On and Off the Wall is a series of brief reflections on or about works in the collection, including those that may not often make an appearance on the gallery wall due to shortage of display space. Deborah Spanich is the museum registrar. She compiled the digital database and fell in love with many of the works in the collection.

Portrait of Mary Elizabeth Morgan
George W. Fitzwilson

What I like about this portrait is five-year-old Mary’s serene blue eyes and soft, almost glowing, face. Possibly the dress and perhaps even the body depicted in the portrait weren’t hers. The lack of detail and the simplicity of her dress and pose leave her expression as the only feature of her original spirit shining through.

However, this sweet-looking girl did not grow up to be as compliant as she appears in this portrait. Twenty years later, Mary defied Union rule that forbade the wearing of Confederate uniforms in the occupied City of Lynchburg. Taking fabric from her husband’s uniforms, she created a jacket boasting military braid and the gold stars of a Confederate colonel. Mary was often seen wearing this jacket paired with a grey skirt around Lynchburg. In a photograph from the time, Mary’s eyes gaze out with confidence, as if to say, “This is who I really am.”

Come and meet Mary at the Maier Museum, and then go and see her jacket which is on display at the Lynchburg Historical Museum!