This Week @ MHS

This week is the first full week for the three new exhibitions on display. Among them, the Society is featuring correspondence between John and Abigail Adams that illustrate their views on education for their children in "The Education of our Children is Never out of My Mind." Also on display are several childhood drawings and early poetic works of e.e. cummings in "Estlin Cummings Wild West Show." Finally, the new main exhibit on display is "The Object of History: 18th-Century Treasures from the Massachusetts Historical Society," featuring a range of artifacts from the Society's holdings, from flint-lock pistols to a pair of spectacles. All of these exhibits are free and open to the public, Monday-Saturday, 10:00am-4:00pm.

In conjunction with the main exhibit, the Society will host a series of conversations with MHS Librarian Peter Drummey about what documents and artifacts from the collections can tell us about the characters, events, and issues of the past, as well as the role of the MHS in documenting the rich history of our state and nation. On Monday, 17 June 2013, join in on the latest in this series as David Wood, Concord Museum, and Peter Drummey discuss early works of art, artifacts, and documents on display. Registration required. Fee $25/$15 (F/M); Free for MHS Fund Giving Circle members. Please contact the education department at 617-646-0557 / education@masshist.org. Register for all three programs in “The Object of History” series and receive a registration discount! Series fee: $60/30 (F/M); Free for MHS Fund Circle members.

Then, on Wednesday, 19 June 2013, the MHS will host another talk in the Brown Bag Lunch series. This week, Jen Manion of Connecticut College presents "19th-Century Narratives of Transgender Experience & the History of Possibility." In the 1880s, the field of sexology declared masculine women to be inverts—true homosexuals. Prior to this period, representations of gender crossings were more varied and common. Such representations shine a spotlight on some of the most obvious anxieties concerning women’s place in society as well as the constitutive relationships between sex, gender, and sexuality. Brown bag lunches are free and open to the public, beginning at 12:00pm.

Last, on Saturday, 22 June, there will be a free tour of the Society's home at 1154 Boylston St. The History and Collections of the MHS is a 90-minute docent-led tour that explores all of the public rooms in the building will touching on the art, architecture, history, and collections of the Society. The tour is free and open to the public. No reservation is required for individuals or small groups. Parties of 8 or more should contact the MHS prior to attending a tour. For more information please contact Curator of Art Anne Bentley at 617-646-0508 or abentley@masshist.org.