It was Frank the A. D. for Richmond Guide who suggested Ms. Hetty Cary for one of the illo.s. To be honest I was completely unfamiliar with her. She designed the original Stars and Bars, the confederate flag. At first I was at a complete loss as to how I could depict her with her infamous design. I realized that it was a potentially explosive symbol and I had to be careful so as to avoid unintentionally offending anyone. I believe it was Frank who suggested putting it up on a gallery wall and somehow alter it so it would look like a piece of contemporary art. Which I thought was a good idea but then it occurred to me that it might be fun to take it a step further and have it be a DIY art piece being worn by a gallery goer with Ms. Cary looking on somewhat longingly and a little bewildered at the young punk. In recontextualizing the flag like this it was my hope that it would lessen the power that this symbol from the old south still yields.
1 comment:
VERY cool depiction. The "stars and bars," however, is not the flag you have depicted. You are displaying the Southern Cross, and she and her sister and cousin (the "Cary Invincibles") did design it per their commission by the Confederate Congress.
The "stars and bars" depicts three parallel horizontal stripes (red, white, red), and a blue corner with seven stars in a circle, representing the first seven states to secede. It was the first national flag (of three) of the CSA. :)
~ A local Richmond historian
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