“We’re thrilled to have such an important piece back where it belongs, and we’re excited to delve further into the mystery of how it came to be hidden right under our noses for all this time,” says Antiquities Society president Barnaby Drumworth.
The discovery was made by Hannah Jordan, the twelve-year-old daughter of the property’s caretaker. Earlier this week Jordan, who resides in an apartment on the museum’s third story that once contained the home’s servant quarters, discovered a piece of paper under a floorboard in her bedroom closet.
“I was packing for a trip to California we were supposed to take—before all this happened—and the handle of my duffel bag was caught on this piece of floor. So I got a flashlight, and I was on my hands and knees trying to push the board back down, when something underneath it caught my eye,” Jordan told reporters at a press conference yesterday. “I got it out, and it was this note that talked about a secret door in the tunnel and a key to the door hidden in a chair in the drawing room. Basically, it was like a treasure map, and I was so, so psyched!”
Although the chair Jordan references had been sold at auction in the 1960s, she was able to track down the new owners with the help of museum volunteer Florence Ensminger-Burn, who herself has ties to the painting as the granddaughter of Margaret Dunlap, the portrait’s subject.
“It ended up being way easier than we imagined. We made some phone calls, and by the next day I was holding the key in my hand. From there it was just a matter of unlocking the room and grabbing the painting,” Jordan says.
She’s being lauded as a hero for helping shed light on a heist that has baffled historians and museumgoers since the night the portrait went missing, at an elaborate Venetian ball thrown by the Berwinds in honor of the portrait’s unveiling.
Still a mystery is how the painting ended up in the hidden room and who placed it there.
At the time of the theft, officials charged a twelve-year-old servant, Jonah Rankin, who worked in the home’s kitchen, but he evaded authorities and was never heard from again. Historians long asserted that Rankin fled with the painting, but they couldn’t explain how it never surfaced in any private art collections. Many had abandoned hope of ever laying eyes on it again. It is unclear whether Rankin was the author of the note retrieved under the floorboards, particularly given the fact that he was known to have been illiterate, and no records exist of his handwriting for comparison. Early analysis indicates that the note may have been written by a female.
Margaret Dunlap, who posed for the painting as a twelve-year-old, went on to make a name for herself as a prominent suffragist, using her position in society to rally influential women to the cause and gain audiences with politicians. She is pictured above at the August 18, 1920, ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, which awarded women the right to vote.
After restoration experts clean the recovered portrait, The Elms will celebrate the return of the famed piece by hosting a fund-raiser this fall, a Venetian ball that will mimic the 1905 event where the portrait was to have been unveiled.
Jordan, who has lived in The Elms since infancy and has been tapped to help create a Life of Children in Gilded Age Newport Tour of The Elms to debut at the holidays, spoke at the press conference about the significance the painting has played in her life. “I grew up looking at the reproduction of Maggie hanging on the wall, listening to tours discuss the theft, and researching the house’s history for myself. The past has always come alive for me, but especially with that portrait. I just can’t believe I got to be such a big part of setting things right with history. It’s really so, so cool. . . . I mean, you almost can’t make this stuff up!”
Authors’ Notes
THE ART OF THE SWAP is based on very real people. Not just famous historical figures such as Mary Cassatt, Elizabeth Lehr, and Alva Vanderbilt Belmont (who commissioned a fabulous “Votes for Women” set to serve tea on), and the original occupants of The Elms—Mr. Edward J. Berwind; his wife, Herminie; their niece Margaret Dunlap; their butler, Ernest Birch, etc.—but also the more recent occupants, a father and a little girl who was raised on the third floor of the museum, enjoying free rein of the mansion whenever it was closed to the public. In fact, a magazine article about caretaker Harold Mathews and his daughter Tara’s experience growing up at The Elms was the spark that got our imagination going on this story.
In all cases we beg forgiveness for any liberties we’ve taken as we’ve reinvented these people to suit our fictional needs!
But while many of the people are/were real, the story is not. There is no Mary Cassatt portrait of Margaret Dunlap and, therefore, no art heist and no Jonah Rankin. (If there’s a magical mirror that makes time travel possible, we have yet to discover it but plan to never stop searching!)
