The Other Martha
Julie Franki
Mixed media (cross stitch, giclée print, nickels)
$125
Artist Statement
How does one visualize a historical figure for whom no contemporaneous portraits exist? Though Martha Wayles Jefferson was randomly assigned to me for the First Ladies show, I enjoyed figuring out how to represent her; she’s a mystery, obscured by the long shadow of her second husband, Thomas Jefferson. She married him just before he built his famous Monticello estate and served as Governor of Virginia; however, she would not live to see him elected the third American president.
Martha was born to the manor of a large plantation, wealthy enough to receive a privately tutored education and cultivate a love for music and literature. She was an accomplished harpsichordist and avidly read the popular author of the period, Tristram Shandy. However, coming from plantation wealth also came with a darker inheritance: Martha’s half-sister (not acknowledged as such at the time) was Sally Hemings, twenty-five years her junior and enslaved by her father. Sally’s ownership, along with more than a hundred other enslaved people, transferred to Martha and Thomas after her father’s death. Thomas would eventually make Sally his mistress and beget several children by her.
Wealth was not much of a shield against the everyday threat of sickness and death in Martha’s time. As a parent, I cannot imagine a greater sadness than surviving the death of one’s child, but Martha endured such a terrible event five times; only two of her seven children survived to adulthood (the first by her prematurely deceased first husband). Martha herself died four months after the birth of her last child. Before she died at only 34, Martha reportedly made her husband promise to never remarry, which he did not. Apparently, no agreement was made regarding enslaved sisters.
Using cross stitch, mostly four strands on 14-count perforated paper, was a natural medium to choose for this piece, as Martha also enjoyed the art of decorative embroidery. The background is a giclée print of an engraving of Monticello, the home she built with Thomas. The border of genuine US nickels appropriately picture Jefferson and Monticello, and increases the cost of this artwork by $2.70.
About the Artist
I work as a professional graphic designer who sometimes gets artsy in my spare time. I’ve designed everything from logos to museum exhibits to greeting cards and everything in between. I live with my daughter, Sophia, my partner, Heather, and felines, Ender and Ezra.