I have been asked by a woman here in Charlotte to help her find a home for
a group of six panoramic paintings done by her grandfather in the 1880s.
These were used as a sort of primitive moving picture to illustrate talks
on religious themes given by the artist at venues all over the southeast
and into the midwest. He was, she tells me, accompanied by his wife playing
the organ. The paintings, about ten feet high, were rolled from one iron
bar to another by some sort of gear mechanism. I have seen about half of
one roll and the beginning of another. They are painted in a broad
poster-like style with water-soluble pigment on heavy cotton sheeting. The
initial panels have been damaged by water and, in some cases, little
four-footed chewers, but as you get farther in, the colors are remarkably
well-preserved and the cloth still sturdy. The figures are remarkably
expressive; the Ark of the Covenant is sumptuously portrayed in gold.

My request to you is this: Would your museum be interested in preserving
this remarkable work of religious folk art; or, do you know of any
institution, museum or otherwise, that would be interested in it? A full
restoration of the work would be a considerable undertaking, but it looks
to me as though it could be stabilized for exhibition by a group of trained
volunteers with sewing skills at very little cost.

And my problem is this: we have no space for storing this work, and the
building where it is being stored is due to be torn down next month. So any
answers will have to come quickly. The donor would be willing to help in a
small way with the cost of stabilizing the works, and I could ask her
whether she would be willing to pay for shipping.
Thank you,
Anne

Anne T. Lane, Collections Manager
Charlotte Museum of History
3500 Shamrock Drive
Charlotte NC 28215
704-568-1774
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