A fine art photographic exhibit opening focusing on Theodosia Ford is set to open on July 1 at the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, NY.
The Diary of Theodosia Ford – Photographs by Xiomaro will be on view until August 31. The images, together with an imagined diary based on factual accounts, tell the story of a young widow’s unsung role in the American Revolution. Theodosia and her four children crammed into two rooms from 1779-80 – during one of the worst winters of the century – and gave up control of her New Jersey home to George Washington and his entourage for use as his military base.
The house was ideal because it was strategically located between Philadelphia and the British stronghold in New York City. Conditions, however, were harsh. The house was crowded with the General’s assistants, servants and slaves, his wife Martha, and towering personalities such as Alexander Hamilton, Marquis de Lafayette, Philip Schuyler, and Benedict Arnold.
Yet, Theodosia, persevered with the domestic upheaval, the deaths of several close family members (including her toddler), and a winter with more than 20 snowstorms. Demoralized and weakened soldiers living in a nearby encampment suffered with starvation, nakedness – some only having a blanket – and the agonizing temperatures described by a soldier as “cold enough to cut a man in two.”
Other difficulties included the court-martialing of Benedict Arnold and the death of a Spanish Ambassador from fever. There were some bright moments, however. It was at Theodosia’s house that Alexander Hamilton met and fell in love with Elizabeth Schuyler, famously dramatized in the Broadway play Hamilton.
Theodosia never remarried, continued to run the farm, and her husband’s business operations. She remained in the house until her death in 1824.
The exhibition of 12 images are drawn from a collection of almost 100 photographs of the Ford mansion that Xiomaro (pronounced “SEE-oh-MAH-ro”) was commissioned to create for the National Park Service at New Jersey’s Morristown National Historical Park. Each 17” x 25” image is accompanied by a narrative written by the artist.
Xiomaro’s work has been exhibited at Harvard University, and other museums and galleries. He is currently working on a photo book, Weir Farm National Historic Site, about Julian Alden Weir, considered a father of American Impressionist painting.
The gallery at Women’s Rights National Historical Park Visitor Center is located on the second floor of 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, New York 13148, and the free exhibition runs from July 1 to August 31, 2018. Visiting hours are 9 am to 5 pm, seven days a week.
A free limited edition exhibit e-book of the photographs can be downloaded online, which includes free entry into a giveaway of a softcover book about the Ford Mansion and a 5” x 7” print.