L to R: Amanda Lillie, Sara Glidden, Charlotte Dorais, Lisa Johnson, Tamie Charbonneau. Yours truly of course is behind the camera.

C.cada’s monthly gathering for June was at the Fruitlands museum in Ayer, MA. We had a smaller group this month but our artists brought cameras and got lots of good shots for future paintings and sketches.

Portrait Gallery: Fruitland Museum Ayer MA

Fruitlands is a national historical site. The property, originally held in trust by Ralph Waldo Emerson, was a “back to nature commune” run by transcendentalists in the early to mid 1800’s. Bronson Alcott (father of Louisa May) was one of the founding members. The property was bought in the early 1900’s by one of the Sears family and turned into an historical art museum consisting of three display buildings and the Alcott/ Palmer house at the bottom of the hill.

The portrait gallery houses the second largest portrait collection int the U.S.

Our docent in the portrait gallery explained the symbolism of primitive portraiture. Note the child in the middle is not wearing shoes.  If you look very closely over the  child’s head you can also see  the outline of a dead branch. These two facts were tell-tale signs that the child had passed away and this was a memorial portrait. In the portrait below you can see a small bird sitting just outside the window. This most likely indicated this woman died in childbirth.

Native American Longhouse

The second gallery is a display of Native American artwork. Our teen-age guide was just learning the ropes but I bet some of the older docents can spin some great yarns from Native American lore.

Charlotte at the Shaker house

Mrs. Sears, the benefactor of the museum, had a Shaker home brought in from the Harvard community board by board and reconstructed on the property.

The Alcott House

In the footstep of Louisa May

Fruitlands also boasts miles of walking trails once frequented by Louisa May Alcott and the other children of Fruitlands. This is a day trip worth taking if ever you are heading down Rte 2 in Massachusetts. The views of Wachusett Valley are beautiful the museum buildings have extremely friendly and informative docents and even the coffee in the cafe is delish!