Art at the Residence

The Erie Room

Explore artwork reflecting Pennsylvania’s heritage, from the history of transportation and agriculture to the evolution of labor and modern art.

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Model ship displayed in elegant parlor with a white mantelpiece.

The Erie Room is a parlor used for smaller gatherings and informal meetings. It is named for the mantelpiece designed by Robert Wellford (c. 1815), which depicts the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie, a decisive American victory over a British squadron. The model ship in the center of the room is the US Brig Niagara, a key vessel during the battle.

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Transportation and agriculture in the Erie Room
Labor in the Erie Room
Modern art in the Erie Room
Arts and craftspersons in the Erie Room
Additional artworks in the Erie Room
Artworks in the Erie Room

Transportation and agriculture in the Erie Room

The need to move people and goods across Pennsylvania's rugged terrain inspired many transportation innovations. Alongside these advancements, agriculture has played a major part in Pennsylvania's economy since its founding.

Snow-covered rural landscape with winding stream.

Snow Scape, Morris Berd, 1979

The rural Lancaster County landscape depicted in Morris Berd's Snow Scape (1979) expresses the continued importance of farming in the Commonwealth.

The Canal Packet, Newbold Hough Trotter (1883)

The need to move people and goods across Pennsylvania's rugged terrain inspired many transportation innovations. Newbold Hough Trotter's The Canal Packet (1883) illustrates the most efficient way to travel long distances before the advent of the railroad.

Framed painting of steamship at sea with lighthouse.

SS Harrisburg, William Stubbs, c. 1876

Pennsylvania's natural resources fueled the Industrial Revolution. William Stubbs' SS Harrisburg (c. 1876) depicts the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad-owned bulk cargo ship carrying anthracite coal to states along the East Coast.

Dramatic seascape painting with stormy sky and ships.

Steamship in the Moonlight, Edward Moran, 1874

Inventions Like the steamship also drove industrialization and globalization as new trade routes opened. However, Edward Moran's Steamship in the Moonlight (1874) centers the majesty of nature rather than rapidly industrializing world that the steamship represented.

Morris Berd's Snow Scape (1979)
Newbold Hough Trotter's The Canal Packet (1883)
William Stubbs' SS Harrisburg (c. 1876)
Edward Moran's Steamship in the Moonlight (1874)

Labor in the Erie Room

Pennsylvania workers were popular subjects among artists, especially in the 1930s. Many artists used their work to bring attention to the experiences of everyday people during the interwar period and the Great Depression. Julius Bloch's Coal Miners (1930) and Charles 0. Golden's Portrait of John Labar (1933) depict laborers with the tools of their trade.

Two workers in industrial landscape painting.

Coal Miners, Julius Bloch, c. 1930

Bloch's coal miner wears a miner's cap with a lamp bracket and carries a lunch pail. Signs of industry — stacks and a railroad — are evident in the background.

Portrait of John Labar, Charles 0. Golden, c. 1933

Golden's heroic Labar stands, axe in hand, with a tree stump in the foreground amid shavings and split wood. Labar's suspenders and the rag in his back pocket signify the physical nature of his work.

Framed painting of house construction site with workers.

Split Level, Shirley Moskowitz, 1958

The economic boom after World War II drew more people to Pennsylvania's suburbs. Shirley Moskowitz's Split Level (1958) depicts the construction of a house illustrating the postwar growth of Montgomery County's suburbs. Split-levels were an affordable housing type that maximized living space on smaller lots.

Julius Bloch's Coal Miners (1930)
Charles 0. Golden's Portrait of John Labar (1933)
Shirley Moskowitz's Split Level (1958)

Modern art in Erie Room

After World War II, many Pennsylvania artists embraced the modern movement, departing from traditional styles, experimenting with techniques and materials, focusing on individual expression, and shifting toward abstraction.

Untitled, Larry Day, c. 1960

Larry Day's Untitled (c. 1960) is an abstract expressionist work. Day's canvas falls into the action painting category with its all-over composition and gestural brush strokes.

Hymn for Tomorrow, Richard Morgan, 1970

Richard Morgan's Hymn for Tomorrow (1970), another abstract expressionist work, is representative of color field painting with large blocks gold, black, and crimson.

Abstract landscape painting with muted earth tones.

No. 20-67, Edwin Zoller, 1967

Edwin Zoller's No. 20-67 (1967) is also abstract in style, although he was essentially a modern landscape artist.

Surreal painting of overlapping vintage bicycle wheels.

Velocipedes, Mary Arnold Mattern, 1967

More recognizable subjects are found in Mary Arnold Mattern's Velocipedes (1967), a geometric study of the pre-industrial collections at the Mercer Museum

Portrait of Dolley Madison, Terry Bowie, 1983

Terry Bowie's Portrait of Dolley Madison (1983), a modern take of Gilbert Stuart's iconic portrait.

