New England Self-Fashioning: Portraits and Presentations, 1700–1950 March 15, 2010

This one-day symposium will explore the people of New England through their visual and material representations from the 18th through the 20th centuries. How have the residents of New England been portrayed individually and in groups? How have they chosen to represent themselves — in what contexts, and in which media? How, in particular, has portraiture and self-presentation in New England offered an alternate view of the region? Talks by scholars in the fields of art history, the history of photography, and design history will explore portraiture and self-fashioning through a variety of lenses — from paintings on canvas to prints and photography, mixed media, moving images, sculpture, fashion, and interior design. The conference is free of charge and open to the public. Presented by the The Grace Slack McNeil Program for Studies in American Art at Wellesley College and Historic Deerfield.