*Why is there handwriting that says 1863? It was filed with a group of legal papers in 1863, and thus dated to its filing date.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
We History Types Call This The Romantic Period
That is, the period of history in which "romanticism" took over, which is basically a classical revival in nearly all works of art stretching from literature to fashion to painting to architecture. (And by classical, we mean classical, as in, it was trendy to revisit the imagined lifestyles of the Greeks and Romans.) Newspaper columns were not immune, as evinced by the heading of this clipping from 1861*, where Lady Liberty is perched with a cupid-cherub in a natural, out-doorsey scene:
*Why is there handwriting that says 1863? It was filed with a group of legal papers in 1863, and thus dated to its filing date.
*Why is there handwriting that says 1863? It was filed with a group of legal papers in 1863, and thus dated to its filing date.
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I believe what we have here is a version of the state coat of arms, which first appeared in 1785 on the nameplate of the State Gazette of South Carolina. According to David Heisser's book called "The Seal of the State of South Carolina" (published by the SCDAH), this coat of arms was never adopted officially by the state. Still, it has appeared in countless newspapers and official state documents over the last 200+ years. By the way, the "cupid-cherub" in this image is identified by Heisser as the "winged figure of Fame," a Greco-Roman goddess "personifying rumor and gossip." I suppose Fame is spreading the good word of "Liberty" to the Rev War soldier depicted on the right. To read more about this, see Heisser's book, especially pages 18-19.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if the 1860s were considered part of the Romantic Period. Would this not be the Victorian Era? Guess it depends on how you want to define things. The coat of arms certainly has links to Greek and Roman mythology. Thanks for the comments on this coat of arms. I will definitely check out this book.
ReplyDeleteThe State Museum has a painting of the coat of arms, though it may not be on display.
ReplyDelete