Ken Burns & Historic Beverly
For nearly a decade, Ken Burns’ company, Florentine Films, had been developing an ambitious documentary project to explore the Revolutionary War in depth.
During their research, the team discovered eight war scenes in Historic Beverly’s online collections database that appeared promising for inclusion in the documentary.
In fall of 2022, several members of the production team visited the Cabot House to photograph these works. During their visit, Abby Battis, newly appointed Director of Historic Beverly, shared that the collection included 44 related artworks. The team proceeded to document 35 paintings out of the group of 44 and brought the images back to Ken Burns for review. He was immediately struck by the artistry and detail and was especially enthusiastic about incorporating them into the project.
As a result, Historic Beverly’s artwork is featured prominently in both the six-part, twelve-hour documentary The American Revolution and its companion textbook. Together, these works present a sweeping narrative of the Revolution, illuminating the broader story and the complex realities of what was, in many respects, a bloody civil war.
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The American Revolution: The Story of the War in 28 Paintings
In 1904, Susan Day Parker presented the Beverly Historical Society with a remarkable gift of forty-four paintings depicting scenes from the American Revolution. These works were originally commissioned by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge to accompany his two-volume history, The Story of the Revolution, published in 1898. Unlike conventional illustrations for historical publications, which were typically executed in pen, ink, or engraving, Lodge commissioned full-scale oil paintings. This unusual choice reflects both the prestige of the project and a desire to lend the authority and permanence of fine art to his historical narrative.
Although the individual artists were not identified in Lodge’s publication, the works themselves quickly gained attention. Several were exhibited to the public in Boston and New York, and many were reproduced in Scribner’s Magazine prior to their appearance in book form. Their imagery, dynamic battle scenes, iconic moments of leadership, and depictions of sacrifice and resolve, helped shape late nineteenth-century visual culture surrounding the Revolution, reinforcing patriotic ideals for a new generation.
Of the forty-four paintings, twenty-eight are on view here, at the John Cabot House. Some will be familiar to readers of Lodge’s history, while others, never published, are now displayed to the public for the first time. Together they offer not only a rare glimpse into the intersection of art, politics, and historical memory at the turn of the twentieth century, but also an enduring testament to the Revolutionary legacy as understood in Lodge’s era.
The exhibit runs from 9/6/25 – 7/4/26
Historic Beverly’s Cabot House
117 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA 01915
Tickets are free and open to the public.
Uncovering the Mystery of Susan Day Parker
In early 2020, Historic Beverly presented The Story of the Revolution in Beverly, featuring 44 original artworks commissioned by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge for his 1898 book, “The Story of the Revolution”. Unfortunately, the pandemic shortened this effort to mere weeks. This marked the first time the full collection had been displayed together since its 1899 promotional tour.
During preparations, a mystery surfaced: the works hadn’t come from Lodge’s estate, but from a donor named Susan Day Parker. Who was she and what was her connection to Lodge or this collection?
Who was Susan Day Parker?
Susan de Forest Day was born in Whitestone, New York on September 8, 1864, and married Dr. Charles Thorndike Parker on April 4, 1900. They lived in Beverly and Wenham until Charles’s death in 1912. Susan died in Daytona Beach, Florida on December 6, 1964, and is buried in Hillside Cemetery. Her first husband, Charles, may have had ties to the Cabot family either through lineage or business, but how the paintings ultimately came into Susan’s possession remains unknown.
Despite these lingering questions, we know that Susan Day Parker, later known as Susan de Forest Day Porotto, was the unexpected steward of this historic collection, preserving and ultimately donating it so it could be seen once again, over a century later.
