A Portrait From Nova Scotia's Past Returns

The Nova Scotia Museum is celebrating the recent acquisition of a 240-year-old portrait of Susanna Francklin.

Susanna Francklin was the wife of Michael Francklin, lieutenant-governor for the Halifax colony for several periods in the 1760s and early 1770s. Her portrait was painted in 1762 by John Singleton Copley, a well-known American colonial portrait painter. The artifact is a significant addition to the provincial collection.

"We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to acquire Susanna Francklin's portrait for Nova Scotians," said Calum Ewing, director of museum operations. The painting has resided with a branch of the Uniacke family in England for the past 75 years.

The acquisition was made with the generous support of the Nova Scotia Museum board of governors through its endowment fund, and the Department of Canadian Heritage with the assistance of a Movable Cultural Property grant. Both of the funding partners provided 50 per cent of the purchase price.

"This portrait is a piece of our history, and I am very proud that this government has helped the Nova Scotia Museum obtain it," said Liza Frulla, federal Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Status of Women.

"The portrait of Susanna is a treasure," said Lloyd Newman, vice-chair of the museum's board of governors. "It plays an important part in Nova Scotia's history. The board of the museum is very pleased to be part of the process that has brought Susanna home."

The painting has a strong link with the history of Nova Scotia and with the house at Uniacke Estate Museum Park in Mount Uniacke, part of the Nova Scotia Museum family of provincial museums.

A series of portraits that feature Susanna's husband and her parents are already on public display in Uniacke House. Together with the portrait, these paintings form a significant Canadian collection of American colonial portrait painting.

The portrait of Susanna Francklin will be featured in the exhibition Building our Collections, Preserving our Heritage at the Museum of Natural History in Halifax until Feb. 7, 2005.