Last week my daughter, her friend and I went to the Princeton Art Museum. The museum is in the middle of the Princeton University campus, and it features Roman, Greek, European, modern and American art in its collection. The museum offered scavenger hunts for inquisitive children like my own, and the girls chose between Roman, Greek or American portraiture. We first went to the Roman room. After a few minutes of looking at mosaics and busts of people dead for about 2000 years, the girls declared the collection “creepy,” and we went back upstairs to try the American scavenger hunt.
The section with the American paintings was more appealing to them.
The life-size portrait of Elizabeth Allen Marquand, 1887 by John Singer Sargent is more captivating in real life. I would probably sit for hours and draw her, if I had the chance.
After a few minutes of doing the scavenger hunt, my daughter and her friend decided to use the backs of the hunt papers to draw a distinguished family from the 18th century, The Hartley Family with lovely silk dresses.
There’s sculpture and architecture to be seen outside the museum, on the Princeton campus, but I’ll save the architecture for another post. The statue is of John Witherspoon, 6th president of Princeton and a signatory of the Declaration of Independence.
For more Summer Stock Sunday, visit:
interesting to see that photogrpahy allowed in the museum
Actually, I was told after I took the top shot not to photograph with a flash. So the second one, the painting of Elizabeth Allen Marquand, was without a flash.
I’m so glad they are interested at their age.
I haven’t visited a museum in a long time. I should remedy that. 🙂
Love your daughter’s shoes!
You could take your granddaughters for a really short trip and tell them what to expect. Just so they get used to looking at paintings.
what a great way to spend a summer day! I was hoping for a shot of the girls’ drawing, though!
I might scan it in later this week!
Your daughter is very cute! And there is a very nice reflection when they sitting on floor.
Happy week to you!
Looks like they had a good time. I think it’s great to bring children to museums and art galleries, then they have no hesitation going to them when they’re older.
You did really well with the 2nd, no flash, picture.
I am sure the girls will appreciate Roman art better once they know a bit about Roman history.
Lovely post with wonderful photos.
Nothing like an art museum to inspire budding artists. I suppose at their age I might not have appreciate the ancient statuary either…