Local Artists "Color Our World" in the BDC Research Room

As Conscious Magazine states: "While the life of an artist is mostly one of solitude, their work is for others." There are many artists in Beaufort District's past and Beaufort County's present who help "Color Our World." 

I would wager that Jonathan Green is Beaufort County's most recognized working artist today. You can see his influence in the work of many others, too. Read more about this Beaufort County native painter, printmaker, and book illustrator in the South Carolina Encyclopedia. His work is well represented in the holdings of the Library. He's made something of a side career illustrating the books of others. 

For example, a re-issued children’s book Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls by Louise Meriwether (1971, 2018) contains his wonderfully vibrant paintings about one of the most important persons in Beaufort’s long and storied past. He was the illustrator of these books as well: Father and Son by Denize; Crosby by Patricia Lee Gauch; Amadeus, the Leghorn Rooster by Delores B. Nevils; and Gullah Cuisine: By Land and Sea by Charlotte Jenkins. 

The award-winning but publicity-shy Aldwyth of Hilton Head Island creates collages and assemblages. You can see examples of her work in a book we have in the Research Room Aldwyth work v./work n. (2009). We have a small vertical file about her work and career too.

Capturing Life: The Art of Jack Williamson includes plates of his paintings from 1947 to 2002. After a career in business, he retired to Hilton Head Island around 1990. He includes many scenes from the local area.

Sam Doyle (1906 - 1985) was born and lived his entire life on St. Helena Island. He used cast-off materials at hand, like house paint, softened plywood and roofing tin, to paint his colorful and vibrant vision of Gullah life on the Sea Islands. The greater folk-art world discovered his work in 1982. See our BDCBCL: Links, Lists & Finding Aids WordPress blog for more information about this important folk artist. This year Cassandra processed the Elizabeth Caldwell Collection of Sam Doyle Materials in which you can hear him sing "The Hurricane of 1893." She made a service digital file from the cassette tape (remember those?) so that those with appointments can listen. 

Ten percent of the watercolors in A Charleston Sketchbook, 1796-1806 by Charles Fraser (1782-1860) are of sites in Prince William's Parish, Beaufort District. His elder brother, Capt. Frederick Fraser owned the Fraser's Place Plantation near Old Sheldon Church. Odds are he painted some of the included images during a visit to his brother. 

Art in South Carolina, 1670-1970 compiled and edited by Francis W. Bilodeau and Mrs. Thomas J. Tobias with E. Milby Burton (Columbia: South Carolina Tricentennial Commission, 1970) has Jacque Le Moyne's "Rene de Laudonniere and the Indian Chief Athone visits Ribaut's Column" (1564) gracing the cover. Sections are arranged chronologically and each is prefaced with an introduction about the art and artists featured.

Local artist Nancy Ricker Rhett's family ties to Beaufort District go back many generations. In addition to running a gallery on Bay Street in downtown Beaufort, she has illustrated a number of books housed in our Research Room including Pierre McGowan's two books The Gullah Mailman and Tales of the Barrier Islands of Beaufort County, South Carolina. 

 

Diligent research into identifying the artist of one of the most famous paintings of the enslaved led Susan Shames to some ground-breaking conclusions. Read more about John Rose of Beaufort District and his "The Old Plantation" painting. Better yet? Borrow her book and marvel at how Shames figured out which John Rose was the painter. 

Gullah Woodburning Folk Art by Rev. Johnnie F. Simmons [2018], is a delightfully colorful little book (literally little, the book measures 5 inches by 4 inches) of his wood-burned depictions of Gullah culture and life on St. Helena Island. This book is so special that both copies in SCLENDS are held in special collections at the Beaufort County Library.

Called "one of Beaufort's gifted sons whom she has lent to the outer world", James Reeve Stuart (1834-1915) had a long career as a portrait painter and artist. Read more about his life and work in our WordPress blog.

(Beaufort District Collection Archives)

We have other visual art related materials to "Color Our World" in addition to books. For example, we have a number of vertical files on some specific local artists, on local artists in general, and some public art installations from the recent past such as the COWS ON VACATION and the BIG PIG GIG. There are other relevant vertical file materials about ARTISTS, FOLK ARTISTS, GULLAH CULTURE--ART/ARTISTS, ARTS AND CULTURAL COUNCIL OF HILTON HEAD and ARTS COUNCIL OF BEAUFORT COUNTY among others. 

