Preview of “The Promise of Liberty” in Charlestown
Pictured above are:
- 18 July 1776 New-England Chronicle printing of the Declaration of Independence.
- Newspaper printing of the proposed new U.S. Constitution, followed by George Washington’s letter to the Congress as convention chairman explaining the benefits of the new government framework.
- Newspaper reporting the first twelve proposed amendments to that constitution.
- Statement autographed by Frederick Douglass.
- Newspaper report on Abraham Lincoln’s speech in Independence Hall on his way to Washington, D.C., in 1861.
- Poster from 1913 showing the progress of woman suffrage.
- Prepared text of Martin Luther King’s speech at the Lincoln Memorial, to which he improvised the “Dream” passage.
This is a prototype of a larger traveling exhibit (or series of exhibits) that Kaller envisions called The Promise of Liberty. Its website explains:
The Exhibit aims to inspire a sense of unity and pride that cuts across political divides, while encouraging gratitude for the liberties we have and igniting a collective determination to defend and expand upon the liberties promised 250 years ago.The organization is now talking to potential sponsors, partners, and hosts in the Sestercentennial years. In the meantime, folks can get a preview in Charlestown this weekend.
2 comments:
So...the "Promise of Liberty" tour is being promoted by the for-profit manuscripts dealer Seth Keller "Inc."
One wonders, will the items on display be for sale? Frankly, I'm a little surprised NPS would host an "exhibit preview" put on a business as opposed to a nonprofit or educational entity.
BTW, if Seth Keller, Inc. really wants to market their exhibit effectively, the least they can do is use NON-GLARE glazing in their archival frame kits. The lights reflecting off the two items at left in the photo does the installation view no favors.
I asked Seth Kaller about the ownership of the documents on display and what would happen if someone offered to buy one. (To be specific, I said something like, “If someone said, ‘I want to buy THAT,’ what would that do to your brain?”)
As I recall, this display included one or two items from Kaller’s personal collection that he obviously planned to keep and the reproduction of one particularly rare document that he’s been commissioned to sell to an appropriate museum or library.
The rest were items he already sold to a collector or two with the understanding that they could be displayed this way and would eventually go to a museum or library.
I don’t doubt that this display enhances Seth Kaller, Inc.’s visibility, but this wasn’t a showroom of articles for sale. The tablecloths bore the company name, but there was no sales literature in sight.
The lighting was indeed not ideal, and I contorted myself a bit to minimize the reflections from the overhead lights in the image above. A pop-up display in a hall usually used for meetings is far from ideal. That’s why Seth Kaller is hoping to find host partners in 2025 and beyond.
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