WEEKEND: Jefferson Museum unveils ‘Heads & Hats’ showcase
Published 12:01 am Saturday, October 11, 2014
NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, Oct. 10.
PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson Museum of Art & History opens “Heads & Hats” today.
The exhibit features portraits and hats drawn from the Jefferson County Historical Society collection.
Artwork also was loaned by members of the community.
The museum, a branch of the Jefferson County Historical Society, is open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 540 Water St.
Admission is $4 for adults, $1 for children 3 to 12 years old or free to members of the historical society.
“Portraits reflect the artistic styles of their time,” said Bill Tennent, executive director of the historical society.
“They are wonderful because they capture the likeness of individuals for posterity, but they also capture the personality and mood of the subject.”
Portraits range from Victorian paintings of notable citizens such as James Swan and Henry Ward Beecher to more contemporary portraits of Port Townsend leaders and community personalities.
Port Townsend’s first women artists are represented by Harriet Foster Beecher and Adeline Willoughby McCormack.
More recent works are by Branan Ward, Woody Dennis, Thomas T. Wilson, Luke Tornatzky, Leslie Cox, Linda Okazaki and others.
Complementing the portraits are hats ranging from a beaver-felt stovepipe hat to a cloche favored by flappers of the 1920s.
“Our collection volunteers have been processing our large collection of beautiful hats, and we realized that they would be the perfect addition to the portrait exhibit,” said Becky Schumann, collections manager.
“Just like the ‘heads,’ the hats all have stories of people to tell,” she said.
