Over the past few decades, Hazel Lloyd Gamble Cole has donated almost 90 pieces of art to the Trout Gallery. The pieces are Norwegian, Finnish, Islamic, Persian and Asian in origin. Cole donated most of her collection in the 1960s, before the Trout Gallery was established. In a 1966 letter to College Dean Samuel Magill, Cole was adamant that her donations, “should be at the disposal of students at any time.” She advocated for the study of Asian cultures in particular, as she felt a better understanding of Asia was desirable for the future.
One of her donations includes a miniature Persian painting with a cloth background from the 19th to 20th century, the Qajar era. The cloth behind the portrait is derived from the Ka’aba covering, Kiswah. The miniature portrait is of Shia origin. The center figure is likely Ali, with his two sons Hussein and Hussain in front of him. To the right of Ali is Salman’i Farsi and to the left is Qanbar. In the portraits of Ali, Hussein and Hussain they are wearing green turbans which signify piety, as green clothes are the clothes of Jannah.
A note from Cole was also included in the frame, which stated, “This cloth can only be possessed by high-ranking Mohammedans who have made the pilgrimage to Mecca … who had the privileges of wearing a green turban. It was [my friend] who piloted the Malayan pilgrims … This [cloth] is a piece of the covering of the Kaaba.” Cole’s correspondence with the Dickinson staff, primarily Charles Coleman Sellers, contains hundreds of letters, some of which are available at the Archives. When donating her pieces, she gave a story to each of them. In her letters, there is a postcard of the Holy Shrine Kazimain, a Holy Shiite Shrine. She detailed how she was in Iraq and going to Persia, where the miniature portrait was found. The two items may have been from the same trip.
Cole donated nearly 90 pieces of art to Dickinson College. She was well-traveled and found meaning in the art she collected. Her collection was highly appreciated and helped shape a museum on the Dickinson campus (along with Ruth Trout, class of 1936, and her sister Helen).
