![\"Austin](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Austin-Peay-State-University-APSU.jpg\" "\\"Austin")
Clarksville, TN<\/strong> – As Austin Peay State University (APSU) freshman Sarah Potter combed through the University\u2019s art collection in early February, she came across a photo of a man sitting on a rock, his back to the camera.<\/p>\n\u201cI was looking for personality, for stories,\u201d Potter, who\u2019s curating an exhibit for the walls of Human Resources in the Browning Administration Building, said. \u201cI liked it, so I set it aside with the other photographs.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Austin](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APSU-students-discover-work-from-two-major-artists-in-University\u2019s-collection-2.jpg\" "\\"Austin")
<\/a>Austin Peay State University Art Students Sarah Potter and Katherine Tolleson hold their discoveries. Potter is holding a Philippe Halsman photo print of Winston Churchill, and Tolleson is holding a drypoint by Alphonse Legros.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
She showed the pieces she\u2019d chosen to Michael Dickins, APSU\u2019s director of galleries, the next day.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was interested in this piece in particular. It looked familiar to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
University records listed the photo as \u201cArtist Unknown\u201d and \u201cTitle Unknown.\u201d Potter and Dickins started their investigation. Within hours they identified the man in the picture as Winston Churchill and the photographer as American portraitist Philippe Halsman.<\/p>\n
Potter\u2019s discovery was the second major finding this year in Austin Peay State University\u2019s Permanent Collection. A week earlier, Austin Peay junior Katherine Tolleson discovered two drypoint creations by French artist Alphonse Legros.<\/p>\n
Finding Churchill<\/h3>\n![\"This](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APSU-students-discover-work-from-two-major-artists-in-University\u2019s-collection-5-480x320.jpg\" "\\"This")
<\/a>This Philippe Halsman print shows Winston Churchill sitting on a rock at his home.<\/p><\/div>\n
After finding the Churchill photo listed as \u201cArtist Unknown,\u201d Potter and Dickins removed the photo from the framework in search of other identifiers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018Maybe there\u2019s something on the back,\u2019 so we pried open the top, and I was like, \u2018Oh, crap!\u2019\u201d Dickins said. \u201cI saw \u2018Philippe Halsman.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Dickins already recognized the photo. Now, he recognized the name.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Sarah, \u2018I think I have a Philippe Halsman book on my bookshelf,\u2019\u201d Dickins said. \u201cWe flipped through and there the photo was \u2026 with a story about how the photo happened.\u201d An excerpt from the story is below.<\/p>\n
[320left]Halsman\u2019s signature is on the back of the Austin Peay print along with the photographer\u2019s instructions to the printer: \u201cMore contrast please! This cropping.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is such a cool find that we didn\u2019t know we had,\u201d Dickins said.<\/p>\n
Potter said she\u2019d never seen Dickins that excited.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinding the photo was like unveiling a gem.\u201d<\/p>\n
A print of the photo also is in the Philippe Halsman Collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.<\/p>\n
Legro’s Old Man<\/h3>\n![\"Tolleson](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APSU-students-discover-work-from-two-major-artists-in-University\u2019s-collection-3-480x320.jpg\" "\\"Tolleson")
<\/a>Tolleson holds one of the Legros drypoints she found.<\/p><\/div>\n
Tolleson\u2019s discovery happened as she helped Dickins remove acid mats from artwork (the acid stains paper). She found two Legros pieces in the same week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came across this one (a drypoint of a bearded man in a hat), and I couldn\u2019t quite tell if the mat was acid or not, so I checked with Michael,\u201d she said. \u201cAs we were taking it apart, we noticed some interesting things about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
[320right]Alphonse Legros\u2019 signature was clear. Below that was the image\u2019s title, \u201cThe Sailor.\u201d And below that Legros writes the image is one of only 10 imprints.<\/p>\n
Tolleson and Dickins searched through dozens of Legros collections online.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe weren\u2019t able to find these exact two, but we found some that were similar,\u201d Tolleson said.<\/p>\n
Both Legros pieces are on paper that contains watermarks. Tolleson and Dickins traced one watermark to a 19th century London paper company.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found the watermarks were from a company that made paper at about the time Alphonse Legros lived,\u201d Dickins said. \u201cWe knew he was in London at that time. That was part of our authentication. The watermark was a key piece of evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"This](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APSU-students-discover-work-from-two-major-artists-in-University\u2019s-collection-1-480x320.jpg\" "\\"This")
<\/a>This piece is signed by \u201cA. Legros\u201d and includes the title, \u201cThe Sailor,\u201d and a note that it\u2019s one of 10 imprints.<\/p><\/div>\n