While we took license with some things, wherever possible we tried hard to make sure that the physical descriptions of The Elms and the ways of life depicted for its occupants (the owners, their guests, and those who served them) were accurate reflections of the time period. Fun fact: all the ball details, from the floor-trailing diamond to the man who believed he was an English prince to the man who ordered an egg at parties, were all borrowed from actual Gilded Age–era Newport balls and residents.
The Elms is open for public tours, and we highly suggest popping in if you ever find yourself in Newport, Rhode Island. Harold Mathews remains the caretaker, though his daughter is grown and has moved away. There is an excellent Servant Life Tour that will even offer you a glimpse of the coal tunnel that plays such a big role in this story. Though, to our knowledge, there is no secret room inside it. However, in the adjoining furnace room there is an opening three quarters of the way up a wall, and Harold claims that this has never been investigated. Sequel?
For more on The Elms and the Gilded Age, we recommend the following resources:
• To plan a visit to the Newport Mansions (including The Elms) and to view pictures of their jaw-dropping interiors, go to www.newportmansions.org. This site also offers teacher resource guides on the architecture at The Elms, as well as other guides relating to the additional museums in the area, such as Marble House, The Breakers, and Chateau-sur-Mer.
• Meet Samantha: An American Girl is a series of books (and a movie) about a privileged girl living in New York State in 1904. She and Maggie likely would have been finishing-school friends!
• The Art of the Swap Classroom Discussion Guide (aligned to Common Core standards) and a related activities guide themed to Women’s History Month are available at www.simonandschuster.net/books/TheArtoftheSwap.
One of the most compelling aspects of this story for us was writing about how the role of girls changed from Maggie’s time to today. And while we both, as Hannah would say, “fly our feminist flags high” and are thrilled at all the freedoms that women and girls now claim, we worked on this book during a time in our own history when women’s rights have once again come to the forefront of a national conversation. So in addition to including resources so that you can study more about how the women’s suffrage movement gained momentum through the work of women who would have been Maggie’s contemporaries, we’re including resources on how we can all continue the march toward full equality. There’s so much more we can achieve for all the girls and women around our world! Go, Girl Power!
To learn more about them, read these books:
• Alice Paul and the Fight for Women’s Rights: From the Vote to the Equal Rights Amendment by Deborah Kops
• Failure Is Impossible! The History of American Women’s Rights by Martha E. Kendall
• If You Lived When Women Won Their Rights by Anne Kamma
• Origins of the Women’s Rights Movement by LeeAnne Gelletly
To get involved now, read these books:
• Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo
• She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World by Chelsea Clinton
> • Strong Is the New Pretty by Kate T. Parker
And visit these websites:
• Black Girls Rock! Inc. at www.blackgirlsrockinc.com
• Girls for Gender Equity at www.ggenyc.org
• Girls Inc. at www.girlsinc.org
• Girls on the Run at www.girlsontherun.org
• Girl Scouts of the United States of America at www.girlscouts.org
• Girls Write Now at www.girlswritenow.org
• National Organization for Women at www.now.org
• Women’s Sports Foundation at www.womenssportsfoundation.org
And watch these documentaries (these films are all unrated; please check with a parent or guardian before viewing):
• Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend
• Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
• Miss Representation
Acknowledgments
WE LOVE THAT GIRLS RUN the world over at Simon & Schuster, from CEO Carolyn Reidy at the tippy top right on down to the fantastic “Swap-esses” who worked on this book. Big thanks to publisher Mara Anastas, cover illustrator Julie McLaughlin, art director Laura Lyn DiSiena, managing editor Chelsea Morgan, production manager Sara Berko, copy editor Bara MacNeill, and the entire sales and marketing teams (which, of course, include men—to whom we’re equally grateful!).
Our biggest accolades are reserved for Amy Cloud, the best editor two girls could ask for. You saw right to the heart of our story and encouraged us to add even more to our Girl Power subplot, and we love you for that. And a bonus thanks to Tricia Lin for all your added help!
Harold Mathews and Tara Kaukani, we are grateful for your willingness to share a window into your lives at The Elms. Hannah and her dad really came alive for us after hearing your anecdotes about living in Newport.
Alison Cherry, yours were the first set of eyes we trusted with this story, and you didn’t let us down. Your notes and insight were amazing. Thank you!
