Luxury Real Estate

Courtesy of: LuxuryRealEstate.com

LuxuryRealEstate.com is pleased to introduce our newest member, Lisa James Otto Country Properties.

Specializing in antique historic houses, charming country houses, farms and estates, and riverfront cottages, Lisa James Otto Country Properties is the expert of local real estate in New Hope, Pennsylvania and Stockton, New Jersey and surrounding areas.

For over 22 years, Lisa James Otto has dedicated her services to matching buyers and sellers in an atmosphere of elegance, grace and style. Her professionalism and client sensitivity make her one of the top real estate agents of the New Jersey and Pennsylvania areas.

In 1986, Ms. Otto joined the New York Council of FIABCI, the International Real Estate Federation based in Paris, of which she has been president for the last three years.

To learn more about Lisa James Otto and Lisa James Otto Country Properties, visit http://www.lisajamesotto.com/.

About Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate:

Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate is an invitation only network representing the best luxury real estate firms and professionals from around the world. Each affiliated member is carefully selected to represent his/her market area. Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate also hosts the industry leading Website www.LuxuryRealEstate.com (a 2009 Webby Award Honoree).

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 Yvonne Harvey

Since we made the announcement that we are having this year’s 13th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference in Philadelphia, I have become almost obsessed with Philadelphia’s history. In past blogs, we have discussed Rocky Balboa’s historic run up the stairs of the Philadelphia Art Museum and the Liberty Bell typo.

Well of course I had to talk about a young woman named Betsy Ross. We all know that she was the seamstress of the very first United States flag, but do we really know Betsy Ross as a person? She gained historical relevance from just one snapshot of her life, and yet I felt she was much more than just a seamstress. She was an extremely strong woman, and the epitome of a woman living in the eighteen and nineteenth centuries.
 

Betsy was the eighth of seventeen children and was raised in a Quaker community. Her first marriage to John Ross in 1773 caused a split with her family and meant her expulsion from the Quaker congregation since she married outside of her sect. She was only married to John Ross less then 3 years when he was killed by a military explosion. She went on to marry twice more and both of them died relatively young. She had a total of seven children, two of which died very young.

Even in death, Betsy would not rest in peace. Betsy was buried on the Free Quaker burial ground on South 5th Street. Twenty years later, her remains were exhumed and reburied in the Mt. Moriah Cemetery in the Cobbs Creek Park section in Philadelphia. In preparation for the United States Bicentennial, the city ordered her remains moved to the courtyard of the Betsy Ross House in 1975; however, workers found no remains under her tombstone. Bones found elsewhere in the family plot were deemed to be hers and were re-interred in the current grave visited by tourists at the Betsy Ross House today.

It is rare to have people today to have a smidgen of the hardships women of the 1700s and 1800s had, and Betsy Ross endured them all. This blog is not to make you sad, but to make you feel thankful and blessed for your family’s and friends’ health and see the strength of women such as Betsy Ross. Can you imagine what people will say in 200 years about how we lived and how we persevered?


Editor’s Note:
As she mentioned, 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. You should definitely join us at the 13th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference on October 13-15, 2008. I enjoy studying history because it is through the sacrifices and experiences of past generations that current ones have been brought to pass. Plus, I try to learn from others’ experiences. Betsy Ross is a wonderful example of perseverance and nobility. Thank you for the great blog entry, Yvonne! The painting above is from www.ushistory.org/betsy/flaglife.html.

By Yvonne Harvey

Did you know the state of “Pennsylvania” is spelled incorrectly on the Liberty Bell?

Inscribed on the Bell is the quotation, “By Order of the Assembly of the Province of Pensylvania for the State House in Philada.” Note that the spelling of “Pennsylvania” was not at that time universally adopted. In fact, in the original Constitution, the name of the state is also spelled “Pensylvania.”

If you get a chance to visit the second floor of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, take a moment to look at the original maps on the wall. They, too, have the state name spelled “Pensylvania” (and the Atlantic Ocean called by the name of that day, “The Western Ocean”). The choice of the quotation was made by Quaker Isaac Norris, Speaker of the Assembly.


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. You should definitely join us at the 13th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference on October 11-14, 2008. And be sure to take lots of notes. I know I’ll have my “penn” ready if I get to go to “Pensylvania.”