Friday November 10th at 7PM. Town Council Chambers, Mansfield Town Hall. Vernon Historical Society’s Museum Director Jean Luddy will be presenting a program titled “Rockville’s Charles Ethan Porter: African-American Master of Still Life.”

Rockville artist Charles Ethan Porter (1847-1923) strived to overcome society’s prejudice toward African Americans and created a body of work that revealed his growth as an artist during the era of Impressionism. Porter showed artistic talent at an early age and with the encouragement of his family attended art school. He studied art in New York City and Paris, specializing in still life paintings of fruits, insects, butterflies, and flowers. Known only locally at the time of his death, Porter and his work were rediscovered in the late 20th century. His paintings are now in the collections of major museums. In one of his letters, Porter wrote that he believed his struggle to become accepted as an artist and as an African American would pave the way for others of his race to achieve success in the arts.

Vernon Historical Society Museum Director Jean Luddy will present and overview of the mill city that Porter knew and will share research into how he was perceived in the community as a an artist but also as a man of color.

The Town Council Chambers is located in the Audrey P. Beck Building, 4 South Eagleville Road, Mansfield CT