Arts
The Civil War greatly impacted the art market in Tennessee. Many artists who had been working in the state before the war left the state. At the same time many American artists were drawn to Europe.
As the state began to recover from the war, art became more important. Homes of rich people were decorated with art while colleges, banks and companies wanted portraits of their founders or leaders.
Genre paintings were popular in the state. Dig Deeper: What is a genre painting? One of the better ones created in Tennessee is "Wedding in the Big Smokies, Tennessee" by John Stokes, dated 1872.
This painting shows a "shivaree", a mountain custom of trying to embarrass a newly married couple. Attendees would make all kinds of noise: yelling, firing guns, and ringing bells until the bride and groom would provide them with food and drink as a way of getting them quiet and getting them to leave.
In this painting the newly married couple is on the horse in front. They are being chased by men on horseback. Notice the girl at the right clapping and the African American woman and child to the left.
Photography, which had come into popularity during the Civil War, continued to be popular after the war. Photography often replaced art since many people preferred to have an accurate photograph of themselves rather than an artist's version. In response to this trend, and artistic ideas coming from Europe, American artists began painting with more interpretation in their works.
The economic problems caused by the war were also shown in quilts made during this time. Quilt makers in Tennessee had to "make do," and use whatever resources were available to them.
In a survey of Tennessee quilts, it was noted that most of the quilts made after the Civil War are scrap quilts. Women would save scraps of cloth from clothes-making or from clothing that had worn out and then reuse them in a quilt.
Dig Deeper answer: Genre comes from the French word for type or kind, so a painting genre might be portraits, landscapes or still lifes. Genre is also the name of a type of painting that depicts aspects of
everyday life by showing people doing common activities.
Picture Credits:
- Photograph of four children, probably from Bedford County or Shelbyville, Tennessee. Two boys are shown standing and two others are sitting. C.S. Judd is the credited photographer. Tennessee State Museum Collection, 1996.2.48
- Folk quilt made around 1875. This quilt was made by the grandmother of Helen Hutsell Roberts of McMinn County, Tennessee. The quilt features a pattern known as the Double Irish Chain in brown and green. Tennessee State Museum Collection, 80.41.2
- Portrait oil painting of Anson Nelson, Secretary of the Tennessee Historical Society. Nelson also served as the Society’s vice president and editor of the Gazette. This portrait was painted by Washington B. Cooper. Tennessee State Museum Collection, 1.841
- Genre oil painting entitled, “Wedding in the Big Smokies, Tennessee.” John Stokes is the artist and depicts a “shivaree” or a wedding celebration consisting of playfully pursuing newly married couple with noise makers until they provide the crowd with food and drink. Tennessee State Museum Collection, 83.75
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