We have a number of mid-19th century illustrated newspaper prints - some of which are hand-colored. We also have some Crosscup & West sketches of Beaufort in the late 19th century and some mid-20th century prints by George F. Bauman to share inside the Research Room. One of my personal favorite prints is the "Battle of Coosawhatchie" - probably because my late husband and I own a small bit of that battlefield in Jasper County.

Our poster collection includes ones promoting local art exhibitions with a concentration on those from the very late 20th century to the present day. We have more than 200 posters so far and are adding to the quantity virtually every month.  

Postcards can "Color Our World" too.  The BDC takes care of several thousand postcards in our archives. One can review our postcard collections in person with an appointment. But former BDC assistant Ashley Sylva worked very hard to scan and prepare metadata for the Russell J. Arnsberger Postcard Collection so that you can see all of its contents online through our long partnership with the Lowcountry Digital Library.

We "Color Our World" with archival collections as well. 

The Beaufort Art Association (1957-    ) donated its papers to the Beaufort District Collection in March 2019. The collection has twelve scrapbooks, two guest books, two binders, ninety-three posters, newspaper clippings, association records, photographs, negatives, exhibit brochures (1976-2013), newsletters (1995-2011) and other miscellaneous material. 

Mrs. Thomas Murray (nee Harriot Despaud) was better known as "Madame Murray". She was the mother of Ellen Murray who taught at Penn School and lived on St. Helena Island with her friend Laura Towne. Madame Murray created these sketches in 1863 while on a visit south to see her daughter.  The Madame Murray Sketches Collection contains reproductions of fifteen of her drawings. 

(Murray Sketches, reproduction, Beaufort District Collection)

The Susan Wales Journal, 1887 - 1895 is a charming daily record of her time abroad in Europe. Most pages contain a small sketch or painting of people, places, things she encountered that day.  One of our beloved and dedicated volunteers, Laura Lewis did almost all of the work necessary to get this journal online for your enjoyment and research. 

Beaufort Chronicles Portfolio was a partnership project between the USCB Art Department and the Beaufort Three-Century Project.  The partnership employed a semester-long course to create a limited edition fine art portfolio of 16 original prints based on Beaufort’s history. The exhibition opening was held in conjunction with the January 17, 2010 Anniversary Event with an estimated 1,000 people viewing the project during the month-long exhibition in the USCB Gallery as it was also in situ during three of the 2010 Tricentennial Lecture Series events. One of the limited edition portfolios is in the project archive for the Beaufort Three-Century Project.

Before I end this post, I'd like to remind you that many of our Branch Libraries contain art that was donated to or purchased by the Library Board of Trustees through the years. Be sure to keep your eyes open when you visit one of our locations because, truly, art does "Color Our World" in Beaufort County Library. 

Note: It's always a good idea to set up an appointment before showing up at our door because sometimes we have a prior obligation or are working with someone who has an appointment already. Give us a call: 843-255-6468 or email us: bdc@bcgov.net to set up a date and time to review our materials.

Summer Reading Display: "Color Our World with History" by Sydney Whiteside

HAPPY SUMMER!!! The summer reading theme for 2025 is "Color Our World," and to honor this, the display case will be full of colorful items from the Beaufort District Collection. Since the summer reading program runs 31 May through 31 July this year, this specific display will remain intact for the months of June and July. You can look forward to our next display featuring items related to our FY26 local history programs roster in the months of August and September.

While some of the titles in our collection are BDC exclusives, many of our titles are available for checkout through the Beaufort County Library System! All of our materials are searchable on the SCLENDS catalog. With each title I mention today, I will include a link to its SCLENDS page and I will also state whether the title is available for checkout or exclusive to the BDC.

Without further ado, let's color our world with history!

Indigo: In Search of the Color That Seduced the World (2011) was written by Catherine E. McKinley who happens to have a very personal connection to indigo and its lengthy history. Many of her ancestor’s lives surrounded around indigo. Her Jewish ancestors traded indigo, her Scottish ancestors wore indigo, and her African ancestors were traded alongside indigo on Saharan trade routes. McKinley not only completed extensive research on the history of indigo, but she learned even more about her own family along the way. Indigo: In Search of the Color That Seduced the World is a book that not only covers the ancient history of indigo, but it also covers its importance in religion, fashion and its prominent correlation to slavery. This title is available for checkout through the Beaufort Country Library System. 