Julia, Isabelle, Nora, Samantha, Nina, Jillian, and your moms: thanks so much for making an early version of The Art of the Swap a selection for your mother-daughter book club. Your feedback was beyond helpful!
And to all the girls reading this: keep demanding, keep dreaming, and keep bringing your brand of caring to the world . . . and we’ll all be just fine!
Kristine wants to thank:
Kathleen Rushall, the best agent ever—cheerleader, support system, and friend. Thanks for believing in all my ideas and pushing me to be better.
Jen Malone—writing this book with you has been an amazing roller coaster. I’ve loved our brainstorming sessions, our coffees “midway,” and all the joys of a shared file in Google Docs. I can’t imagine writing this with anyone but you. I’m so glad we decided to drive to New Jersey together in June 2015. I can’t wait to see Maggie and Hannah take on the world!
Pam Vaughan—for being my sports guru, and for helping to get Maggie’s soccer game just right.
Katie—the first person in the whole world who believed in the idea of a story about a kid living in a mansion with her dad, the caretaker; and who is never afraid of asking a question, no matter how hard. I love you to the Lost Moon of Poosh and back.
Phil—for indulging me in my little “hobby” and for always giving me the time and space to write, even if it means the living room isn’t vacuumed and dinner is takeout.
Jen wants to thank:
Holly Root, I’d never swap you for anyone else’s agent (the pun trend continues uninterrupted!)—you are magic and that is all.
Kris—I think we make a better team than even Maggie and Hannah. Writing this with you has been so much fun!
J., B., and C.—thanks for accompanying me on research trips to Newport and letting me see The Elms through “kid eyes” (and for all the hugs and meals you deliver to my writing cave). I love you mostest mostest.
John, ten books in, and there are no words left at this point. But you already know them by now, don’t you? SHMILY.
About the Authors
KRISTINE ASSELIN is the author of several works of children’s nonfiction as well as the YA novel Any Way You Slice It. She loves being a Girl Scout leader and volunteering with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She is a sucker for a good love song (preferably from the eighties) and can’t resist an invitation for Chinese food or ice cream (but not at the same time!). She lives in central Massachusetts with her teen daughter and husband and spends part of every day looking for a TARDIS to steal borrow. You can find Kristine online at kristineasselin.com.
JEN MALONE once traveled the world and planned movie premieres for Hollywood stars but now caters to far more demanding clients: her identical twin boys and their little sister. Luckily, her husband handles all the cooking! She lives outside Boston and loves school visits, getting mail, and hedgehogs. Jen’s middle-grade novels include The Sleepover; At Your Service; You’re Invited and You’re Invited Too, cowritten with Gail Nall; and Best. Night. Ever., which was cowritten with six other authors. She has also written the YA novels Wanderlost, Map to the Stars, and Changes in Latitudes. You can visit Jen online at jenmalonewrites.com.
ALADDIN
Simon & Schuster, New York
Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Kristine-Asselin
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Jen-Malone
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ALADDIN
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
First Aladdin hardcover edition February 2018
Text copyright © 2018 by Kristine Asselin and Jen Malone
Jacket illustration copyright © 2018 by Julie McLaughlin
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
ALADDIN and related logo are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].
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Book designed by Laura Lyn DiSiena
Jacket designed by Laura Lyn DiSiena
The text of this book was set in Berthold Baskerville Book.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Asselin, Kristine Carlson, author. | Malone, Jen, author.
Title: The art of the swap / by Kristine Asselin and Jen Malone.
Description: First Aladdin hardcover edition. | New York : Aladdin, 2018. |
Summary: When twelve-year-olds Hannah and Maggie switch places,
Hannah must prevent a famous art theft in 1905 and Maggie must
cope with modern life until they can switch back.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017030041 |
ISBN 9781481478717 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781481478731 (eBook)
Subjects: | CYAC: Mystery and detective stories. | Impersonation—Fiction. |
Art thefts—Fiction. | Mansions—Fiction. | Museums—Fiction. |
Time travel—Fiction. | Newport (R.I.)—Fiction. |
Newport (R.I.)—History—20th century—Fiction. |
BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Mysteries & Detective Stories. |
JUVENILE FICTION / Historical / United States / 20th Century.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.A88 Art 2018 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https:
//lccn.loc.gov/2017030041
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