What, Exactly, is an MHS "Brown-Bag" Lunch?

It is sometimes said that the MHS is “a genteel society.” Perhaps it’s our quiet customs, steeped in tradition. So, what are these hour-long events called “brown bag lunches”? Can one really bring food into the MHS, and upstairs, no less? Do presenters really deliver programs to a crowd munching on pretzels and carrot sticks?

The answer is “yes”! Think of the brown-bags as a working lunch for scholars, with you and I encouraged to join in and take the conversation in new directions. Many organizations offer brown-bag lunchtime talks, but at the MHS, they’re the epitome of “historical tradition meets modern scholarship.” 

Programs take place at the MHS around the oval table in the 19^th-century gentleman’s library of Thomas Dowse. Participants settle into massive mahogany and leather armchairs, unpack their chicken Caesar wraps, and begin to introduce themselves: a scholar from Johns Hopkins, a neighborhood resident, a graduate student from Berkeley, an MHS staff member... The program begins as the presenter describes his or her research in the MHS collections, following which, all are welcome to ask questions and comment.  

The MHS offers a brown-bag lunch program on the first Wednesday of every month, with others scheduled during the year. Lunches begin at noon and end promptly at one o’clock, and the MHS provides an assortment of soft drinks and coffee. 

On September 7, Laurie Ellen Pazzano will describe her research on “Peace field: 1788–1818, The New England Farm of John & Abigail Adams.” Laurie is a student of the Landscape Institute of the Boston Architectural College/Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. 

On September 14, Anthony Antonucci will discuss his work, “Americans and the Mezzogiorno: United States Relations with the Regno delle Due Sicilie from Thomas Jefferson to Herman Melville, 1783-1861.” Anthony has just spent the year as a Fulbright Scholar in Italy and is earning his degree at the University of Connecticut. 

If you can make the time to join us, we would love to see you at these or future programs!

Pardon Our Appearance....

Pardon our appearance while we prepare for our new gallery in the second floor lobby…

We are about to install the first of a series of changing exhibitions in our new MHS “Treasures Gallery,” an intimate space designed to highlight the extraordinary materials in our collection.  The art and sculpture have been cleared from the area and the Saltonstall Gun, our noble War of 1812 cannon, and “Paul and Virginie,” our pair of 18^th century polychrome lead garden statues, have been moved across the landing in preparation for painting and the construction of display walls.

How does one move a 1,200-pound cannon and lead sculptures with fragile antique wire armatures?  Very gingerly.  A four-man team from U.S. Art Company, Inc. carefully positioned the cannon on heavy plastic before cinching it with straps and slowly hauling it across the marble floor to position it against the stair rail. Levers, shims, protective foam, and blankets all came into play as each phase of the move was planned and executed.

The MHS staff has moved the garden statues several times in the past: an unnerving experience which convinced us that they are best left to the professionals.  The U.S. Art team shrink-wrapped each sculpture base to its wooden plinth, then eased the heavy plastic sheet under the plinth and secured it to a winch attached to a marble column. 

With guardians to monitor the sculpture for any untoward movement, each statue was slowly pulled across the room, inch by inch, until the crew could position the sculpture by hand and lever out the plastic sheet.

After rehanging the front stair art, the crew was done and our space cleared for the next step to prepare the gallery for the first of our Treasures exhibitions, “’Like a Wolf for the Prey’: The Massachusetts Historical Society Collection Begins,” scheduled to open in the fall. Keep your eye on our website for more details.

This Week @ MHS

Looking for a way to beat the heat?  Come on in and enjoy the air-conditioning at the MHS. Our exhibition History Drawn with Light is open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Browse over 50 historical photographs -- starting with the oldest daguerreotype in our collection, Old Feather Store (1840), and ranging through to the work of photographer Francis Blake who experimented with high-speed photography in the late 19th century -- and spend time browsing our reference set of books about photography available in the exhibition area.  

On Saturday morning, our guided building tour The History and Collections of the MHS begins at 10:00 AM in our front lobby.  This ninety minute tour explores the art and architecture of the MHS, with a knowledgeable guide ready to answer your questions.   

Commemorating the American Civil War

Back in January I posted an announcement about our (then) newest web feature Looking at the Civil War: Massachusetts Finds Her Voice. That project was the first of many projects and events planned by the MHS to mark the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War.  While that project is going strong -- we are seven months and seven documents into the fifty-three month project -- many of our other Civil War related projects are just heating up and are not to be missed. 

You can visit our Commemorating the Civil War page to stay informed about upcoming events and projects happening at the MHS.  Currently there are listings for three upcoming public programs (in August, September, and November) and an upcoming exhibition opening in early October.  There is also information about educational resources and upcoming publication projects.

The Commemorating the Civil War page will be updated throughout the years of the sesquicentennial as new events & projects are added.  Be sure to bookmark the page so that you do not miss anything.