Painting George

or how a persistent portrait painter pursued the president (and later became a resident of New Bern)

By John B. Green III

Portrait of George Washington, 1794, by William J. Williams.  Frontispiece, William J. Williams, Portrait Painter and his Descendants, 1933.

In the year 1792 the American portraitist William Joseph Williams hit upon the idea of drawing a pastel portrait of George Washington.  He doubtless sought to further his career, like so many before him, by securing the patronage of the first president (as well as profiting from the sale of copies of the portrait!)  Obtaining a letter of introduction from Henry Lee, governor of Virginia, Williams presented himself to General Washington in Philadelphia on July 2, 1792.  The meeting did not go well.  Writing to Lee the next day, Washington vented his displeasure at the imposition.

Your letter of the 20th ultimo, was presented to me yesterday by Mr. Williams, who as a professional man may or may not be for aught I know, a luminary of the first magnitude.  But to be frank, and I hope you will not be displeased with me for being so, I am heartily tired of the attendance, which, from one cause or another has been given to these people, and it is now more than two years since I have resolved to sit no more for any of them, and have adhered to it, except in instances where it has been requested by public bodies, or for a particular purpose (not of the painters), and could not without offense be refused.

Seizing upon Williams' presumed pecuniary motives, Washington continued,

I have been led to make this resolution for another reason, besides the irksomeness of sitting, and the time I lose by it, which is, that these productions have in my estimation been made use of as a sort of tax on individuals, by being engraved, and that badly, and hawked about and advertised for sale.

William Williams was undeterred.  Approaching the Alexandria, Virginia masonic lodge (where Washington was a member and had been master of the lodge at its chartering) he offered to paint a portrait of the president for the lodge if they would approach Washington for his permission.
They did, with the assistance of Henry Lee, and Washington relented.  The painting was completed and presented to the lodge October 25, 1794 where it remains to this day.  In the image Washington is shown wearing his masonic regalia as Past Master of the lodge.

Williams continued to paint in the Philadelphia area until 1801 when he relocated to Charleston, South Carolina.   In 1804 he moved his family to New Bern where he remained until returning to New York in 1807.  He was back in New Bern by 1817 and lived here until his death on November 30, 1823 at the age of 65.  He was buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery.

Detail of a photograph from 1861 showing house and store occupied by William Williams, northeast corner of Broad and Middle streets. New Bern Historical Society

The same building as above, much altered, photo ca. 1933. William J. Williams, Portrait Painter and his Descendants, 1933.

How Firm a Foundation

Cornerstones in New Bern

By John B. Green III

Cornerstone laying ceremony, New Bern Scottish Rite Temple, 1948. Photo courtesy New Bern Scottish Rite.

Many prominent buildings have cornerstones - decorative and inscribed stones giving the name of the building or organization erecting the building, the date, and other pertinent information.  Many are hollow in order to receive and preserve a container of mementos for posterity.  And, almost always, a public ceremony is held to properly lay the cornerstone.

Cornerstone, New Bern Scottish Rite Temple, 1948.

These buildings include courthouses and city halls, schools, churches, and the quarters of fraternal organizations.  A quick survey of New Bern's downtown historic district reveals ten cornerstones dating from 1801 to 1948.  Of these ten stones, eight are placed at or near the northeast corner of the building.  This raises an interesting point.  Why are the majority of cornerstones in New Bern and many other places laid in the northeast corner?  For the probable answer we need to examine the history of a group long associated with the ceremonial laying of cornerstones - the Freemasons. [cue ominous music!]

Freemasonry traditionally traces its origin to the master stonemasons involved in the building of King Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem.  In the Masonic tradition, the corner stone of the temple was laid in the northeast corner - the corner which first received the rays of the rising sun.  The receiving of light or enlightenment is an important concept in Freemasonry and by ancient tradition the cornerstones of Masonic buildings are always laid in the northeast corner.  Freemasonry developed special ceremonies for the laying of cornerstones and as their membership often included the most prominent members of the community they were called upon to lay the cornerstones for non-Masonic buildings as well.  The Masons' preference for the northeast corner, combined with its biblical connotations, may have led others to adopt the northeast corner as the proper place for a cornerstone.

While the earliest known Masonic cornerstone laying in New Bern was for St. John's Lodge No. 3's new building begun in 1801, the next earliest known is for First Presbyterian Church.  The Newbern Sentinel for June 12, 1819 reported on the "interesting ceremony of laying the foundation CORNER-STONE of the first Presbyterian Meeting-House in Newbern."  Following  religious services by the Rev. J. Nicholson Campbell, "the corner-stone was then deposited by the master masons present."

Obverse (top) and reverse of engraved silver plate placed with other relics in the cornerstone of St. John's Lodge No. 3, 1801.

While the original cornerstone for the Presbyterian church was laid in the southeast corner (and is no longer visible) the following New Bern buildings have or had their cornerstones at their northeast corners: St. John's Lodge No. 3 (1801), Craven County Courthouse (1883), Second Newbern Academy (1884), Centenary Methodist Church (1904), New Bern Elk's Temple (1908), St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church (1910), U.S. Courthouse and Post Office (1933), and the New Bern Scottish Rite Temple (1948).  Of these cornerstones, five are known to have been laid by Freemasons: St. John's Lodge, Craven County Courthouse, Second Newbern Academy, St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church, and the New Bern Scottish Rite Temple.  Thus, by the early 20th century the northeast corner seems to have been firmly established in New Bern as the proper location for a cornerstone and on many occasions the Freemasons were called upon to conduct the cornerstone laying ceremonies.

Cornerstone, Second Newbern Academy Building, 1884.

We'll close with an excerpt from the New Bern Daily Journal for June 18, 1884 detailing the laying of the cornerstone of the Second Newbern Academy building.