Collections Spotlight: The Cogswell Portrait

Today's entry is written by Museum Assistant
Pablo Morales Henry.

I would like to present one of my favorite items in the house, Mr. Bush’s portrait in the library. The first impression upon viewing the portrait is that Mr. Bush was an impressive man both in stature and Oregon history. The portrait reminded me of one of the typical presidential portraits from the 19th century.


The portrait that I am referring to was painted by William F. Cogswell, who was born in Sandusky, NY in 1819 and died in Pasadena, CA in 1903. The portrait was painted in 1880. Cogswell was not just an ordinary artist, and there are several reasons why his work is so unique. First of all, he taught himself portrait painting in the 1830s while he was working at a color factory and from there he made a career. Another reason is the fact that some of his most famous works are portraits of U.S. presidents. Perhaps his most famous work is a portrait of President Abraham Lincoln, which was painted 1864 (this portrait is displayed at the White House). Cogswell also painted a portrait of Ulysses S. Grant in 1868 (this portrait is displayed at the U.S. Senate). Cogswell painted this portrait the year before Grant started his first term in office. Later, he also painted President Grant and his family (this piece is displayed at the Smithsonian). Afterwards, Cogswell painted a portrait of President McKinley and the portraits of King Kalakaua and Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii, just to name a few of the people that commissioned work from him.

After quite a few years of success on the east coast, in 1873, Cogswell moved to California. He had previously lived in California during the gold rush, which was an event that motivated some interesting works in his early career. Cogswell bought a property in what is today east Pasadena, and built a beautiful Victorian house. He lived there for many years, during which time he travelled and continued painting. He primarily painted political figures from the State of California. It was during this time that Cogswell painted the portrait of Asahel Bush II that we have today at the museum.

If you have not had the opportunity to appreciate this magnificent painting from the 19th century, please join us at the museum for a tour and you will see an incredible piece that is comparable with the portraits of Presidents Lincoln and Grant.

Collections Spotlight: Hair Wreath

Today's entry is written by Museum Assistant Megan Churchwell, who leaves us on Friday to attend museum school in Seattle. Thanks, Megan, and best wishes!

One of the most unusual pieces we have here in the Bush House Museum is a beautiful handcrafted wreath made of human hair. This unique Victorian tradition is an example of the ladies’ crafts done to occupy their leisure time, which was plentiful.

Most Victorian hair crafts took the form of small jewelry items. Pins or bracelets would be made from a family member’s hair as a sign of mourning. These are the most well-known forms of hair art, because Queen Victoria is known to have worn a piece of jewelry made with her husband Prince Albert’s hair every day after his death in 1861. She held great influence over the fashions of this time, and this type of mourning jewelry remained popular through the end of the nineteenth century.

Other examples of hair art would be made of hair saved from the woman’s own hairbrush in a special dresser jar. Our example, a large wreath, is said to incorporate the hair of over 20 of the artist’s relatives, and was created in 1870. Many of these wreaths featured the hair of a recently deceased relative in the center of the horseshoe-shaped wreath for a mourning period lasting up to a year before their hair flower would be moved to become part of the large wreath.

Though most hair art was made as a sign of mourning, they were also made for sentimental reasons. At the same time hair art became popular, young girls were known to have scrapbooks containing their schoolmates’ hair with a name and verse to identify whose hair it was. Sometimes locks of hair would be glued into postcards or valentines and sent as a keepsake.

This lost art is surprisingly beautiful. If you haven’t been to the Bush House Museum to see our example of hair art, it is well worth an up-close look.