This Month at the MHS

In 1812, Massachusetts was bitterly divided along partisan political lines and a wave of popular protests greeted the declaration of war on 18 June. The MHS is commemorating the bicentennial with the exhibition Mr. Madison's War: The Controversial War of 1812. The exhibition showcases a number of letters, broadsides, artifacts, and images from the Society's rich collections including a midshipman's log of the USS Constitution describing the ship's first great victory, letters written by John Quincy Adams to his mother while serving as the American minister to Russia, and a brass cannon captured from the British at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.

The MHS library and exhibition galleries will be closed all day Saturday, September 1 and Monday, September 3.

The MHS library and exhibition galleries will be closed all day Saturday, September 1 and Monday, September 3.

The MHS library and exhibition galleries will be closed all day Saturday, September 1 and Monday, September 3.

One hundred years ago, the presidential election of 1912 saw the emergence of the strongest third-party candidate in American history when former president Theodore Roosevelt returned to the political arena as the standard bearer of the Progressive "Bull Moose" Party and Eugene Debs made the best showing ever for a Socialist Party candidate. Between 4 September and 27 November, the Society will display personal correspondence, photographs, and political memorabilia to show how Woodrow Wilson eked out a victory in one of the most closely contested presidential elections in Massachusetts history.

Parkman amassed thousands of documents while researching his histories of New France. Although he focused primarily on the Jesuits, Native Americans, and others, his collections offer fascinating perspectives on the work of French women to create and propagate French culture in the New World.

During the nineteenth century, the woman-slave analogy became an important rhetorical strategy for the women involved in social reform, gaining particular significance in the women's rights and women's suffrage movements.  This presentation seeks to investigate how the woman-slave analogy was used when discussing the social, legal and political status of nineteenth-century women.  

Join us for a tour of the Society's public rooms. Led by an MHS staff member or docent, the tour touches on the history and collections of the MHS and lasts approximately 90 minutes.

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.

Free and open to the public.

This project examines how mid 19th-century Americans sought to filter the barrage of facts and figures assailing them during the communications revolution. It investigates the development of educational practices related to organizing information, as well as the types of media, such as lectures and reference books, that helped Americans to sort through it all.

The bitter split between the conservative and progressive wings of the Republican Party in 1912 threatened the 30-year friendship of Henry Cabot Lodge and Theodore Roosevelt. Stephen T. Riley Librarian Peter Drummey will explain how the two struggled to remain friends during a divisive political campaigns, and how their close bond was saved, at least in part, by a failed assassination attempt just before the election.

The Spaniards Marcelino Garcia and Manuel Diaz immigrated to the United States as young men, founding what became by the 1930s the most important shipping agency in the Iberian Atlantic world. As ardent Franco supporters and apparent Nazi sympathizers, these agents maintained an elaborate network of support for the Axis during World War II from their perch in New York City. This paper explores why, despite knowing all about this, Allied strategists allowed these men and their transatlantic merchant traffic to remain in play for the duration of the conflict.

All graduate students and faculty are welcome! Join us to meet colleagues from other universities, enjoy delicious refreshments, and learn about the MHS collections and programs that can support you in your work.

RSVP required. Email kviens@masshist.org or phone 617-646-0568.

Hoping to sidestep popular elections and transcend politics, the framers concocted a bizarre, untried method of selecting the president. Little did they suspect how their system would be gamed, from 1789 through 2012. Ray Raphael’s latest book is Mr. President: How and Why the Founders Created a Chief Executive (Alfred A. Knopf, 2012). His several other books on the Founding Era include A People’s History of the American Revolution and Founding Myths: Stories That Hide Our Patriotic Past. A complete list of his works can be found at www.rayraphael.com.

Reservations requested. To RSVP call 617-646-0560 or click on the ticket icon above.

In Death Lamented: The Tradition of Anglo-American Mourning Jewelry

MHS Fellows and Members are invited to attend a special preview of the Society's fall exhibition. The evening will begin with remarks by MHS Curator of Art Anne E. Bentley and will be followed by a reception and exhibtion viewing.

In Death Lamented features rings, bracelets, brooches, and other pieces of mourning jewelry from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, ranging from early gold bands with death’s head iconography to jeweled brooches and intricately woven hairwork pieces of the Civil War era. These elegant and evocative objects are presented in the context of their history, use, and meaning, alongside related pieces of material culture.

Registration is required.

In Death Lamented features rings, bracelets, brooches, and other pieces of mourning jewelry from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, ranging from early gold bands with death’s head iconography to jeweled brooches and intricately woven hairwork pieces of the Civil War era. These elegant and evocative objects are presented in the context of their history, use, and meaning, alongside related pieces of material culture.

Drawn from the collections of the MHS and Guest Curator Sarah Nehama as well as loans from the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Historic New England in Boston, and the Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, exhibition highlights include the Adams-Winthrop commemorative seal ring containing the braided hair of John Quincy Adams and a gold memorial ring for Queen Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach.

A full-color companion book, In Death Lamented: The Tradition of Anglo-American Mourning Jewelry, available for sale at the MHS, features photographs and descriptions of all of the Nehama and MHS pieces, along with historical and stylistic backgrounds and essays pertaining to cultural practices around death and mourning in England and America.

View a selection of mourning jewelry at www.masshist.org/features/mourning-jewelry.

Join us for a tour of the Society's public rooms. Led by an MHS staff member or docent, the tour touches on the history and collections of the MHS and lasts approximately 90 minutes.

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.

Free and open to the public.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the MHS library and exhibition spaces will be closed.