Portraits
Blandwood is home to ten portraits of the Morehead family members painted by William Garl Browne, a well-known nineteenth-century portraitist in North Carolina. Although the house does not have paintings of every family member, portraits of Gov. Morehead, his wife Ann Eliza, five of the children, and three of their children’s spouses hang throughout the home.
Browne first came to Blandwood in the 1850s to paint Gov. and Mrs. Morehead and at least one of their daughters, Ann Eliza Evans. After his initial visit, Browne created copies of the Morehead portraits and returned to Blandwood in the late 1860s to paint more of the family.
By researching these portraits, their artists, and their subjects, we are able to better understand the domestic life of the Moreheads, as well as the use of nineteenth-century portraiture to invoke a sense of power and memory on its subjects.
As interesting as it is to see images of these portraits and learn their stories, it is far more exciting to see these portraits in person. To see Browne’s brushstrokes and notice details that cannot be captured in photographs, is a unique experience. If you are interested in seeing these portraits in person, click here to learn more about visiting Blandwood.
John Motley Morehead (1796-1866)
The portrait of Gov. Morehead at Blandwood is a copy painted by Browne in 1882. We have found four other copies of this portrait done by Browne and two by later artists. It is unclear where the original portrait is or if it still exists. Blandwood’s copy of the portrait once belonged to Mary Hodges, daughter of Emma Gray. We believe that Browne painted this particular portrait for Julius Gray after he had already painted Emma and Julius (see newspaper clipping below).
Compared to Browne’s paintings of Morehead’s contemporaries, such as Willie P. Mangum the governor’s portrait is simpler. Gov. Morehead holds the Proceeding of the Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Railroad, rather than holding an unidentifiable book or a pair of glasses. Posing Morehead in this way reflects the gravitas of the Governor and his contributions to the state, especially establishing the North Carolina railroad system.
Ann Eliza Morehead (1804-1868)
Like Gov. Morehead’s, this portrait is a copy painted by Browne in 1886. It is believed that Browne painted these copies for their daughter Emma Morehead Gray. As one can see by the signature on the back of the frame (see image below), it was owned by a Mrs. Hodges, one of Emma’s descendants. The same signature can be seen on the back of the portraits of Gov. Morehead, Emma, and Julius Gray’s.
Eliza, as she was known, had an introverted and gentle personality, and this austere and humble representation portrays her stoic disposition. She is holding reading glasses, which has a two-fold meaning. First, this demonstrates her family’s wealth, because glasses were not a common accessory at this time. Second, this indicates that she can read and is therefore educated. This is significant, because it illustrates the importance of education not only for men, but also for women, in the Morehead household. Eliza attended the Salisbury Academy as a young woman, where she earned praise in arithmetic, reading, music, and embroidery.
Letitia Morehead Walker (1823-1908)
Letitia was the eldest daughter of Gov. and Mrs. Morehead. She was educated at the Greensboro Female Academy under Mary Ann Hoye, and married William Walker in 1848, and they had three children before his untimely death in 1855. She then moved her family back to Blandwood while managing her Point Plantation in Davidson County. Letitia is documented as a member of the faculty of the nearby Edgeworth Female Academy where she served as an art instructor. Browne painted this portrait of Letitia in 1869, years after her parents died. It is more stylized than Gov. and Mrs. Morehead’s portraits, which seems to represent Letitia’s sophisticated interests. The background of this portrait is reminiscent of the Grand Manner style, with its dramatic landscape and Classical architecture.
The portrait’s colorful and engaging style reflects the outgoing nature of its subject. She was a devoted historian and member of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, working as its Vice-Regent representing North Carolina. Browne captures her artistic nature by portraying her in a dramatic twilight setting with flowers adorning her hair as she holds an exotic decorative fan.
