“William Floyd’s House of Revolution,” a new photographic exhibit by New York artist Xiomáro, opens on July 4 at Fraunces Tavern® Museum (54 Pearl Street, New York City) and remains on view until December 1, 2013. The exhibit includes documents and other artifacts pertaining to Floyd and his great grandson, Frederick Tallmadge.
The collection of 18 photographs, on display in the Museum’s Messick Gallery, artistically documents the home of William Floyd, an American revolutionary and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The home, known as The Old Mastic House, is located in Mastic, Long Island, and is part of the Fire Island National Seashore.
National Park Service Commission
The photographs were commissioned by the National Park Service and present interior views and perspectives that visitors to the sprawling 25 room house are not likely to see. The photographs also include rare close-ups of Floyd’s signature and personal items such as his snuff box and traveling “medicine” chest that actually carried liquor.
Together with fellow rebels like George Washington, Floyd served in the first Continental Congress in 1774. By the late 1770s, the British occupied Long Island and Floyd escaped to Connecticut. Floyd returned to a ransacked house, which he restored to receive visitors such as Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and other notable guests.
Evolution of a House and Country
Remarkably, Old Mastic House was continuously occupied by Floyd’s descendants up until 1976 when it was donated to the National Park Service. So the photographs also show how both the house and the new nation grew, expanded and evolved together through history. Like America’s motto – e pluribus unum – the house stands as one unified historical structure comprised of many evolving styles in architecture, furnishings, design and technology.
The Fraunces Tavern® Museum, a complex of five buildings with nine galleries, is where George Washington bade farewell to the officers of the Continental Army. The museum houses an extensive collection of Revolutionary War era artifacts. Free guided tours are available on the weekends.
William Floyd’s Old Mastic House is located at 245 Park Drive, Mastic Beach, Long Island and is part of Fire Island National Seashore. In addition to offering free house tours , visitors can avail themselves of Fire Island’s dynamic barrier island beaches, which offer solitude, camaraderie and spiritual renewal.
See The Photos, Then Visit The Parks
Xiomáro (pronounced SEE-oh-MAH-ro), is a nationally exhibited artist who uses photography to interpret historical sites within the National Park Service where iconic American figures lived and worked to pursue their vision. He began as an Artist-in-Residence at Weir Farm National Historic Site in Wilton, Connecticut, which is the homestead of Julian Alden Weir, one of the founders of American Impressionism. He continues his relationship with the park as a Visiting Artist. His other photographic commissions from the National Park Service include Theodore Roosevelt’s Sagamore Hill mansion in Oyster Bay, which will be exhibited at Harvard University next year.
“My goal is that viewers of these photographs will feel compelled to visit the parks where they, too, can examine these leaders and explore the ideas that shaped our culture. Experiencing our heritage and open spaces also ensures their preservation and conservation,” explains the artist. His collections can be seen and purchased at his website: www.xiomaro.com. A free 60 page eBook and a 4″ x 6″ souvenir print are also available there.
Xio's Xcribble 