with James Johnston| True artists were rare in the Mid-Atlantic in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Tobacco planters might pay for a portrait, but this was a luxury for the rich. Good, European-trained artists did not want to make the perilous ocean crossing for uncertain reward. This is why “primitive” or self-taught artists, like Georgetown’s […]

with Brien Poffenberger, President of Gruber-Latimer Restoration| Brick and stone masonry has changed little over the past six thousand years. The basic construction of your garden wall would be familiar to the folks who built the Pyramids or The Great Wall of China. And yet, there are things going on in historic masonry that escape our […]