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Many times, Charleston has been rated the most polite city in America. Having been raised a Charlestonian, I grew up in an atmosphere of manners based on respect for others. This tradition of gentility, often associated with the Southern �blue-bloods�, was actually taught at all levels of Charleston Society.
In �Picnic on the Sandbar�, we see an African-American couple of humble means who have rowed from Charleston�s peninsula to a sandbar just south-west of Fort Sumter. The gentleman in the painting, raised, as myself, to show chivalrous respect to women, bows and assists his lady from her �carriage� onto the sand. A blanket and picnic basket await the couple, preludes to a romantic lunch, with Charleston�s harbor at their feet.
The Artist
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