The Mystery of the Abandoned Portraits

April 2nd, 2020 |

Two paintings, abandoned on the steps of the local museum. No note with them to indicate who left them there, or why. Nothing on the portraits to identify the subjects.

While it may sound straight out of a Nancy Drew novel, it’s the true origin story of two portraits in the HBMS collection. In the early days of the Kemerer Museum, when it was housed inside the Brethren’s House at Church and Main Streets, the portraits appeared outside the museum wrapped in newspaper.

For years, the portraits were just anonymous, uninspiring paintings; lifeless, with no artist identified. From their place on the wall in the Victorian Parlor, surrounded by crazy quilts, calling cards, and music books, they were just another artifact in the museum collection.

But why was it so hard to identify the people in the portraits? Other than being left outside a building with no note, there were no selfies to compare them to. The portraits were probably painted between 1830 and 1850, just as daguerreotypes were becoming popular. Daguerreotypes, an early form of photography, were very delicate and even lightly wiping the surface would mar the image. Additionally, portraits are not just a reference of someone’s likeness; they are an artist’s interpretation of what someone looks like. Therefore, two portraits of the same person by two different artists can look completely different.

Then in the 80s, the Kemerer Museum (not yet part of Historic Bethlehem) undertook a massive conservation project, funded by local businesses, individuals, and foundations. The “Rescue a Painting” program offered the first clues to these mystery portraits.

Years of dirt and grime were carefully cleared away from the conservator, erasing the coal sediment, old paint, and cigar smoke. Underneath, the subjects of the portraits became more lively; blush colored their cheeks, their poses more dynamic and full of life.

The biggest surprise of all lay in the left-hand corner of the portrait of the woman – a small red signature, “Grunewald.” Gustav Grunewald was a Moravian painter who served as the drawing master at the Moravian Young Ladies’ Seminary from 1836 to 1867. He exhibited his work at the Pennsylvania Academy for Fine Arts in Philadelphia and the American Art Union and National Academy of Design in New York City.

Revealing the Grunewald signature tells us a bit about the portraits, but we may never know who the man and woman are. In the meantime, they will continue to hang in the Victorian parlor in the Kemerer Museum, keeping watch over New Street and kick knacks.

We hope that you enjoyed learning about the mystery of the abandoned portraits! Please consider supporting content like this at HBMS! https://www.historicbethlehem.org/support/donate/

Alecia Caballero is the programming & event venues coordinator at Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites. You can contact her at acaballero@historicbethlehem.org to share your own Bethlehem mystery. If you’re interested in donating an artifact to HBMS, please complete this form on our website instead of leaving it on the steps of the museum.

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