Tolleson and Dickins are researching the history of the other watermark.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve done our best to find these images anywhere,\u201d Tolleson said.<\/p>\n
Impact On Students<\/h3>\n![\"The](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APSU-students-discover-work-from-two-major-artists-in-University\u2019s-collection-4-480x320.jpg\" "\\"The")
<\/a>The two discovered Legros drypoints lie in the foreground.<\/p><\/div>\n
Tolleson found many similar Legros pieces at The British Museum. His work also is in the National Gallery of Art, The Tate and The Met.<\/p>\n
Tolleson is composing a letter to email to The British Museum.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s reaching out to learn more about these pieces, to get any information she can and to let them (The British Museum) know we have this piece,\u201d Dickins said. \u201cWe don\u2019t know where that\u2019s going to go yet. Hopefully, they\u2019ll go, \u2018Wow, we\u2019ve heard about this piece\u2019 or \u2018This looks like one of his, but we don\u2019t have any record of this particular image.\u2019 Then maybe we can bridge the gap.\u201d<\/p>\n
[320left]Regardless of what happens, Potter and Tolleson (and any Austin Peay student doing preservation and research) realize a giant impact on their lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents now are doing this research and telling their friends,\u201d Dickins said. \u201cThen stories like this happen. Students learn hands-on research. They\u2019re getting experience, a real-life skill set.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re dealing with legit work.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Tolleson is struck by that legitimacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI honestly thought it was mind-blowing that we even had it,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to know how we got it, I want to know where it came from, how do we have this?<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s still running through my mind. I don\u2019t know how we got it.\u201d<\/p>\n
What’s Next<\/h3>\n![\"The](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APSU-students-discover-work-from-two-major-artists-in-University\u2019s-collection-6-480x320.jpg\" "\\"The")
<\/a>The back of the Churchill print shows printer instructions, probably by Philippe Halsman, and Halsman\u2019s signature and copyright.<\/p><\/div>\n
Dickins is going to reframe the Halsman and Legros pieces, but he needs help. \u201cThe reframing is dependent on donations. These are top priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you\u2019d like to make a donation to help in the reframing of these pieces (or with the preservation of any piece in the Permanent Collection), contact Dickins at 931.221.6519 or dickinsm@apsu.edu<\/a><\/p>\nTolleson and Potter hope to present their findings at the SECAC 2019 art conference October 16th-19th in Chattanooga, Tennessee.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
[470center]<\/p>\n
APSU’s Permanent Collection<\/h3>\n\n
<\/a>This Philippe Halsman print shows Winston Churchill sitting on a rock at his home.<\/p><\/div>\n
After finding the Churchill photo listed as \u201cArtist Unknown,\u201d Potter and Dickins removed the photo from the framework in search of other identifiers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018Maybe there\u2019s something on the back,\u2019 so we pried open the top, and I was like, \u2018Oh, crap!\u2019\u201d Dickins said. \u201cI saw \u2018Philippe Halsman.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Dickins already recognized the photo. Now, he recognized the name.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Sarah, \u2018I think I have a Philippe Halsman book on my bookshelf,\u2019\u201d Dickins said. \u201cWe flipped through and there the photo was \u2026 with a story about how the photo happened.\u201d An excerpt from the story is below.<\/p>\n
[320left]Halsman\u2019s signature is on the back of the Austin Peay print along with the photographer\u2019s instructions to the printer: \u201cMore contrast please! This cropping.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is such a cool find that we didn\u2019t know we had,\u201d Dickins said.<\/p>\n
Potter said she\u2019d never seen Dickins that excited.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinding the photo was like unveiling a gem.\u201d<\/p>\n
A print of the photo also is in the Philippe Halsman Collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.<\/p>\n
Legro’s Old Man<\/h3>\n<\/a>Tolleson holds one of the Legros drypoints she found.<\/p><\/div>\n
Tolleson\u2019s discovery happened as she helped Dickins remove acid mats from artwork (the acid stains paper). She found two Legros pieces in the same week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came across this one (a drypoint of a bearded man in a hat), and I couldn\u2019t quite tell if the mat was acid or not, so I checked with Michael,\u201d she said. \u201cAs we were taking it apart, we noticed some interesting things about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
[320right]Alphonse Legros\u2019 signature was clear. Below that was the image\u2019s title, \u201cThe Sailor.\u201d And below that Legros writes the image is one of only 10 imprints.<\/p>\n
Tolleson and Dickins searched through dozens of Legros collections online.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe weren\u2019t able to find these exact two, but we found some that were similar,\u201d Tolleson said.<\/p>\n
