New Taft exhibition puts Longworth family in spotlight

The Taft Museum of Art will unveil newly conserved portraits of Nicholas, Susan and Catherine Longworth in a new exhibition, “A New Look at the Longworths,” running June 28 through Nov. 2. 

The portraits – never before displayed publicly – offer a rare glimpse into one of Cincinnati’s most influential families. Emily Renshaw Pistilli, a direct descendant of Nicholas and Susan Longworth, donated the paintings to the museum.

The works, recently restored, deepen the museum’s narrative of the Longworths’ legacy and their role in shaping Cincinnati’s civic and cultural life, according to Ellen Roberts, the museum’s director of curatorial affairs.

“We are so grateful to Emily Renshaw Pistilli for donating these fascinating portraits to us,” Roberts said. “We only rarely add to the museum’s collection but are excited to accept these paintings because they enable us to tell a fuller story of these individuals who were so important to both the history of the Taft and of Cincinnati.”

A picture is worth 1,000 words

Nicholas and Susan Longworth lived in the downtown Cincinnati home that now houses the Taft Museum for more than 30 years, beginning in 1830. Catherine was the couple’s daughter.

Experts believe the portraits may have been painted on-site and have remained in the family’s possession until now, according to the museum.

The exhibition explores the artists who may have painted the works, how conservation has transformed them and related subjects, such as new research into Nicholas Longworth’s complex views on slavery and abolition. Archival materials from the Taft’s collection help round out the story.

The museum will host a curator talk on Sept. 21 with co-curators Angela Fuller, assistant curator; curator Tamera Lenz Muente; and Laura Stewart, registrar and collections manager.

“We are thrilled to present these remarkable portraits and the compelling stories they reveal,” Lenz Muente said. “Although Nicholas Longworth was known to commission portraits to support artists, very few portraits of him still exist. Even more exciting are the portraits of Susan and Catherine, as we strive to learn more about the women of the Longworth family.”

A New Look at the Longworths