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Edmund Pendleton Gaines: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Brigadier General
Edmund Pendleton Gaines: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\War of 1812
Edmund Pendleton Gaines: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Mexican War
Edmund Pendleton Gaines: Congressional Gold Medal
Myra Clark Gaines: Female
Myra Clark Gaines: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Lecturer
Myra Clark Gaines: Law and Crime\Plaintiff
Portrait
Place
United States\District of Columbia\Washington
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Robert L. McNeil, Jr.
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
S/NPG.91.126.110.A
Exhibition Label
In this dual portrait, Myra Clark Gaines holds a sheet referencing her 1840 lecture “On the Horror of War” and that by her husband on “National Defense by Steam Power.” The Gaineses undertook a multicity tour to promote their ideas. Edmund Pendleton Gaines advocated for the use of railroads as a key part of national defense, citing his frustration with roads and waterways during military engagements, while Myra spoke about the atrocities of war in terms of soldiers and families. Myra was also an advocate for women’s suffrage, as well as the plain- tiff in the longest running court case in American history regarding her rights as heir, which she won posthumously. Auguste Edouart highlights Mr. Gaines’s military roles through his depiction of elaborate clothing; note the ornate buttons, the epaulettes, and the sword on which he leans. Mr. Gaines was a hero of the War of 1812. Gainesville, Florida, is named for him.
En este retrato doble, Myra Clark Gaines sostiene un papel que alude a su conferencia de 1840 “Sobre los horrores de la guerra” y a la de su esposo sobre “Defensa nacional mediante energía de vapor”. Los Gaines emprendieron una gira por diversas ciudades para promover sus ideas. Edmund Pendleton Gaines abogaba por el uso del ferrocarril como pieza clave en la defensa nacional, narrando sus frustraciones con el uso de vías terrestres o navegables en acciones militares, mientras que su esposa hablaba sobre el atroz impacto de la guerra en los soldados y sus familias. Myra también fue defensora del sufragio femenino y sostuvo el caso judicial más largo en la historia de Estados Unidos para reivindicar sus derechos a la herencia de su padre. Ganó el caso póstumamente. Auguste Edouart enfatiza las gestiones militares del Sr. Gaines a través de su elaborada vestimenta; nótense los ornamentados botones, las charreteras y la espada en que se apoya. Gaines fue héroe de la guerra de 1812 contra Inglaterra y en su honor se bautizó la ciudad de Gainesville, Florida.
