More than 135 years after it commissioned an iconic portrait of Dred Scott, the Missouri Historical Society has launched a fundraising initiative to commission one of Harriet Scott. The two portraits will hang alongside each other in a new signature exhibit, Gallery STL, which is set to open in 2028.
Lynn Jackson, the great-great-granddaughter of Dred and Harriet Scott, attended the initiative launch at the MHS Library and Research Center on Skinker. The president and founder of the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation was pleased.
"They understand and care about the significance of her role in this whole ordeal and understand that women have been respected and elevated now," Jackson said. "Dred's picture has always been there and it never even occurred to me really that hers could be there."
MHS would like to raise $50,000 for the Harriet Scott portrait and another $10,000 to restore and repair the portrait of Dred Scott. Donation link here.