A new exhibit is making the connection between the Broadway hit "Hamilton" and Hartford.
“When the Bushnell shared that 'Hamilton' was coming to town, we immediately thought of works from the collection dating to the American revolution,” Erin Monroe, curator of American art, said.
The connection to Connecticut extends beyond the stage.
“When the 'Hamilton' costume designer Paul Tazewell was doing research into historic imagery from the period, he actually cites Connecticut’s own John Trumbull as a painter whose works he’s consulted for his ideas for designing the costumes,” Monroe said.
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The exhibit features two of Trumbull’s pieces, the Battle of Trenton and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“He refits it for the modern musical,” Brandy Culp, curator of American arts at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, said. “It’s a fantastic comparison and again, how we are taking a fresh look at the past."
This 18th century dress on display mimics what those seeing the musical on stage will see at the Bushnell.
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“There are parallels and there are wonderful parallels between you can see the Schuyler sisters and the outline and the silhouette of the stunning green Damas dress from the 18th century,” Culp said.
An overcoat worn by Jeremiah Wadsworth is almost spot-on to what Hamilton wears on stage.
“He was a merchant very much involved with the American Revolution and was corresponding with individuals like George Washington and Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr,” Culp said.
The exhibit runs through Sept. 11 at the Wadsworth. Hamilton is showing at The Bushnell through July 10.
