REVEALED FOR THE FIRST TIME
BÉLIZAIRE AND THE FREY CHILDREN
BEFORE
AFTER
J U LY 1 - O C T O B E R 2 , 2 0 2 2 This painting was commissioned in 1837 by Frederick Frey – a wealthy German merchant and banker – and his wife Coralie D’Aunoy Favre – a member of an elite family present in New Orleans since the Colonial Era. It depicts Elizabeth, Léontine, and Frederick Frey Jr., as well as Bélizaire – the fifteen-year-old enslaved domestic owned by the children’s father. This portrait captures the complex relationship between an enslaved boy and the children of his master – growing up in the same French Quarter mansion, where there existed simultaneously a sort of intimacy alongside the psychological trauma of forced bondage. At some point, likely in the late 19th or early 20th century, the figure of Bélizaire was intentionally painted over; effectively erasing him from the portrait. In 2005 the painting was sold to a private collector and underwent conservation. Through that slow and delicate process, Bélizaire was brought back to life within this important Louisiana painting.
Use this QR code to find more information on this painting
Learn more about Ogden Museum by visiting www.ogdenmuseum.org. 925 CAMP STREET, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130 | 504.539.9650 | OGDENMUSEUM.ORG | FOLLOW US @OGDENMUSEUM
Attributed to Jacques Guillame Lucein Amans, Bélizaire and the Frey Children, c. 1837, Oil on canvas, 54.5 x 43.5 inches, Private Collection