Taft Museum

Friday
We're back from our month away in Europe - firstly seeing family in England, then almost three weeks in Spain. I took around 2000 shots (!), so have my work cut out, editing and organizing, but hope to post backblips sometime soon!
Today, I went down to the Taft Museum in Cincinnati with a friend. It was another gorgeous day - it had been rather too hot earlier in the week, especially given that we are almost into October - but today was just perfect. The Baum-Longworth-Sinton-Taft House, a National Historic Landmark, was built about 1820 for Martin Baum, and is the oldest domestic wooden structure in situ locally and is considered as a fine example of Federal architecture in the Palladian style. Other residents of this important villa included Nicholas Longworth, who extensively redecorated the interiors and hired African American painter, Robert S. Duncanson to paint landscape murals in the foyer, now considered as one of the finest suites of domestic murals dating from before the Civil War.
After Longworth’s residency, the villa was purchased by David Sinton, father of museum co-founder, Anna Sinton Taft. Anna Taft lived in the mansion with her husband Charles Phelps Taft from 1873 until their respective deaths in 1931 and 1929. In 1908, Charles Phelps Taft’s half-brother, William Howard Taft accepted the nomination for U. S. president underneath the house’s portico. The Tafts bequeathed their historic home and private collection of 690 works of art to the people of Cincinnati in 1927. After extensive remodeling and updating, the house opened as the Taft Museum in 1932.

We were going down to see their current special exhibition, Treasures of British Painting, 1400-2000, The Berger Collection, organized by Denver Art Museum. The collection included several portraits of Tudor royalty, landscapes, a couple of George Stubbs horse paintings, a Gainsborough, and a Constable amongst others. Having seen the exhibition, we had lunch on their patio, making the most of the sunshine. Some of the items on the menu were British themed - I enjoyed the chicken curry, and Karen had the vegetable Shepherd's pie! We decided to treat ourselves to dessert too, chocolate cake and carrot cake! Our youngest daughter was at school with their eldest daughter, so naturally much of our conversation revolved around our children! A most enjoyable outing.
One year ago: Cormorant at Samoreau