The Niagara History Center has been awarded a grant to conserve and preserve an oil-on-canvas portrait of Belva Lockwood, Niagara County native and first female candidate for President of the United States.
The conservation treatment grant is from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network and the New York State Council on the Arts. The portrait of Lockwood, by M.W. Clark, was donated to the Niagara County Historical Society in 1963, by Lockwood’s grandson DeForest Ormes.
Lockwood was born in the town of Royalton in 1830, was educated at Gasport Academy, Genesee Academy (later Syracuse University) and the American University Law School. She was the first woman to argue a cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and ran two U.S. presidential campaigns, in 1884 and 1888, before women were allowed to vote. Lockwood died in Washington, D.C., in 1917.
The Lockwood portrait is one of the most valuable pieces in the NCHS collection, according to curator Terry Abrams.
Conservation will be done by Tracy Dulniak of Grand Island-based Great Lakes Art Conservation.
Greater Hudson Heritage Network and the state arts council awarded almost $192,000 to 32 organizations in 16 counties to fund professional conservation / preservation of historical objects and works of art.