Marsh Color: Celebrating the Unique Beauty of our Coastal Landscape by Eric John Einhorn (2020) is an incredible title that captures the beauty of the Lowcountry. You may be thinking: why would I want to look at multiple pictures of the same marsh? You will never see the same sight twice, that is why! Every moonrise, sunset, or sullen storm will be entirely different. Einhorn has a gift for capturing these magnificent moments that accentuate the natural beauty of the Sea Islands and showing first hand how mother nature "colors our world". This title is available for checkout through the Beaufort Country Library System. 

The Green Book of South Carolina: Guide to African American Cultural Sites by Hub City Press (2022) is a collaboration between Hub City Press, the WeGOJA Foundation, and the International African American Museum that highlights the rich African American history throughout the state of South Carolina. This is a great resource for tourists or anyone who is interested in learning more about prominent moments and locations in South Carolina history. It is divided into three sections: Upstate, Midlands, and Lowcountry. Each section comes with a suggested day trip layout that helps travelers to effectively plan their stops across the state. This title is available for checkout through the Beaufort Country Library System. 

Blue Roots: African American Folk Magic of the Gullah People by Roger Pinckney (1998) tells the tales of Gullah culture from the days of slavery to modern day. The Lowcountry of South Carolina is home to Gullah descendants who have carried on many different Gullah traditions since before our country was even founded. Many of these traditions were built upon practices such as herbalism and spiritualism; there are even tales of black magic being practiced throughout Gullah history. From roots in Africa to religious and spiritual beliefs, Blue Roots provides a compelling conspectus on the legends and lore of Gullah history. This title is available for checkout through the Beaufort Country Library System. 

The Black Border: Gullah Stories of the Carolina Coast (with a glossary) by Ambrose Elliott Gonzales (1922) is a collection of Gullah stories . You may be asking, why is the fact that there is a glossary in this book so clearly indicated? That is because the stories are told through Gullah language. Gonzales begins with a forward that details the history of Gullah culture and how their language came to be. Though the base of the language is English, it is heavily influenced by creole as well as different West African languages. The incorporation of a glossary helps readers who are unfamiliar with the language to have a better understanding of certain words or phrases. This title is full of emotional stories that depict what life was like for Gullah families leading up to the early twentieth century. This title is available for checkout through the Beaufort Country Library System. 

It is impossible to talk about art and Beaufort history without mentioning the talented Jonathan Green. Green is a Lowcountry native whose work is inspired by Gullah culture. He is known for portraying different everyday aspects of his culture through an abstract and colorful lens. His work is featured in multiple different museums up and down the East Coast. The BDC holds a plethora of titles that highlight Green's work; to show how Jonathan Green "colors our world," I have chosen two of his pieces that can be found in Gullah Images: The Art of Jonathan Green, which is available for checkout through the Beaufort Country Library System.

The piece to the left is titled The Wedding. This piece was crafted in 1988 utilizing oil on Masonite. You can see a couple on a front porch getting married while being surrounded by their friends and family. Green is known for transforming his life experiences into art, this may lead the viewer to wonder whose wedding this piece may be depicting.

One of my favorite aspects of Green's work is his incorporation of different patterns in his pieces. From stripes, to plaid, to polka dots, you will see it all creatively placed throughout his work.

To the right is Autumn Sunrise. This piece was painted in 1994 with oil on a canvas. In front of the most beautiful, colorful sunrise and ocean view, you see two women standing before the water. The woman to the left looks to have a fishing pole in her hand while the one to the right is facing toward the ocean. It is difficult to see, but there is a third woman who is in between and further away than the other two women. Her blouse is almost the color of the sea, causing her to almost blend in. Was this intentional on Green's part? If so, what was the reason? These are the moments when I wish I could talk to the artist and ask all the questions!