Both Legros pieces are on paper that contains watermarks. Tolleson and Dickins traced one watermark to a 19th century London paper company.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found the watermarks were from a company that made paper at about the time Alphonse Legros lived,\u201d Dickins said. \u201cWe knew he was in London at that time. That was part of our authentication. The watermark was a key piece of evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/a>This piece is signed by \u201cA. Legros\u201d and includes the title, \u201cThe Sailor,\u201d and a note that it\u2019s one of 10 imprints.<\/p><\/div>\n
Tolleson and Dickins are researching the history of the other watermark.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve done our best to find these images anywhere,\u201d Tolleson said.<\/p>\n
Impact On Students<\/h3>\n<\/a>The two discovered Legros drypoints lie in the foreground.<\/p><\/div>\n
Tolleson found many similar Legros pieces at The British Museum. His work also is in the National Gallery of Art, The Tate and The Met.<\/p>\n
Tolleson is composing a letter to email to The British Museum.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s reaching out to learn more about these pieces, to get any information she can and to let them (The British Museum) know we have this piece,\u201d Dickins said. \u201cWe don\u2019t know where that\u2019s going to go yet. Hopefully, they\u2019ll go, \u2018Wow, we\u2019ve heard about this piece\u2019 or \u2018This looks like one of his, but we don\u2019t have any record of this particular image.\u2019 Then maybe we can bridge the gap.\u201d<\/p>\n
[320left]Regardless of what happens, Potter and Tolleson (and any Austin Peay student doing preservation and research) realize a giant impact on their lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents now are doing this research and telling their friends,\u201d Dickins said. \u201cThen stories like this happen. Students learn hands-on research. They\u2019re getting experience, a real-life skill set.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re dealing with legit work.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Tolleson is struck by that legitimacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI honestly thought it was mind-blowing that we even had it,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to know how we got it, I want to know where it came from, how do we have this?<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s still running through my mind. I don\u2019t know how we got it.\u201d<\/p>\n
What’s Next<\/h3>\n<\/a>The back of the Churchill print shows printer instructions, probably by Philippe Halsman, and Halsman\u2019s signature and copyright.<\/p><\/div>\n
Dickins is going to reframe the Halsman and Legros pieces, but he needs help. \u201cThe reframing is dependent on donations. These are top priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you\u2019d like to make a donation to help in the reframing of these pieces (or with the preservation of any piece in the Permanent Collection), contact Dickins at 931.221.6519 or dickinsm@apsu.edu<\/a><\/p>\nTolleson and Potter hope to present their findings at the SECAC 2019 art conference October 16th-19th in Chattanooga, Tennessee.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
[470center]<\/p>\n
APSU’s Permanent Collection<\/h3>\n\n
<\/a>Tolleson holds one of the Legros drypoints she found.<\/p><\/div>\n
Tolleson\u2019s discovery happened as she helped Dickins remove acid mats from artwork (the acid stains paper). She found two Legros pieces in the same week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came across this one (a drypoint of a bearded man in a hat), and I couldn\u2019t quite tell if the mat was acid or not, so I checked with Michael,\u201d she said. \u201cAs we were taking it apart, we noticed some interesting things about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
[320right]Alphonse Legros\u2019 signature was clear. Below that was the image\u2019s title, \u201cThe Sailor.\u201d And below that Legros writes the image is one of only 10 imprints.<\/p>\n
Tolleson and Dickins searched through dozens of Legros collections online.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe weren\u2019t able to find these exact two, but we found some that were similar,\u201d Tolleson said.<\/p>\n
Both Legros pieces are on paper that contains watermarks. Tolleson and Dickins traced one watermark to a 19th century London paper company.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found the watermarks were from a company that made paper at about the time Alphonse Legros lived,\u201d Dickins said. \u201cWe knew he was in London at that time. That was part of our authentication. The watermark was a key piece of evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/a>This piece is signed by \u201cA. Legros\u201d and includes the title, \u201cThe Sailor,\u201d and a note that it\u2019s one of 10 imprints.<\/p><\/div>\n
Tolleson and Dickins are researching the history of the other watermark.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve done our best to find these images anywhere,\u201d Tolleson said.<\/p>\n
Impact On Students<\/h3>\n<\/a>The two discovered Legros drypoints lie in the foreground.<\/p><\/div>\n
Tolleson found many similar Legros pieces at The British Museum. His work also is in the National Gallery of Art, The Tate and The Met.<\/p>\n
