"The Conspirators", by General Lew Wallace

[bob_summers]

(06-22-2014 04:49 PM)STS Lincolnite Wrote:  Earlier this spring, I traveled with a small group to the Lew Wallace Study in Crawfordsville, IN to help with some clean up around the grounds. Following our day of work, we went on a tour of the study itself. Low and behold, displayed up high on one of the walls was a painting Wallace did of the conspirators. The painting is quite large (I don’t have the exact dimensions). Though I have some ideas of my own, I am interested to hear people’s thoughts as to the symbolism (if any) expressed here. Although it is a little difficult to figure out who is who, there is one person conspicuously missing and another person added.

It is interesting to see Dr. Mudd painted with reddish hair. This confirms the description of him I’ve seen in various places. Red hair ran in the Mudd family. My mother always said the Mudds came from Ireland. Dr. Mudd’s daughter Stella had “flaming red hair.” My sister was born with reddish hair, which slowly changed to blond as she grew older. My older brother’s son has red hair. The son of my father’s older brother has red hair. And so on.