Artist:
George A. Weymouth
(American, 1936 - 2016)
Indian Hanna
Medium: Watercolor on panel
Date: 1990
Dimensions:
39 × 59 in. (99.1 × 149.9 cm)
Accession number: 2005.6
Copyright: © George A. Weymouth. Used by permission.
Label Copy:
George Weymouth derived great inspiration from the land along the Brandywine and was particularly adept at painting the small details of the area’s natural foliage. In Indian Hanna, the blooming mass of bluebells in the foreground is linked with the life of Hanna Freeman (1730–1802), long fabled to be the last Native American in Chester County. Despite the historical inaccuracy, the death of the presumed last of the Lenni Lenape people emboldened Quaker settlers to claim tribal lands along the Brandywine for themselves, ending a treaty made between William Penn and the Indigenous inhabitants of the area.
The Virginia bluebells pictured here are a type of native wildflower referred to as a “spring ephemeral.” Named for their short, early-season bloom time, these flowers are some of the first to appear each spring.
Freeman lived most of her life in what is now Kennett Square, where a historical marker still commemorates her life. According to local traditions, she spread wildflower seeds throughout the region and these sweet-scented bluebells will ever grow on the site of her grave.
George Weymouth derived great inspiration from the land along the Brandywine and was particularly adept at painting the small details of the area’s natural foliage. In Indian Hanna, the blooming mass of bluebells in the foreground is linked with the life of Hanna Freeman (1730–1802), long fabled to be the last Native American in Chester County. Despite the historical inaccuracy, the death of the presumed last of the Lenni Lenape people emboldened Quaker settlers to claim tribal lands along the Brandywine for themselves, ending a treaty made between William Penn and the Indigenous inhabitants of the area.
The Virginia bluebells pictured here are a type of native wildflower referred to as a “spring ephemeral.” Named for their short, early-season bloom time, these flowers are some of the first to appear each spring.
Freeman lived most of her life in what is now Kennett Square, where a historical marker still commemorates her life. According to local traditions, she spread wildflower seeds throughout the region and these sweet-scented bluebells will ever grow on the site of her grave.
Curatorial RemarksIt is not surprising that George A. Weymouth, one of the founders of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art more than 40 years ago, derived great inspiration from the land along the Brandywine. He was particularly adept at painting the small details of the area’s natural foliage. In Indian Hanna, the thriving mass of bluebells in the foreground is linked with the legend of Hanna Freeman (1730–1802), long fabled to be the last Native American in Chester County. She lived most of her life in what is now Kennett Square, where a historical marker still commemorates her life. Weymouth’s painting alludes to the legend that sweet-scented bluebells will always grow on the site of Indian Hanna’s home.