AV 105 Ohio Governors Portraits Transparency Collection

              AV 105
Ohio Governors Portrait Transparency Collection
Page 1
OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Manuscripts/ Audiovisual Collections
AV 105
Ohio Governors Portrait Transparency Collection
Ca. 1980’ s - 1991
OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION
Number:
AV 105
Title:
Ohio Governors Portrait Transparency Collection
Creator:
David Barker, Ohio Historical Society photographer
Dates:
Ca. 1980s- 1991
Media:
Transparencies
Quantity:
0.12 cubic feet
Location:
Ohio Historical Center
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE COLLECTION
The Statehouse Governor's Portrait Gallery started in 1868 when the first portraits came in of Return Jonathan Meigs and Allen Trimble. The project was initiated by Governor Rutherford B. Hayes. Some of the early portraits were copies of works by other artists and some were done from life or from photography. A majority were done by Columbus artists and commissioned by the families of the Governors. The works were cleaned and " refurbished" throughout the years as the they hung in public hallways of the Statehouse and were damaged by the public. The largest project to restore the paintings was done in the late 1970' s.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS OF THE COLLECTION
The collection consists of 84 transparencies taken of the painted portraits of 45 Ohio Governors. All of the original governors portraits hang in the Ohio Statehouse. The transparencies were taken between the late 1980’ s and 1991 by David R. Barker, staff photographer for the Ohio Historical Society. The collection does not include a transparency of every governors portrait. Governors who are not represented are listed in Appendix A.