Melanie Thacker Nonmacher

Assistant Curator & Community Outreach Director Kaplan Museum of Judaica | Art Historian| Museum Educator| Bayou Bend Docent Program | Museum of Fine Arts

59 articles published

ISAAC SUTTLES AND H. WILSON & COMPANY POTTERY

Texas History, Variety is the Spice of LifeJuly 28, 2026172Views 0Likes 0Comments

Isaac Suttles was a potter born in 1840 in Ohio. His father, Benjamin Suttles, was also a potter of some repute in Ohio during this time. When Isaac Suttles moved to Texas in the 1870’s with his younger brother George, he became involved with a group of ex-slaves-freedmen who already had some experience working pottery…

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN & JOHN TRUMBULL IN PARIS 1780

American History, Art & Divine Imagination, Nothing But Trumbull, ReligiousJuly 24, 202690Views 0Likes 0Comments

A couple of years after Col. John Trumbull's service in the American Revolution, which ended spectacularly with his resignation. In a letter written to his superior he said with pride and some impudence, "From this day, therefore, I lay aside my cockade and sword, with the fixed determination never to resume them until I can…

BEZALEL SCHOOL OF ARTS & CRAFTS- HANUKKAH LAMP

Art & Divine Imagination, Bezalel, Boris Schatz, Judaica, Religious, Uncategorized, zionismJuly 16, 2026119Views 0Likes 0Comments

This Bezalel Hanukkah lamp (1920) represents the arts nouveau sensibility that Boris Schatz and his school were well known for. The artist is Ze'ev Raban. Indicative of his style, this particular lamp is made of copper and catches the light with the designs present on the front. This lamp is heavily decorated with Jewish imagery.…

BEZALEL SCHOOL OF ARTS & CRAFTS- KIDDUSH CUP

Art & Divine Imagination, Bezalel, Boris Schatz, JudaicaJuly 16, 2026129Views 0Likes 0Comments

The Bezalel Kiddush cup was created in 1920 in Jerusalem, Palestine. Named after the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts in Jerusalem, founded by Boris Schatz in 1906, this cup has a maker’s mark on the bottom reading “Bezalel Jerusalem.” The artist is unknown, although it is possible that this cup was made and/or designed…

THE CURIOUS HISTORY OF VICTORIAN PHOTOGRAPHY

American History, Variety is the Spice of LifeJuly 2, 2026139Views 0Likes 0Comments

Photography was a brand-new artform during the Victorian era. People, at first, did not know what to make of it, but then it became a booming enterprise. In Lady Elizabeth Eastlake’s book entitled “History of Photography Part One” she says, “Thus, where not half a generation ago the existence of such a vocation was not…

REUVEN RUBIN- JUDAIC ART IN THE 20TH CENTURY

Art & Divine Imagination, Bezalel, Judaica, Religious, Variety is the Spice of LifeJune 24, 2026165Views 0Likes 0Comments

Reuven Rubin did not come from a rich family. He grew up in Romania, in what he called a little ghetto. Even at a young age, though, Rubin showed artistic talent. He recounts the story of when he was three and came home from his first day at heder. He held a piece of brick…

BEZALEL SCHOOL OF ARTS AND CRAFTS- ZE’EV RABAN

Art & Divine Imagination, Bezalel, Boris Schatz, Judaica, Religious, zionismJune 19, 2026173Views 0Likes 0Comments

Born Wolf Rawicki, Ze'ev Raban was born on February 12, 1890, in the town of Lemberg, which is now in the area of the Ukraine. Ze’ev’s family were a devout Jewish family. He was artistic from a young age and would later grow up to become one of Judaica’s most loved artists. He received…

TIPU’S TIGER

Variety is the Spice of LifeJune 17, 2026206Views 0Likes 2Comments

Tipu’s Tiger is on exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England. Basically, it is a carved piece of wood made to look like a British soldier being mauled by an Indian Tiger. The soldier is lying flat on his back, while the tiger is crouched on top of him, chewing his shoulder.…

COL. JOHN TRUMBULL & THOMAS JEFFERSON

American History, Nothing But TrumbullJune 8, 2026204Views 0Likes 0Comments

JOHN TRUMBULL. Thomas Jefferson 1788. Paris, France. Miniature. John Trumbull and Thomas Jefferson had a long association beginning with Jefferson's time in France. Trumbull and Jefferson met in London and continued their association in Paris in the late 1780s. Jefferson invited Trumbull to stay with him in Paris, and they struck up a nice…

JOHN TRUMBULL, ALEXANDER HAMILTON & AARON BURR

American History, Nothing But TrumbullJune 4, 2026173Views 0Likes 0Comments

Trumbull reconnected with his old acquaintances of the Revolutionary War and painted many of their likenesses. One time, Trumbull attended a banquet given in New York on July 4, 1804, for the members of the Society of Cincinnati, which is an organization of Revolutionary War Officers. It was there that Trumbull witnessed an important American…

COL. JOHN TRUMBULL IN SUMMATION

American History, Nothing But Trumbull, Sarah Hope Harvey TrumbullJune 3, 2026168Views 0Likes 0Comments

Trumbull’s early life as the governor’s son, Harvard graduate, and American Revolutionary War hero set him apart as someone worthy of distinction and respect. His most cherished goal was to be recognized as America’s history painter, not just in his time but for generations to come. This would ensure that the sacrifices and triumphs of…

SARAH HOPE HARVEY TRUMBULL- PRIVATE PORTRAITURE IN A PUBLIC WORLD

American History, Nothing But Trumbull, Sarah Hope Harvey TrumbullJune 3, 2026221Views 0Likes 0Comments

Portraits made in the past are open to interpretation in the future. Without the artist giving background information, the viewer provides the historical account. Trumbull’s paintings of Harvey challenge this rule, however. He painted her not just as a record of her life, but there seems to be a deeper reason. He did not need…