Fiona Caughey
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Michele Hannoosh, Professor of French
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Romance Languages and Literatures, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Presentation Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021
Session: Session 4 (2pm-2:50pm)
Breakout Room: Room 1
Presenter: 3
Abstract
Introduction French artist Eugène Delacroix’s 1832 voyage to Maroc and Andalusia was a critical event that shaped the remainder of his career and personal life. Throughout the trip, Delacroix had several notebooks which held sketches, watercolors, and notes. A facsimile edition, or an exact reproduction, of these notebooks is being produced by Dr. Michèle Hannoosh which will include her introduction and the space for 100 images to contextualize the reproduction. Among these images are those from an album of eighteen watercolors that Delacroix produced and gave to the diplomat with whom he traveled, Count de Mornay. The locations of some of these images are unknown; the focus of this project””while not the only task”” is trying to locate these images from the Mornay Album and gain permissions for them to be used in Hannoosh’s publication. Methods Methods include the usage of museum databases and archives and online genealogical resources such as Geneanet. The museum databases are used to find images already accounted for in order to research information such as a painting’s medium, dimensions, or provenance. The genealogical resources are used for contacting potential relatives of the last owner shown in the incomplete provenance of a work. Images that have been accounted for are organized into an annotated Keynote presentation. Results and Conclusions With regards to the Mornay Album, attempts at locating two of the watercolors have not yet been fruitful, but the work continues. The messaging of potential heirs to the watercolors is now underway. We hope to determine whether the missing watercolors still exist and, if so, to reproduce them for the first time.
Authors: Fiona Caughey, Michèle Hannoosh
Research Method: Library/Archival/Internet Research
