Download or read book The Old Plantation written by Susan P. Shames and published by Colonial Williamsburg. This book was released on 2010-10-15 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A centerpiece of Colonial Williamsburg's folk art collection since the 1930's, The Old Plantation has long intrigued art enthusiasts, historians, and the general public. This eighteenth-century watercolor, which has been widely reproduced in textbooks and scholarly publications, has been a valuable tool for those studying slave life, music, dance, and society, as well as those interested in the genesis of folk art in America. Though extensively analyzed and interpreted, The Old Plantation has remained a mystery. Until Now... This fascinating publication unlocks one of the great mysteries of American decorative arts, revealing not only the career of the painter, but the lives of the unnamed slaves in the images as well.