Clementine Hunter (1887–1988)
3533 Highway 119, Melrose, LA 71452
318-379-0055
ABOUT
We invite you to discover the two-hundred year history of beautiful Melrose on the Cane: A National Historic Landmark.
Hear how the birth of a slave, Marie Therese Coincoin, and her ten Franco-African children with Claude Thomas Pierre Metoyer became the legacy of the Isle Brevelle Creole Community. Descendants of the Metoyer family live along Cane River today, a people proud of their heritage and culture.
Realize the impact of the American Civil War and Reconstruction on Cane River and the survival of a southern plantation along with the establishment of the Melrose freedman school by Fanny Hertzog.
Explore the wonders of the early 20th-century Melrose artists’ retreat founded by Carmelite Garrett Henry. And, follow the discovery of Clementine Hunter, one-time Melrose cook, as she emerged to become Louisiana’s most celebrated primitive artist.
SPECIAL RESOURCES
“I tell my stories by making pictures. The people who lived around here and made the history of this land are remembered in my paintings. I like that. I’m glad the young people of today can look at my paintings and see how easy and uncomplicated things were when we lived off the land. I wanted to tell them. I paint the story of my people. The things that happened to me and the ones I know. My paintings tell how we worked, played and prayed.”
— Clementine Hunter
Clementine Hunter (1887–1988)
Clementine Hunter began as a field hand at Melrose when she was twelve years old. Originally born at Hidden Hill Plantation in 1887, her family moved to Melrose as sharecroppers for the Henry family. Later she became a housekeeper, but it was while she was a cook that she found some discarded paints left behind by an artist at Melrose. Those discarded paints changed her life. Clementine Hunter’s paintings continue to touch those who view and admire her work each day.
Clementine was a self-taught, primitive artist. Her unique African-American perspective, considered “insider art,” tells stories that historians overlooked while documenting plantation life. Clementine captured the community of workers, the life of the “gears” that make plantations successful and prosperous.
In 1955, at the age of 68, Hunter completed her most famous work, the African House Murals. They were painted with oil on plywood and installed on the second floor of the African House at Melrose Plantation.
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Melrose Plantation, located in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, holds a rich historical and cultural significance deeply rooted in the American South. Established in the early 19th century, Melrose Plantation evolved from a colonial land grant into a sprawling complex of historic buildings and lush gardens. One of its most notable features is the Big House, a distinctive French Creole-style mansion constructed in 1833 by Louis Metoyer, the son of Marie Thérèse Coincoin, a freed slave who became a prominent businesswoman and landowner. The plantation’s history is also intertwined with the artistic legacy of Clementine Hunter, an African American folk artist whose vibrant paintings depicting plantation life gained international acclaim.
Melrose Plantation stands as a testament to the diverse and complex narratives of the Southern United States, showcasing the intersection of different cultures, races, and socio-economic backgrounds. The site has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and continues to attract visitors interested in exploring the plantation’s captivating history, picturesque architecture, and the artistic contributions of individuals who left an indelible mark on its legacy.
Clementine began as a field hand at Melrose when she was twelve years old. Originally born at Hidden Hill Plantation in 1887, her family moved to Melrose as sharecroppers for the Henry family. Later she became a house keeper, but it was while she was a cook that she found some discarded paints left behind by an artist at Melrose. Those discarded paints changed her life. Clementine Hunter’s paintings continue to touch those who view and admire her work each day.
Clementine was a self-taught, primitive artist. She never completed any formal education and did not learn to read or write. She expressed herself, told her story, through paint. Her unique African-American perspective, considered “insider art,” tells stories that historians overlooked while documenting plantation life. Plantations are far more than the big house and the crop produced. Clementine captured the community of workers, the life of the “gears” that make plantations successful and prosperous.
In 1955, at the age of 68, Hunter completed her most famous work, the African House Murals. They were painted with oil on plywood and installed on the second floor of the African House at Melrose Plantation. 1955 is a significant year, as mechanization would reach Cane River in the early 1960s and would forever change the way of life for African American workers.
In 1986, two years before her death, Clementine Hunter received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Northwestern State University of Louisiana. A University that, in the 1960s, had previously not allowed Hunter on campus to view an exhibit of her work, due to the segregation laws of the time. Today, Hunter is recognized as one of the most famous African American Folk Artists in the United States.
