Darlington alum donates historic piece of art to presidential library

 

Darlington alumnus Layton Roberts ('82) donated a very large painting, done by John Ward Dunsmore, to the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library in Staunton, Va., on Sept. 26. 

The Library curator, Andrew Phillips, came to Roberts' office in Rome to pick up the painting due to the age and importance of the piece. Fellow alumnus and president of the Rome Area Council for the Arts, Wright Ledbetter ('85), and Director of College Guidance Sam Moss ('63) were also on hand for the big "exchange." Photo: Layton Roberts (left) and Andrew Phillips


This painting of Woodrow Wilson was done in 1916 and is titled "The Problem," alluding to Wilson's decision to enter the United States into World War I.
  
John Ward Dunsmore (1856-1945) was a late 19th and early 20th century American painter. He is best know for his realistic and historically accurate painting of events during the American Revolution War and Early Republic. These iconic painting are widely sought for reproduction in grade school textbooks, government websites and have been used on a special coin produced by the U.S. Mint. Most of his works are in the Fraunces Tavern Museum in New York City.