Portrait of Leonidas Polk by Cornelius Hankins

Cornelius Hankins (1863-1946) was an American painter. He painted agrarian landscapes of

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and portraits of

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

veterans and politicians.

Early life

Cornelius Hankins was born on July 12, 1863, in

Itawamba County, Mississippi Itawamba County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 23,401. Its county seat is Fulton. The county is part of the Tupelo, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area. The county was ...

. His father was Edward Locke Hankins and his mother, Annie Mary McFadden.

Career

Hankins moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, where he was taught painting by

Edwin M. Gardner Edwin M. Gardner (1845–1935) was an American Confederate veteran and painter. Early life Edwin M. Gardner was born on October 12, 1845 in Giles County, Tennessee. He grew up in Mississippi. During the American Civil War of 1861–1865, he serve ...

, an art teacher and painter. By 1897, he taught at the Richmond Art Club in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. Meanwhile, he began exhibiting his work. By March 1902, his paintings were exhibited at the University Club in Nashville. A decade later, in November 1912, they were exhibited at the Centennial Club. Hankins painted a portrait of

Sumner Archibald Cunningham Sumner Archibald Cunningham (July 21, 1843 – December 20, 1913) was an American Confederate soldier and journalist. He was the editor of a short lived Confederate magazine called "Our Day" (1883-1884) published in New York. In 1893 he establish ...

, the founder of the '' Confederate Veteran''. He also painted a portrait of Caroline Meriwether Goodlett, the founding president of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Additionally, he painted a portrait of Confederate General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

for the

Tennessee General Assembly The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Speaker of the Senate carries the additional title ...

in 1901. He also did 15 portraits for the Shelby County Courthouse in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. He went on to do portraits of Confederate General

Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealt ...

, Admiral

Albert Gleaves Albert Gleaves (January 1, 1858 – January 6, 1937) was a decorated admiral in the United States Navy, also notable as a naval historian. Biography Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Gleaves graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1877. A ...

, Senator

William B. Bate William Brimage Bate (October 7, 1826March 9, 1905) was a planter and slaveholder, Confederate officer, and politician in Tennessee. After the Reconstruction era, he served as the 23rd governor of Tennessee from 1883 to 1887. He was elected to th ...

, Governor

Albert H. Roberts Albert Houston Roberts (July 4, 1868 – June 25, 1946) was an American politician, educator, and jurist. He served as the 33rd governor of Tennessee from 1919 to 1921, having previously served as a state court judge and as principal of the Alpin ...

and Governor Benton McMillin. Some of Hankins's portraits were donated by Confederate veteran or university alumni groups to public and private institutions. For example, Hankins painted a portrait of Confederate General

Benjamin F. Cheatham Benjamin Franklin "Frank" Cheatham (October 20, 1820 – September 4, 1886) was a Tennessee planter, California gold miner, and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He served in the Army of Tennessee, inflicting ...

for the Frank Cheatham Bivouac of the

Association of Confederate Soldiers The Association of Confederate Soldiers (Tennessee Division) was an organization formed by veterans of the American Civil War in 1887, and helped to form the United Confederate Veterans in 1889. Dr. Joseph Jones served as the association's surgeo ...

, who unveiled it in the Tennessee State Chamber and placed it in the

Tennessee State Library The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA), established in 1854, currently operates as a unit of the Tennessee Department of State. According to the Tennessee Blue Book, the Library and Archives "collects and preserves books and records of hi ...

in 1904. He also painted a portrait of Julia A. Sears, a founding faculty member of the

Peabody College for Teachers Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development (also known as Vanderbilt Peabody College, Peabody College, or simply Peabody) is the education school of Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. ...

(now part of

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

), which was placed in the chapel in 1904. Additionally, Hankins painted a portrait of

William Lofland Dudley William Lofland Dudley (April 16, 1859 – September 8, 1914) was an American chemistry professor at both the University of Cincinnati and Vanderbilt University and an athletics pioneer during the Progressive Era. At Vanderbilt, he was appoint ...

, the founding dean of the

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Vanderbilt University School of Medicine is a graduate medical school of Vanderbilt University located in Nashville, Tennessee. Located in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center on the southeastern side of the Vanderbilt University campus, the S ...

; it was donated by local alumni to Vanderbilt University in 1915. According to the

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture ''Tennessee Encyclopedia'' is a reference book on the U.S. state of Tennessee that was published in book form in 1998 and has also been available online since 2002. Contents include history, geography, culture, and biography. The original print ed ...

, "At the time of his death, nine of his portraits were hanging in the Tennessee State Capitol, six in the Alabama State Capitol, two in the

Mississippi State Capitol The Mississippi State Capitol or the “New Capitol,” has been the seat of the state’s government since it succeeded the old statehouse in 1903. Located in Jackson, it was designated as a Mississippi Landmark in 1986, a National Historic La ...

, and one in the

Louisiana State Capitol The Louisiana State Capitol (french: Capitole de l'État de Louisiane) is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Louisiana and is located in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The capitol houses the chambers for the Louisiana Sta ...

Personal life

Hankins married Maude McGehee. They had two daughters, Eleanor Hankins, known professionally as Hank Fort, who became a renowned singer, and Dorothy Churchill Hankins Wood.

Death

Hankins died on May 12, 1946, in Nashville, Tennessee. He was buried at the Mount Olivet Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hankins, Cornelius 1863 births 1946 deaths People from Itawamba County, Mississippi Artists from Nashville, Tennessee Painters from Tennessee American portrait painters American landscape painters Painters from Mississippi 19th-century American painters 20th-century American painters American male painters 19th-century American male artists 20th-century American male artists People born in the Confederate States