Ann Eliza Morehead Evans (1827-1876)
Ann Eliza’s portrait is very important to Blandwood’s collection, because it is the earliest portrait painted by Browne at the house. The portrait, signed and dated in 1859, proves that Browne initially came to Blandwood in the 1850s. Ann Eliza’s portrait is much simpler than her older sisters’, carrying the same modest stoicism of her parents’ portraits. This may be due to the fact it was painted around the same time that her parents first sat for Browne.
At this time, portraiture was evolving, due to the more regular use of cameras. This meant that painted portraits became a symbol of wealth, and Ann Eliza’s portrait conveys this idea. The subject’s simple pose and attire, save for the conspicuous red shawl and gold broach, denotes the need for this portrait.
John Lindsay Morehead (1833-1901)
John Lindsay Morehead was the first of Gov. Morehead’s sons to be painted. His portrait is adjacent to his first wife’s portrait at Blandwood. The portrait is austere, with the exception of his grand beard and the timing in which Browne completed this work. The artist painted John Lindsay in 1868, one year before Leticia, Emma, and Julius’ portraits were finished and just one year after his first wife’s death. The simplicity of this portrait may be in part due to reflect his status as a widower.
Sarah Phifer Morehead (1835-1867)
Sarah Phifer Morehead was the first wife of John Lindsay. She and her husband had three children before her death in 1867. Though there is little to note in the portrait itself, there is one small detail that makes this very interesting for the collection. It is believed that Browne painted this portrait in August of 1868, one year after Sarah’s death. Most likely Browne painted this from a photograph, which is not uncommon for the time. The simplicity of the portrait is understandable when one considers its purpose as a memorial of Sarah for John Lindsay and his family. One can imagine the widower and his children admiring this portrait, after their loved one passed at the age of thirty-two.
Emma Morehead Gray (1836-1896)
Browne painted Emma’s portrait in 1869. He portrayed Emma as very fashionable, in a royal blue dress with lace overlay. What appears to be pearls sit on her neck, but they are far too large, leaving the viewer to speculate that either Browne painted them larger than they actually were, or they were not pearls, but something lighter.
The presentation of this portrait is very similar to Letitia’s, which Browne painted around the same time. The dramatic drapery and classical architecture resemble the Grand Manner style that Browne seemed to fall back on throughout his career. Instead of the strength that underlies Letitia’s portrait, though, Emma seems to exude a gentleness, more similar to her mother.
Julius Gray (1833-1891)
Julius, Emma’s husband, was an accomplished man in Greensboro who was well-known across North Carolina. He was a founder of the Chamber of Commerce in Greensboro, and was also the president of both the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railroad and the South Carolina-Central Pacific Railway Company. Browne painted his portrait around 1869, and the artist was able to capture Gray’s respected demeanor. One interesting aspect of Julius, and also Emma’s, portrait is that the frame maker’s sticker remain attached to the back of the frame (see image below). Thomas Hooper, of New York, made the frames; their gilded design and red stencil pattern make them unique in Blandwood’s collection.
James Turner Morehead (1840-1908)
James Turner’s portrait is distinctive in Blandwood’s collection of Browne’s work. It was actually painted by an unknown artist who copied it from Browne’s 1872 portrait of Gov. Morehead’s second son. On the back, the artist has written “D’apres [after] Wm. Garl Browne Feb. 1872.” It is an austere portrait that de-emphasizes disfigurement of his right cheek caused by an injury received during the Civil War.
Mary Connally Morehead (1842-1917)
Mary Connally’s portrait, like her husband’s, is not a painting by Browne himself. The artist L. Branson’s signature, along with the date, 1923, is painted on the bottom right corner. A sticker on the back reads, “Mrs. James Turner Morehead (Mary Elizabeth (Lily) Connally). Original done by William Garl Brown in 1870, this, a copy done by Bronson in 1923, now owed by William Harris Morehead Nelson. August 1935.” Like Letitia and Emma’s, Mary’s portrait has a rather extravagant background of red drapery and a dramatic landscape.