All posts by Fred Michmershuizen

The National Portrait Gallery

After returning from my two-day mini vacation to visit Monticello, Highland and Montpelier and before taking the train back to New York, I had time for a visit to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. D.C. I had never been before, and I was most interested in seeing the new portraits of President Obama by Kehinde Wiley and Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald.

I found myself wanting to take pictures of all the presidential portraits, but I had to constrain myself. Some, such as those of Obama, Clinton and Kennedy, are nontraditional, while many others are classic portraits. Interestingly, Nixon’s is by Norman Rockwell and is very small. Out of all the portraits, though, I was particularly moved those of the Obamas. Michelle’s portrait is in a different section of the museum.

Also in a different section was “Unseen: Our Past in a New Light,” a selection of “deconstructed portraits” by Titus Kaphar, who offers a completely shocking yet instantly understandable take on our country’s founding fathers. In one, an enslaved woman peeks out from behind a curtain that is a portrait of Thomas Jefferson. On another wall, two of George Washington’s slaves are seen in fancy clothes with their faces obscured.

The American Presidents exhibit at the National Portrait gallery in Washington, D.C.
Kehinde Wiley portrait of Barack Obama in the National Portrait gallery in Washington, D.C.
Amy Sherald portrait of Michelle Obama
Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington
Chester Harding portrait of James Madison
John Vanderlyn portrait of James Monroe
‘Behind the Myth of Benevolence’ by Titus Kaphar
‘Billy Lee: Portrait in Tar’ and ‘Ona Judge: Portrait in tar’ by Titus Kaphar

James Madison’s Montpelier

On Wednesday morning I drove the rental car about 45 minutes from Charlottesville to visit Montpelier, home of James Madison. It’s about a third of the way between Charlottesville and Washington, D.C. I took the very informative tour of the mansion, and I walked around and took pictures. Before the tour, I visited the family cemetery, which includes Madison’s burial site.

Just before I left to go back to Washington, I visited the very worthwhile slavery exhibit, which is in the basement of the main house. Upon driving away from the property I thought about Montpelier, as well as Highland and Monticello, and Mount Vernon (which I visited last year), and I was overcome with emotion as I reflected on the horrors of slavery. I am glad that these historic sites in Virginia feature exhibits and educational tours about slavery, which is such a sad part of our nation’s legacy.

James Monroe’s Highland

Just a few miles up the road from Monticello is James Monroe’s Highland, also known as Ash Lawn. I visited Tuesday afternoon after Monticello, taking a guided tour and walking around the property taking pictures.

The site is owned and operated by William & Mary University. Official website here. Monroe spent only part of his life here and the main house no longer stands, however the tour was immensely informative and it was well worth the trip.

Click any of the pictures to see them bigger:

James Monroe’s Highland

Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello

After completing my work commitment for the orthodontic conference in Washington, D.C., I took vacation time from work to visit several of the presidential homes in Virginia. I rented a car and stayed just outside Charlottesville.

First stop on Tuesday morning was Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. After taking the immensely informative mansion and slavery tours, I strolled the grounds and took some pictures. I also visited the gravesite of Jefferson and his family.

Of special note on Jefferson’s obelisk is the text he had written for his grave listing the accomplishments he was most proud of: his authorship of The Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and his founding of the University of Virginia. He considered these accomplishments even more important than having served as our nation’s third president.

Clicking on any of the pictures below will open them bigger:

Monticello

‘The Wiz’ at Ford’s Theater

This coming weekend is the American Association Orthodontists annual event in Washington. D.C., and I’m in town to cover the event for Dental Tribune. I came down on the train to a day early so that I could see “The Wiz” on Thursday night at Ford’s Theater with my friend Craig. He and I very much enjoyed the musical.

Before the show, we looked around a bit. The presidential box is adorned as it was on the night of April 14, 1865, when Lincoln was shot, with flags and a portrait of George Washington. There’s a museum in the basement. A few days later, after our work commitment, I returned to the Theater with my co-worker Kristine, and we attended their one-act play, “One Destiny,” about the events surrounding the assassination and how it affected the theater owner, the actors and many others.

Here are a few pictures. Click on any to open larger:

Visiting Ford’s Theater

The Will Rogers Follies

The first Broadway show I ever saw was “The Will Rogers Follies.” To this day the show remains one of my favorites, and I still play the original cast recording from time to time. It starred Keith Carradine in the title role. It also featured Cady Huffman, who would later go on to star as Ulla in “The Producers,” and the late great Dick Latessa, as Clement P. Rogers. The music was by Cy Coleman and the lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. This big, fun show also had cowboys and Indians, a bunch of cute dogs — and it featured the “special participation” of Gregory Peck as the legendary showman Florenz Zeigfeld, which was akin to the “voice of God.”