Adventures in Green Places by Herbert Ravenel Sass (1935) follows Sass on his journey through the lands of the Lowcountry. Through the marshes, lagoons, and gardens of the Sea Islands, Sass records every sight and sound he comes across along with every thought that crosses his mind. I love being able to view the world through a different set of eyes, and that is exactly what this book provides. From fairies and dragons to ghosts and goddesses, Sass takes the reader on a whimsical excursion of his environment. My favorite line comes from the chapter titled "The Garden Naturalist" on page 134:

"Nature-- wild Nature-- dwells in gardens just as she dwells in the tangled woods, in the deeps of the sea, and on the heights of the mountains; and the wilder the garden, the more you will see of her there"

- Herbert Ravenel Sass, Adventures in Green Places, 1935.

This title is as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. Adventures in Green Places is available for checkout through the Beaufort Country Library System.

Vivid: Living Life in Full Color: Images and Writings from Around the World, Passionately Explored by Jeffrey Keefer (2019) is exactly what the title implies: vivid. Keefer is known for his "eye-popping" placement of color in his photography. Having moved around the East coast and traveled across Europe, Keefer had acquired an abundance of prepossessing photos; but the most beautiful ones come from his favorite place: Hilton Head Island. Keefer and his family have a special place in their hearts for the community of Harbour Town, Hilton Head Island, where many of the photos in his book happen to be from (including the front cover). This title is a BDC exclusive; if you are interested in learning more, see the end of this post for how to make an appointment!

If you happened to have read my "All Things New" display from January, you may already know that Historic Beaufort County: An Illustrated History by Michael C. Taylor (2005) was the first book I read from our collection. The front cover (designed by Mira Scott) displays a beautiful combination of different spots around Beaufort County. While sifting through our vertical file of artists, VF ARTISTS, I stumbled upon a copy of this image labeled with numbers that correspond to a handwritten legend. I loved being able to see where each image is located; visiting each place would make for a great day trip!

Shrimp: The Endless Quest for Pink Gold (2009) was written by Anne Rudloe, a marine biologist, and her husband Jack Rudloe, a naturalist. The couple came together to co-write this deep dive into all things shrimp. Did you know that there are 4,000 different species of shrimp? That is the kind of fascinating facts you will learn in this book! From the history of shrimp, to shrimping, and the biology of shrimp, you are sure to learn something new about appealing (and peeling) prawns. This title is a BDC exclusive; if you are interested in learning more, see the end of this post for how to make an appointment!

Red Hills and Cotton: An Upcountry Memory (1960) was written by Ben Robertson, an author, journalist, and World War II correspondent that traveled all across the globe. Robertson was born and raised in Calhoun (now Clemson), South Carolina, where he developed a great love for his country and community. He went on to write and publish three books, each very personal to him and his experiences. Red Hills and Cotton in particular is a reflection of his upbringing in the Deep South and how he came to both love and question the progression of the South. This title is available for checkout through the Beaufort Country Library System. 

Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America’s Most Notorious Pirates by Eric Jay Dolin (2018) is a thrilling chronicle of the history of pirates that readers are sure to get hooked on (pun intended)! This title specifically narrows in on the 'Golden Age' of pirates in the Americas which spans from the late seventeenth century to the early eighteenth century. In the early stages of American Colonization, settlers formed an alliance with the pirates of the sea in a stand against the British Crown. Suddenly, when the pirates were no longer needed, the colonists turned against them. This riveting title tells the tales of some of the most famous pirates in history along with their nemesis counterparts. This title is available for checkout through the Beaufort Country Library System. 

To further display the beauty of Beaufort, I have chosen three postcards from our Russell J. Arnsberger Postcard Collection that show just how colorful our seaside town can get. Each postcard displays a different variation of sunrise and sunset in Beaufort County.

The first is captioned "Greeting from Hunting Island State Park, Beaufort, S.C."

Next, we have "Upper Bay Street, Beaufort, S.C." which was printed in 1914.

Finally, we have "Beaufort Bay, Looking East, Beaufort, S.C." with correspondence postmarked March 1923.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read about our new research room display! I hope that these colorful pieces have encouraged you to expand your reading selections for this years summer reading program. If you are interested in a title that is exclusive to the BDC, please see below for how to make an appointment to come in and view it. Happy reading!

If you are interested in any of the materials I have shared today, or wish to explore our collection for yourself, walk-ins are sometimes accepted but appointments are encouraged. To make an appointment, send an email to bdc@bcgov.net or give us a call at 843-255-6468. I hope to hear from you soon! 

Please note this schedule change: The Library system will be closed on Thursday, June 19, 2025 in honor of Juneteenth.