Surreal forest scene with dress forms and lamp.

A Gathering of Minds, Cliff Lamoree, 1985

Cliff Lamoree's A Gathering of Minds (1985) is an example of social surrealism, symbolizing a nonthinking society by illustrating a barren world with headless forms.

Larry Day's Untitled (c. 1960)
Richard Morgan's Hymn for Tomorrow (1970)
Edwin Zoller's No. 20-67 (1967)
Mary Arnold Mattern's Velocipedes (1967)
Portrait of Dolley Madison (1983)
Cliff Lamoree's A Gathering of Minds (1985)

Arts and craftspersons in the Erie Room

Throughout its history, Pennsylvania has been a center for both artists and craftspersons.

Abstract geometric collage with blue line human shape.

Inside/Outside, Ted Hallman, 1993

Ted Hallman's Inside/Outside (1993) uses interwoven textile pieces to represent the interconnectedness of lifeforms. Hallman was an acclaimed fiber sculptor who became interested in fiber and textiles through his mother, who worked as a seamstress. His father was also an artist, most known for his paintings of local Pennsylvania scenes.

Metallic side table with ceramic lamp in living room.

Patchwork series end tables

The end tables were made by Paul Evans as part of his Patchwork series in the late 1960s and early 1970s. where he mixed various styles and materials in his furniture designs. They are made of welded, patinated steel with an inset slate top.

Eclectic Art Gallery Corner with Geometric Sculpture

Homage to Four Friends

The sculpture in the northeast corner of the room is Homage to Four Friends. This piece is a collaboration: The central sculpture is a "tensegrity sphere" by Thomas Zung, the Pennsylvania white oak angled barrel base and California claro walnut burl top were made by Nakashima Woodworkers of Bucks County, the Akari lamp is by Isamu Noguchi, and the sounding piece is by Val Bertoia of Berks County.

Ted Hallman's Inside/Outside
Paul Evans Patchwork Series end tables
Homage to Four Friends sculpture

Additional artworks in the Erie Room

Framed portrait artwork with gold border on wall

Portrait of James Forten, c. 1830s

Philadelphia, founded in 1682, rapidly grew to be the largest city in the colonies during the 18th century. James Forten, a sailmaker and successful businessman, became one of the wealthiest men in the city by 1810.

He used his fortune to fight slavery and advocate for civil rights in the city, where African Americans made up 10 percent of the population.

Framed vintage portrait of seated woman on wall

Portrait of Charlotte Forten, c. 1860s

The portraits of James Forten (c. 1830s) and his wife Charlotte (c. 1860s) indicate the family's wealth and status.

Framed landscape painting of river and mountains

River Scene, Louis Christian Cordes, c. 1870s

Pennsylvania gradually expanded westward. Early settlement is explored in River Scene (Louis Christian Cordes, c. 1870s). In this painting, the natural Landscape dominates, but suggestions of human habitation can be seen in the smoke on the far bank and cut logs in the foreground.

Framed landscape painting with rural cottage scene.

Norwood, Lloyd Mifflin, c. 1900

The natural landscape is also the subject of Lloyd Mifflin's Norwood (c. 1900). Norwood was Mifflin's family home in Columbia, Lancaster County where he spent most of his life.

Sunset seascape with ancient sailing ships and rocky cliffs.

A Scene from Homer's Odyssey, attrib. Lloyd Mifflin, 1895

This painting is also thought to have been painted by Lloyd Mifflin in 1895. It was copied from Joseph Mallord William Turner's Ulyesses Deriding Polyphemus, which depicts a scene from Homer's Odyssey where Odysseus defeats the cyclops.

James Forten
Charlotte Forten
Louis Christian Cordes, River Scene (c. 1870s)
Lloyd Mifflin, Norwood (c. 1900)
Scene for Homer’s Odyssey

Artworks in the Erie Room

Secretary Desk, c. 1800
Inside/Outside, Ted Hallman, 1993
River Scene, Louis Christian Cordes, c. 1870
Hymn for Tomorrow, Richard Morgan, 1970
Portrait of John Labar, Charles 0. Golden, c. 1933

Norwood, Lloyd Mifflin, 1900
A Gathering of Minds, Cliff Lamoree, 1985
Split Level, Shirley Moskowitz, 1958
A Scene from Homer's Odyssey, attrib. Lloyd Mifflin, 1895

Coal Miners, Julius Bloch, c. 1930
The Canal Packet, Newbold Hough Trotter, 1883
SS Harrisburg, William Stubbs, 1878
Steamship in the Moonlight, Edward Moran, 1874
Untitled, Larry Day, c. 1960
No. 20-67, Edwin Zoller, 1967
Snow Scene, Morris Berd, 1979
Portrait of Dolley Madison, Terry L. Bowie, 1983
Velocipedes, Mary Arnold Mattern, 1967