This would have been the fall of 1991, if I remember correctly. I was working as an editor at the Hudson Valley News in Newburgh, N.Y., at the time, and I had just completed a big project and my boss wanted to reward me by a trip to the big city to see a Broadway show. I stayed at the Milford Plaza, and I almost got mugged. A year later I had moved to my apartment in Manhattan, I had a new job working at National Jeweler, with offices in Times Square, right across the street from the Palace Theater. When my dad came to visit we went to see “Will Rogers Follies” together. It was still running, with Mac Davis in the lead role.

The Will Rogers Follies

Jefferson Davis

As president of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis was under almost constant criticism from members of the rebel congress, from many of the newspapers in the South, and from his military. There were bread riots and protests over the draft. At one point, Arkansas even threatened to secede from the Confederacy! Davis had lots of trouble with his generals, but he worked the best with Robert E. Lee.

More facts about Jefferson Davis:

  • Graduated from West Point!
  • He fought in the Mexican-American War.
  • He was Secretary of War under Franklin Pierce
  • His first wife was the daughter of Zachary Taylor.
  • He was often sick in bed, and at some point he lost an eye.
  • He was elected to a six-year term as president of the Confederacy. He ran unopposed.
  • He was a micromanager and a bit of a control freak.
  • He was said to be grumpy.

Jefferson Davis book review

I’m not a huge fan of the Confederacy, and I think anyone who flies a Confederate flag today, in 2018, is a racist. But I wanted to read more about the Civil War. “Embattled Rebel: Jefferson David as Commander in Chief” by James M. McPherson was on the bargain table at Barnes and Noble, in hardcover, for six bucks. It’s by the same author as the book I completed immediately before this one, “Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief,” and I found it was an interesting follow up.

Rather than being a “cradle-to-grave” biography that I prefer reading, this book focuses almost exclusively on the war from the South’s perspective. There is not much about the upbringing of Jefferson Davis, his family life, his career leading up to the Civil war and what happened to him after. The author describes the immense disadvantages the South faced, and he describes the three times that the South came closest to winning the Civil War.

The latest issue of the root canal magazine

I’m managing editor of roots magazine (the r is intentionally lowercase) as part of my job at Dental Tribune.

This issue contains a letter and article I wrote as tribute the beloved Dr. Fred Weinstein, of Vancouver, British Columbia, who passed away recently. Dr. Fred was the editor in chief of roots, a dear friend, and I miss him so much.

If you click the pages they will open bigger and you can read the articles:

tribute to Dr Fred Weinstein

 

The complete issue is available on the Dental Tribune website here, but to get online access you have to subscribe.

Lincoln as wartime president

Lincoln went through many generals in the first few years of the Civil War. Many frustrated him by. McClellan gave him the most trouble, with his constant delaying and complaining. But Grant didn’t complain or blame others.

In my goal to read at least one book about each president in order, I am about a third of the way through. Before I move on to Andrew Johnson, however, I wanted to read more about the Civil War. “Tried By War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief,” by James M. McPherson, focuses on Lincoln as a wartime president.

Fred Mick

The Civil War encompassed the entire presidency of Abraham Lincoln. He was a hands-on military leader who got deep into planning, strategy and personnel decisions. He spent many long hours in the telegraph office, monitoring news from the battlefield. He visited troops in person, met with his generals at their camps, and he even participated in a few campaigns. He and Mary Todd often visited the wounded soldiers at military hospitals.

Thanks to Richard Dalglish for recommending that I add this to my reading list! I am glad I did!

Handbook on the Lincoln Memorial

For me, it’s always been an emotional experience to visit the Lincoln Memorial — and it will be even more so next time, now that I have read books about our 16th president. In my view, Lincoln was our nation’s greatest leader. Not only that, but he was one of the greatest persons ever to live.

The memorial houses the great marble statue of a seated Lincoln within a Greek temple, with his Gettysburg Address and portions of his Second Inaugural Address inscribed on either side of the interior. From the steps you can see the Washington Monument and the United States Capitol. It was dedicated on Memorial Day 1922, by then President Warren G. Harding and then Chief Justice (and former President) William Howard Taft. It’s been the site of countless political demonstrations over the years, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I have a dream” speech during the Civil Rights March in 1963.

Fred Michmershuizen

This 50-page handbook, published by the National Park Service, is divided into three sections: An overview of the memorial, a brief biography of Lincoln, and a section about the how the monument itself was conceived and built. A map and historical photographs help tell the story.