Artist/Maker

Pollard, Harry Todd

Place Made

Date Made

1875-1900

Medium

watercolor –paper

Dimensions

HOA: 12″; WOA: 23″

Accession Number

2023.29

Description

A watercolor “en grisaille” of Williamsville, a home in Hanover County, Virginia. The house was built between 1794 and 1803 for William Pollard, II, the second Clerk of Court of Hanover County. It passed to his son George William Pollard in 1840 and remained in the Pollard family until after the death of Harry Todd Pollard, the amateur artist who drew and signed the watercolor.

Artist: Harry Todd Pollard (1854-1946) was the son of Dr. George William Pollard (1814-1895) and his wife Mary Peachy Todd of Williamsville in Hanover County, Virginia. Harry grew up at Williamsville and as a young man created this image of a house with fences, outbuildings, and garden. The older figure walking in front of the house probably represents his father, Dr. Pollard.

The house was documented by Thomas T. Waterman for the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1935: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/va0506/ Its’ gardens were documented in Edith Tunis Sale’s “Historic Gardens of Virginia. In 1985 the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places: http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Hanover/042-0027_Williamsville_1985_Final_Nomination.pdf

RELATED WORKS: The MESDA collection also includes a pair of looking glasses (MESDA acc. 2023.34-35) from this home.

FRAME: Antique, but not original to the watercolor.

Credit Line

Anonymous Gift