March 2007 Exhibit:  Post-Civil War Charcoal Portraits
 

David and Cheryl Smith of Joplin have amassed an extensive collection of late 19th/early 20th century charcoal portraits.  Some of the portraits are “mourning pictures,” depicting loved ones who had died.  These can usually be recognized because the eyes are either closed or poorly drawn.  Cheryl  describes them as “creepy but intriguing.”  The Smiths began collecting the portraits while living in Ipswich, Massachusetts, an area containing the largest concentration of early American houses.   Yard sales in the historic region yielded some fabulous treasures from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s.    Most of the collection, still in the original frames, only cost a few dollars when the Smiths purchased them.    However, the market value of the pieces continues to increase.