to people who viewed the portrait or mezzotint when they were created? Summary What do you think this portrait was supposed to make viewers believe or feel about the subject? Social Studies Historic Archaeology 5
Open Response Assessment Prompt: Henry Clay was the presidential nominee of the Whig Party in 1844. The portrait painted by John B. Neagle was intended to convey an image of Clay that would appeal to the voting public. Directions: Identify three symbolic objects that are included in the painting, and explain what they represented to voters in 1844. 4 3 2 1 0 identifies three objects included in the portrait. Student s explanation of what the objects represented to the voting population of 1844 is insightful and relevant, demonstrating extensive knowledge of the culture of 1844. identifies three objects included in the portrait. Student s explanation of what the objects represented is relevant, demonstrating a broad knowledge of the culture of 1844. identifies only two objects included in the portrait, or Student identifies three objects without supporting explanation. identifies only one object included in the portrait, or Student identifies two objects without supporting explanation. No answer or incorrect answer Adapted from Here s Looking at You, Kid Portrait Analysis Worksheet, Page 2. 2001 National Endowment for the Humanities. Educators may reproduce this worksheet as needed for classroom use. http://edsitement.neh.gov 6 Historic Archaeology Social Studies