Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson

Filmmaker Michelle Boyaner's stirring documentary Packed in a Trunk tells a compelling story about the vindication of a significant artist who was victimized and cheated out of her rightful place in history. Co-writer and executive producer Jane Anderson spent decades trying to uncover the mystery of what happened to her great-aunt Edith Lake Wilkinson, a prolific painter who was part of a sizable art colony that gathered in Provincetown, MA, every year during the early 20th century. A middle-aged Wilkinson was forced into a mental asylum in 1924 (an attorney had her committed and then stole her money), separated from her lesbian partner, and kept captive in a squalid hospital until her death in 1957. After failed attempts in the 1970s and 1990s to stir interest in Wilkinson, Anderson makes one more push, enlisting family members, her spouse Tess, and an army of art historians and Provincetown collectors and gallery owners to help uncover the truth about a great talent. Various revelations—Wilkinson's art was shown around the U.S. prior to her institutionalization; her plans to paint in Paris were cut short by her attorney; and she apparently invented a printing technique that was later credited to a male artist—are all part of a stunning discovery process. The slightly impish Anderson and the stalwart Tess are warm explorers and guides, while several allies prove to be colorful and entertaining eccentrics. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)