Pitchforks

Long-time blog readers may remember the scary Halloween post from 2012 about Eliza Jumel and Aaron Burr (or brrr for all those shivers running up and down your spine!).

Eliza Jumel with the infamous pitchfork

Well, turns out one of my snaps is getting renewed life.  Here’s the photo in question–of Eliza with the pitchfork she (may have) used to off her first husband, before marrying Burr.  I ask you, would you marry someone who may have murdered her first spouse?  Kind of like marrying Lizzie Borden…

Designer and artist Camilla Huey. had an exhibition at the Morris-Jumel Mansion entitled The Loves of Aaron Burr: Portraits in Corsetry & Binding.  Great stuff!

Design & Photo: Camilla Huey

The exhibit steeped us in the politics of Federalist New York, while also making us voyeurs drinking in Camilla’s designs.  She explains, “Historically, the Georgian woman was viewed as a body without a voice.”  She uses corsets as a form for combining the women’s hand-transcribed letters, books, and other ephemera “to reanimate their voices” and symbolize “each woman’s ‘body work’ in sheer volume.”

Now, Camilla is making a documentary about the exhibition-making process and the history.  She focuses on nine of the women Burr loved, mentored, or was mentored by, to include the dark side.  Camilla writes me, “I am just thrilled with flawed characters!”  Here’s the trailer:

So spread the word and look for the film.  It will premiere The Morris-Jumel Mansion on May 14, 2015.  You might just catch a glimpse of Eliza and the pitchfork, re-imagined as a historic photo in black-and-white or sepia tones.