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Curator Corner: The Joseph Hewes Miniature

Tuesday, June 9 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Miniature of Joseph Hewes(1730–1779), 1776. Charles Willson Peale (1741–1827). Watercolor on ivory. Loan courtesy of the U.S. Naval Academy Museum.

Take a virtual lunch break with us! Morven’s Curator Corner invites you for a free behind-the-scenes look at new acquisitions, research, and exhibition development with the museum’s curatorial department.

A watercolor miniature adorned in garnets and framed as a woman’s brooch is the only known likeness of Joseph Hewes, Signer of the Declaration of Independence and a founder of the American Navy. Commissioned as a gift for thirteen-year-old Helen “Nelly” Blair, this miniature helps shed light on personal connections, sentiments towards independence, and illness in the months leading up to July 1776. 

Join Morven’s June Curator Corner with Curatorial Assistant Emily Marturano to hear the full story of this recent loan from the U.S. Naval Academy. The program will be held via Zoom webinar and is offered free of charge. Pre-registration is required in order to receive a link. The presentation will be recorded and shared with all registrants following the event.