Ann Croghan Jesup Portrait Returns to Locust Grove

Locust Grove announces the acquisition of a portrait of Ann Heron Croghan Jesup (1797-1846), daughter of Lucy and William Croghan, by artist Charles Bird King. It was painted in 1846, and is believed to be based on an earlier portrait.

The portrait was spotted on eBay, after being discovered by a British antiques dealer in an Oxfordshire barn. Although badly damaged, the portrait was identified through faint inscriptions on the reverse naming the sitter and the artist. Locust Grove had searched for this portrait, which was discussed in the Jesup family papers, for years, without success. Now restored to its original glory and her original home, Ann’s portrait will be shown to the public for the first time on November 19th.

The portrait will hang over the mantel in the House's formal dining room.

See a video about the painting from Fox41 News.

The Museum Collection

The Locust Grove collection is comprised of late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century furniture, ceramics, metals, prints, paintings, textiles, books, firearms, tools and domestic objects. Most furnishings are of Kentucky and Virginia origins, supplemented with other eastern U.S., French and English objects. The Locust Grove collection contains exceptional examples of early craftsmanship and is considered to be one of the finest on public display in the upper South. The collection includes some Clark and Croghan family portraits and miniatures, silver, books and original documents as well as military and personal artifacts of General George Rogers Clark.

Objects in this exceptional collection reflect the decorative style and function of the Federal period, the activities of a frontier farm and the skill and craftsmanship found in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Pieces in the collection have been assembled using family letters and inventories in order to create an authentic environment of the early 1800s. The artifacts serve as a reflection of the lives and times of the Clarks and Croghans, provide insight into their daily life, and advance our understanding of George Rogers Clark and the people associated with him. Through the volunteer-led interpretation of the site and the collection, George Rogers Clark and pioneer Kentucky are alive every day of the year at Locust Grove.

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