Funeral Scene

For much of her 101 years, Clementine Hunter (1886-1988) painted vibrant scenes reflecting the society of the Louisiana plantation on which she spent most of her life. Her father, Janvier Reuben, moved his wife and seven children to Melrose Plantation in Cane River Country in northwest Louisiana during Hunter's teenage years and she would remain there throughout her life. There she first worked as a field hand, picking cotton and pecans before becoming a maid and part-time cook in the house. The owner of Melrose, Carmelita "Cammie" Garrett Henry, was interested in reviving local arts and crafts and the home became a thriving mecca for art and history. François Mignon, Melrose's curator, encouraged Hunter's creativity and collected tubes of paint and other materials discarded by visiting artists for her use. Her works, depicting picking cotton and pecans, washing clothes, baptisms and funerals, are considered important documentation of plantation life in the early twentieth century.