Luxury Real Estate

By Yvonne Harvey

With the Fourth of July weekend just around the corner, I can’t help but talk about the Declaration of Independence. And, of course, it all happened in Philadelphia, where we are holding our 13^th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference!

I found some interesting factoids on the famous, or maybe infamous, painting by John Trumbull, simply titled “Declaration of Independence.” As you know, paintings back then were the cameras of today. And this painting today would more likely be in the tabloid section or propaganda fodder. There are so many historical flaws in this painting, that its historical relevance is almost moot.

You may remember, if you read or watched The Da Vinci Code, how you instantly went and looked closely at the painting. Well, this might just make you want to take a look at this one, too. Look under the desk at the legs of our standing forefathers. They seem to be disproportionate to their bodies, especially Thomas Jefferson’s leg.

The painting includes 48 portraits. Of those 48, 43 were signers and 5 who may have been there, but did not sign the Declaration of Independence. Please note there were 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Hmmmm… several seem to be missing.

The painting itself was piecemealed together. It is said that John Trumbull carried his canvas with him to take advantage of any occasion which might arise; this would be comparable to our picture phone today. Many of the portraits were painted directly onto the canvas from life between 1789 and 1794, or sketches Trumbull had done in earlier years, i.e. John Adams in 1787 in Paris. If an historian wants to correct me here, please chime right in, but I need to ask this question. Wouldn’t that mean the attendees may appear as much as 18 years older from the date the Declaration of Independence was adopted? If my calculations are correct John Adams was 41 when he adopted the Declaration of Independence, and yet Trumbull sketched him at the age of 52. Just thinking out loud.

It is also historical fact that Trumbull was unable to meet all 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence; in nine of the cases the attendees had died before the opportunity arose. In some of these cases he painted from portraits hanging in the “Independence Chamber.” Since then, four of these portraits have been deemed fake. One, in particular, is the so-called portrait of William Whipple who died in 1785, and yet the signer of the painter is St. Memin, who was only born in 1770 and didn’t even come to America until 1793. Historians now agree the portrait is of a Joseph Wipple (note the spelling of his last name is even different Geesh!).

Painter Robert Edge Pine had an unfinished painting “Congress Voting Independence,” which historians agree was more historically accurate than Trumbull’s. And yet, we use Trumbull’s painting in many history books. Pine actually lived in the very building and painted in the “Independence Chamber” It appears that Trumbull embellished the room in his painting with colorful red, white and blue, and even had the wrong furniture. We know this because the actual desk and chair used by John Hancock is preserved in the Independence Hall. Again, Pine’s depiction is much more accurate.


Finally, I find this quite weird, even the Internet is unclear on the spelling of John Trumbull’s last name. Some spell Trumbull, and some spell Trumball. Oy!

Whew! I feel like I just did a whole book report for my teacher. I hope you enjoyed my little rant.

See you in Philly!


Editor’s Note:
Yvonne Harvey is the Events Coordinator for LuxuryRealEstate.com. So when you come and enjoy the wonderful presentations, discussions and networking opportunities at Luxury Real Estate conferences, you know who to thank. History is quite amazing, isn’t it? I love the Founding Fathers and I am always amazed by how much they sacrificed to fight tyranny and establish the first nation of liberty. George Washington is one of my biggest heroes and he is one of the best people who ever lived, in my humble view. The two pictures above are from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Declaration_of_Independence_(John_Trumbull).jpg and www.loc.gov/exhibits/jefferson/images/vc53.jpg.

By Robert Lockard

Check out this great article I recently read in the Arizona Daily Star, entitled “Home, art inside are both for sale.” I think the sellers in this article are onto something pretty smart by joining forces with a local art museum to sell their property.

Author Christie Smythe points out that showing art in a home can be beneficial for both the artists and the home sellers. Beautiful paintings, sculptures and other pieces of art can add something special to a home that makes it more memorable to potential buyers. Plus, the artists receive exposure to new viewers and their works of art are sold with the house.

This takes home staging to a whole new level. Ordinarily, a staged home isn’t sold in the condition in which it is first shown to buyers. But in this case, all of the art will stay with the house when it is purchased. That’s a pretty novel idea, I think. This is a smart solution because both art and real-estate markets in many parts of the United States are falling on hard times at the moment. Perhaps by joining forces, these two industries can prove that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

The photo above is courtesy of Ilya Estate Photography.

Barbara Stahura, a talented freelance writer, brought this article to my attention. She recently interviewed John Brian Losh, the CEO/Publisher of LuxuryRealEstate.com, for an article she’s writing on “green” luxury homes for an upcoming issue of Steinway & Sons Magazine.


Editor’s Note:
Robert Lockard is the Public Relations & Media Specialist with LuxuryRealEstate.com. I am Robert. I create all of Luxury Real Estate’s newsletters, write the editorials in LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine and much more. What do you think about this creative idea? What are some other ways brokers and agents can attract luxury real estate buyers in tough markets?