Though it’s known for providing written histories that shed light on how the 19th and 20th century residents of modern Lake Oswego once lived, the Oswego Heritage Council recently underwent a project that provides a visual glimpse into the past.
The council recently restored a painting from 1893 and is now displaying it at the Oswego Heritage House on 10th Street.
“We are excited to get people to see the work that was done on it and see this amazing story,” said Kathryn Sinor, the council’s executive director.
The painting was created by Alexander Maxwell David MacKechnie, who emigrated from England and was hired by the Carman family to serve as an art tutor for their kids. The painting depicts a tranquil Willamette Falls bereft of development, though Sinor noted that there were homes and enterprises there at the time.
It was one of MacKechnie’s last paintings; he drowned attempting to save one of the Carman daughters who fell into the Tualatin River as they tried to find an ideal spot to paint.
The painting was donated by the great grandchildren of Etta Magone, who hired MacKechnie and was a part of the Carman family. However, the painting was in rough shape — a box placed on top of it had punctured a hole through the canvas and it had accumulated cigarette smoke, grime and dust. The heritage house enlisted a specialist to restore the work, which took about a year.
“This painting has been through this incredible journey and the person who painted it and the family that owns it are so steeped in Oswego history; it connects to stories we already tell here,” Sinor said. “When we got it back we were amazed at how vibrant the colors were, how you cannot tell that there was a giant tear.”
Sinor said that the council has other artwork, but noted this is one of the few large oil paintings in its collection. She felt that art brings a different lens to history than the written word.
For more information on the Oswego Heritage Council, visit https://www.oswegoheritage.org/.
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