How did we trace this portrait in London to a poet in New Orleans? We tell the story of the people behind two paintings in neighbouring galleries, as Madeleine Le Cesne traces the hidden history of her family.
In this film, Madeleine speaks with curator Francesca Whitlum-Cooper about François-Hubert Drouais' 'The Comte de Vaudreuil' from the National Gallery's collection and 'The Anti-Slavery Society Convention, 1840' by Benjamin Robert Haydon from the National Portrait Gallery.
Please note that the film contains references to true stories of enslaved people, which some may find distressing.
⚡️ Find out more about NGX and how the project came about: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/national-gallery-x/linked-lives-poet-madeleine-le-cesne
? Read Madeleine Le Cesne’s poem: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/stories/linked-lives-a-poet-an-abolitionist-and-an-aristocrat
? Find out more about François-Hubert Drouais' 'The Comte de Vaudreuil': https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/francois-hubert-drouais-the-comte-de-vaudreuil
? Find out more about Benjamin Robert Haydon’s 'The Anti-Slavery Society Convention, 1840': https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw00028/The-Anti-Slavery-Society-Convention-1840
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Linked Lives is a collaborative project between Queen Mary University, New York University and the National Gallery. Links between these paintings have been drawn by Dr Hannah Williams (Senior Lecturer in the History of Art, Queen Mary University, London) and Dr Meredith Martin (Associate Professor of Art History, New York University), who have recently launched a five-year research project titled Colonial Networks: Re-Mapping the ‘Parisian’ Art World (ca. 1750–1830).
They have worked collaboratively with Dr Francesca Whitlum-Cooper at the National Gallery on the research, alongside Madeleine Le Cesne. Workshops were run as part of the National Gallery’s NGX digital innovation programme. With thanks to the National Portrait Gallery for lending their rooms for filming.