The Schuyler Sisters and Their Circle (review)

In their introductory number in Hamilton: An American Musical, Lin Manuel-Miranda’s “Schuyler Sisters,” Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy, sing the praises of “the greatest city in the world.” After hearing such exultation of Manhattan, one might be surprised to find the comprehensive exhibit on the Schuyler women that has popped up at the Albany Institute of History & Art. As The Schuyler Sisters and Their Circle makes clear, Albany, New York, is at the heart of this tiered history that has implications at the local, state, national, and even international level. The exhibit traces the lives and social networks of Angelica Schuyler Church (1756–1814), Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton (1757–1854), and Margaret “Peggy” Schuyler Van Rensselaer (1758–1801), three of the eight surviving children born to Albany natives Philip and Catharine Van Rensselaer Schuyler. The women’s deep ties to the early American elite, including George and Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and John Jay, allowed the Albany Institute to display rare treasures from their collection, such as a copy of the Declaration of Independence. The true strength of the exhibition, however, is Albany Institute’s seamless integration of their collection with an impressive series of loans from major institutions and private collectors alike.

Drawing from twenty-six different lenders, the exhibition brings together portraits, documents, and material culture from across the state and country. These items are assembled both to give the viewer a sense of the way the women lived, and to tell intricate narratives such as those of the family’s Dutch heritage, Peggy Van Rensselaer’s early death, and even of Alexander Hamilton’s duel with Aaron Burr. In telling these narratives, the exhibit is unapologetically aware of the Hamilton musical. After passing through an entry-way featuring a larger-than-life mural of The Republican Court, or, Lady Washington’s Reception Day by Daniel Huntington, the first and largest words of exhibit text are “We hold these truths to be self-evident. . . .” While these are the opening lines of the Declaration of

Drawing from numerous private and institutional lenders, the Albany Institute has created an assemblage of items related to the Schuyler women that may never be found in the same room together again. Angelica Schuyler Church with her child and servant, by Jonathan Trumbull, from a private collection in the Belvidere Trust. (courtesy of the albany institute of history & art.)

Albany Institute collections comingle with loaned pieces to suggest the world that the Schuyler women lived in. Perusing the exhibit reveals that Albany was both interconnected and well connected to the broader eighteenth-century world. (courtesy of the albany institute of history & art.)

Independence, which continues “that all men are created equal,” curator Diane Shewchuk admits that she expects Hamilton fans will complete the quote with Angelica’s famous line from the Broadway musical: “when I meet Thomas Jefferson / I’m ’a compel him to include women in the sequel.” Indeed, a handful of subtle Easter eggs scatter the exhibit, a creative way for the Albany Institute to tap into the buzz surrounding the musical, especially since the show makes its upstate debut at Proctor’s Theater in nearby Schenectady this summer.

Ironically, it is some of the exhibit’s most significant strengths that open the door to its biggest challenges. The wide range of loans, for example, come with an equally wide range of loan agreements, meaning some items will not be available for the duration of the show. Albany Institute will replace shorter-term loans with new loan items as the exhibit proceeds. For those dedicated patrons who revisit the exhibit—and there is plenty here to make return visits worthwhile—this provides fresh material. Those who can only make one visit, on the other hand, risk missing objects such as the Hamilton wedding rings currently on loan from Columbia University...