The Eyes Don’t Lie
Large 5-foot eyes from “The Descendants of Monticello,” peer out from 18 windows at those passing the Declaration House at 7th and Market Street. This powerful exhibit takes place in the in the same spot where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. Photo by Jim Murphy, author of "Real Philly History, Real Fast.”
Seeing is Believing
“The Descendants of Monticello” at the Declaration House, where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, gives us insight into the life of Robert Hemmings, an enslaved and relatively invisible person who lived with Jefferson in Philadelphia.
History through his ancestors’ eyes
While no engravings or illustrations of Hemmings exist, the exhibit includes large digitally enhanced blinking eyes belonging to his many descendants.
Developed by Sonya Clark, an artist and professor of art at Amherst College, the installation, says, the Washington Post is “designed to register the presence of Hemmings both here and in the history books, from which he has largely been scrubbed.”
Clark told the Inquirer: “When you look into the eyes of a camera, you don’t only see your reflection, but the eyes of your ancestors,” she said.
Originally due to close Sept. 1, 2024, this haunting work was extended to Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, its last day.
If you did not see it by then, you’re too late. But you still have this photo.
Some Sources:
https://whyy.org/articles/declaration-house-exhibit-descendants-of-monticello/
https://www.inquirer.com/arts/declaration-house-momument-lab-robert-hemmings-20240720.html