. Cranberries; : the national cranberry magazine. Cranberries. "The Spirit of '76". Who would have dreamed that an unknown wagon painter from Ohio could create a scene that would typify the spirit of America more than any other? In 1876, Archibald Willard was commis- sioned by an enterprising print- maker to paint a patriotic scene for the American Centennial celebra- tion. Reasoning that the recent Civil War and the mismanagement of the Grant Administration had soured Americans on patriotism, Willard at first sketched out a humorous scene. But the printmaker con- vinced Willard to s
. Cranberries; : the national cranberry magazine. Cranberries. "The Spirit of '76". Who would have dreamed that an unknown wagon painter from Ohio could create a scene that would typify the spirit of America more than any other? In 1876, Archibald Willard was commis- sioned by an enterprising print- maker to paint a patriotic scene for the American Centennial celebra- tion. Reasoning that the recent Civil War and the mismanagement of the Grant Administration had soured Americans on patriotism, Willard at first sketched out a humorous scene. But the printmaker con- vinced Willard to scrap it and try a serious theme instead. "The Spirit of '76" was finished only a few months before the great Centennial Exposition in Philadel- phia. Willard's father was the model for the tall, gaunt central figure, a farmer was the fifer, and a Cleve- land military school student posed for the drummer boy. The scene was successful as a photographic print, and when the painting was shown at the Centennial Exposi- tion, and subsequently around the country, it came to be treated with the reverence accorded a religious icon. So many hands touched it that the original canvas fell into shreds. Willard spent his last years painting copies of "The Spirit of '76" for an adoring public. The painting remains today one of the most popular of all. It is not surprising that a company, (E. E. Fairchild), who produces fine art jigsaw puzzles, has included "The Spirit of '76" in a series of Revolutionary scenes being offered as part of the Bicentennial celebra- tion. You can still book farm money in advance Some manufacturers of critical farm ma- terials no longer offer preseason bookings. But your Production Credit man can still pro- vide a finance program that features similar benefits. Drop in and talk about a line of credit tailored to your future needs. The money could be at your disposal on a get-it-as-you-need-it basis. And you'd start paying only when you
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