Thomas MacPherson, Emeritus Professor of Art, Hemlock , New York, USA.
1. What is your object and how did it come to be in your possession?
My object is an egg tempera painting of my Great-Aunt Catherine (Kitty) MacPherson (b. 1872 – d. 1967), which I painted in 2011. Egg tempera is an ancient painting process that was popular in the Italian Renaissance and also in Early American art. Since many colonial and early American portraits were painted in egg tempera, I thought the medium would be the perfect way to depict my great-aunt since I wanted her to have that iconic historical look. The painting is based on a photograph I found of her in the LeRoy Historical Society when I was doing research for my book, Crossing Cultures. And, yes, I knew her!
2. Why have you chosen this object for the Macphersoniana project?
I chose this painting of Kitty for several reasons. My great-aunt broke the stereotypes for women in the 19th and 20th centuries and lived an unconventional life. She exhibited that independent “highlander” spirit that defied conventional norms, because mainstream though they were in the US, the MacPhersons always took pride in the reputed fierceness and independence of their Highland culture. In 1888 at the age of 16, she attended Ingham University, the first exclusive women’s institution of higher learning, and studied art and literature. In 1896, she graduated from the Buffalo General School of Nursing, Buffalo, NY, and her life took off. In her own words in an interview from a newspaper article she gave in 1946, she was “something of an adventuress, a true pioneer and most of all, a determined soul who meant business in a new profession that was going places.” In 1918 she volunteered to serve in U. S. Army Nursing Corp during WWI. During the war she spent time in base camps in France and spent a furlough in Scotland found out the spelling of McPherson in use by the family for generations was not accurate. So in the 1920s, Kitty and her siblings changed our last name to the correct English spelling of MacPherson. While serving during WWI, she became so impressed by the bravery and devotion to the wounded of the Catholic priests and nuns, that she converted to Catholicism in the 1920s. She was cultured, sophisticated and well read. Consequently, Kitty received the status of a celebrity in the family. My great-aunt was a larger-than-life figure, who on the one hand was a revered relative who loved us, and on the other hand, a very mysterious figure whom we never really knew. At her funeral, her casket was draped with the American flag, there were Highland bagpipes playing, and a 21 gun salute was given in her honor.
3. Why is this object important to you and what does it mean to you?
The Conversion of Great-Aunt Catherine is one of the most important portrait paintings I have painted. It is my tribute to my Great-Aunt Kitty. The painting represents an important part of our family history and a link to the past. There are only a few photos ever taken of her throughout her life since she hated having her picture taken. When I discovered the photo of her in her teens at the historical society, I nearly fell out of my chair. The only image I had of her was the kindly old woman with perfectly round rouge circles on her cheeks. The other photos of her are when she was in her 90s when she reluctantly submitted to a few photos at family Christmas gatherings. Through the historical society photograph, I was able to look at her in a different light; one as a youthful woman at the beginning of her amazing life. She was pretty, vivacious with an inner strength so the challenge was to be able to depict who she was through images. On an artistic level, through visual imagery, I was able to depict the many aspects of her groundbreaking life in a dramatic way. This painting, on one hand, symbolically depicts her in the middle of life altering events of the 19th and 20th centuries, but it also illustrates her lifelong interests in art by incorporating the Baroque painting by Crespi, St Gregory Delivers Another Soul to Heaven but it also symbolizing the souls of soldiers who lost their lives on the field of battle during her years as an Army nurse. The loch in the background symbolizes her love of all things Scottish, especially MacPherson ones.
4. What does this object tell us about what it means to be a Macpherson?
My great-aunt was very proud of her Scottish heritage. In the Highlands, the Mcphersons were known as a fighting clan and were involved in some of the most stirring events of Highland history. The Mcphersons were usually among the first to show up for a battle and were known as vicious fighters. In this vein, I painted her as a strong, young women with much determination. In the painting, she is gazing to the left out of the field of vision of the viewer as if dreaming about the future. Instead of being content and accepting the limited opportunities that women had at this time in American society, she chose to live an independent life on her own, without a husband or a family. Her life is filled with instances where she took the path least traveled and lived life on here own terms. She attended college, became part of a respected a profession, traveled the world, and in old age, accepted blind boarders and taught them how to be self-sufficient. She lived what seemed a very fulfilling and exciting life; on her own terms. Kitty resembled our relatives who left the Highlands in 1801 because of the Clearances and set out for the unknown and were brave enough to face the dangers and uncertainty of living in a new world with bravery and fortitude. Kitty set out on a life where she faced discrimination as a woman and kept going through it all. The military provided this avenue for women, like my great-aunt, to break free of societal gender barriers. They were responsible for hundreds of patients and they saw the grim realities of war. Women were patriotic and were encouraged to be tough, and they broke the stereotype of a woman as a delicate mother or housewife.
Macphersoniana 