Tolleson is composing a letter to email to The British Museum.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s reaching out to learn more about these pieces, to get any information she can and to let them (The British Museum) know we have this piece,\u201d Dickins said. \u201cWe don\u2019t know where that\u2019s going to go yet. Hopefully, they\u2019ll go, \u2018Wow, we\u2019ve heard about this piece\u2019 or \u2018This looks like one of his, but we don\u2019t have any record of this particular image.\u2019 Then maybe we can bridge the gap.\u201d<\/p>\n
[320left]Regardless of what happens, Potter and Tolleson (and any Austin Peay student doing preservation and research) realize a giant impact on their lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents now are doing this research and telling their friends,\u201d Dickins said. \u201cThen stories like this happen. Students learn hands-on research. They\u2019re getting experience, a real-life skill set.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re dealing with legit work.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Tolleson is struck by that legitimacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI honestly thought it was mind-blowing that we even had it,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to know how we got it, I want to know where it came from, how do we have this?<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s still running through my mind. I don\u2019t know how we got it.\u201d<\/p>\n
What’s Next<\/h3>\n<\/a>The back of the Churchill print shows printer instructions, probably by Philippe Halsman, and Halsman\u2019s signature and copyright.<\/p><\/div>\n
Dickins is going to reframe the Halsman and Legros pieces, but he needs help. \u201cThe reframing is dependent on donations. These are top priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you\u2019d like to make a donation to help in the reframing of these pieces (or with the preservation of any piece in the Permanent Collection), contact Dickins at 931.221.6519 or dickinsm@apsu.edu<\/a><\/p>\nTolleson and Potter hope to present their findings at the SECAC 2019 art conference October 16th-19th in Chattanooga, Tennessee.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
[470center]<\/p>\n
APSU’s Permanent Collection<\/h3>\n\n
<\/a>The two discovered Legros drypoints lie in the foreground.<\/p><\/div>\n
Tolleson found many similar Legros pieces at The British Museum. His work also is in the National Gallery of Art, The Tate and The Met.<\/p>\n
Tolleson is composing a letter to email to The British Museum.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s reaching out to learn more about these pieces, to get any information she can and to let them (The British Museum) know we have this piece,\u201d Dickins said. \u201cWe don\u2019t know where that\u2019s going to go yet. Hopefully, they\u2019ll go, \u2018Wow, we\u2019ve heard about this piece\u2019 or \u2018This looks like one of his, but we don\u2019t have any record of this particular image.\u2019 Then maybe we can bridge the gap.\u201d<\/p>\n
[320left]Regardless of what happens, Potter and Tolleson (and any Austin Peay student doing preservation and research) realize a giant impact on their lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents now are doing this research and telling their friends,\u201d Dickins said. \u201cThen stories like this happen. Students learn hands-on research. They\u2019re getting experience, a real-life skill set.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re dealing with legit work.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Tolleson is struck by that legitimacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI honestly thought it was mind-blowing that we even had it,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to know how we got it, I want to know where it came from, how do we have this?<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s still running through my mind. I don\u2019t know how we got it.\u201d<\/p>\n
What’s Next<\/h3>\n<\/a>The back of the Churchill print shows printer instructions, probably by Philippe Halsman, and Halsman\u2019s signature and copyright.<\/p><\/div>\n
Dickins is going to reframe the Halsman and Legros pieces, but he needs help. \u201cThe reframing is dependent on donations. These are top priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you\u2019d like to make a donation to help in the reframing of these pieces (or with the preservation of any piece in the Permanent Collection), contact Dickins at 931.221.6519 or dickinsm@apsu.edu<\/a><\/p>\nTolleson and Potter hope to present their findings at the SECAC 2019 art conference October 16th-19th in Chattanooga, Tennessee.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
[470center]<\/p>\n
APSU’s Permanent Collection<\/h3>\n\n
<\/a>The back of the Churchill print shows printer instructions, probably by Philippe Halsman, and Halsman\u2019s signature and copyright.<\/p><\/div>\n
Dickins is going to reframe the Halsman and Legros pieces, but he needs help. \u201cThe reframing is dependent on donations. These are top priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you\u2019d like to make a donation to help in the reframing of these pieces (or with the preservation of any piece in the Permanent Collection), contact Dickins at 931.221.6519 or dickinsm@apsu.edu<\/a><\/p>\n Tolleson and Potter hope to present their findings at the SECAC 2019 art conference October 16th-19th in Chattanooga, Tennessee.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [470center]<\/p>\nAPSU’s Permanent Collection<\/h3>\n