Union County (PA) Historical Society

In case you need a laugh today!

It's interesting what you can find out about individuals in history when you dig in the right places! Pictured is New York artist Dana Pond with a completed portrait of General Tasker Bliss, a native of Lewisburg, PA, in the "Gallery of Battles" in the Palace of Versailles in January, 1919. General Bliss was one of President Woodrow Wilson's top advisors at the Versailles peace conference at the end of World War I. He was the first person to have their portrait painted inside... the palace since King Louis XVI claimed residence in the palace in the late 1700s. Dana Pond had enlisted in the Red Cross during the war and would paint a series of portraits of American diplomats during the peace negotiations. The painting behind behind Mr. Pond and Bliss' portrait also plays some significance, more so to the French experience in the First World War. The painting is of the Battle of Wagram, a battle between French forces under Emperor Napoleon and Austrian forces under Archduke Charles in 1809. The battle was a victory for the French, but that victory came at a heavy price, much like the French victory in the war from 1914-1918. (Photo courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA))