This Week at the MHS - 19 February

George Washington

This portrait of George Washington (1732–1799) is attributed to Jane Stuart (1812–1888). It was painted sometime in the 1800s, after Gilbert Stuart’s “Athenaeum Portrait” from 1796.

George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the son of Augustine and Mary (Ball) Washington. He married Martha (Dandridge) Custis, a widow, in 1759. He worked as a surveyor in Virginia, served as a commander in the Virginia Regiment during the 1750s and was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1758. He was commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783 and the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Washington retired to his Virginia estate, Mount Vernon, where he died in 1799.

The MHS has a collection of objects and archives from most of the presidents of the United States. View the collection guide of Presidential Letters here. View the painting of George Washington up close here.

MHS News

Object of History Podcast, Egyptomania & the Art of Egyptian Revival Now Available

The Object of History podcast Season 3, Episode 4, Egyptomania & the Art of Egyptian Revival, investigates the phenomenon of Egyptomania, a “fascination with the style of Egypt, but also the people, and the landscape, and antiquity.” Lea Stephenson, a PhD candidate in art history at the University of Delaware, examines Egyptomania’s second wave during the Gilded Age through two collections by Americans who documented their travels to Egypt in various media. Stephenson also discusses these American travelers and their relationship with the landscape.

Listen to the episode here.

Upcoming Events

SEMINAR

Tuesday, 20 February | 5:00 PM

Back from Canada, after the Underground Railroad: Rediscovering Family Stories & Tracing a Mass Migration in the Emancipation Generation of Black North Americans

Adam Arenson, Manhattan College, and Irene Moore Davis, Essex County Black Historical Research Society.

SEMINAR

Thursday, 22 February | 5:00 PM

“I Shall Forward to You My Contraband”: Tracing Wartime Black Movement North through an Incomplete Archive

Marcy Sacks, Albion College, with comment by Amy Murrell Taylor, University of Kentucky.

SEMINAR

Tuesday, 27 February | 5:00 PM

A Nation at the Table

Lucy E. Salyer, University of New Hampshire, with comment by Paul A. Kramer, Vanderbilt University.

Wednesday, 28 February, 6:00 PM: Project-Based Learning in the Social Studies Classroom: An Introduction to NHD in Massachusetts. This is a teacher workshop.

Thursday, 29 February, 5:00 PM: Memories of Civil War Childhoods & Possibilities of Freedom at the Close of the Nineteenth Century with Ben Davidson, Saint Michael’s College, with comment by James Marten, Marquette University. This is a seminar.

Monday, 4 March, 6:00 PM: Necessary Trouble: A Conversation with Drew Faust with Drew Faust, in conversation with Catherine Allgor, MHS President. This is a program.

Tuesday, 19 March, 5:00 PM: The Disappearance of Sarah Simmons: Escape Notices & the Racial Imperatives of the Carceral State with Micah Khater, University of California, Berkeley, with comment by Cheryl Hicks, University of Delaware. This is a seminar.

Thursday, 21 March, 5:00 PM: Fitting Form to Argument: Developing a Digital Publication for the Complexity of Harlem in Disorder with Stephen Robertson, George Mason University, with comment by Jessica Marie Johnson, Johns Hopkins University. This is a seminar.

See full calendar.

Looking for More?

Registration and Events

Visit www.masshist.org/events for more information and to register.

Interested in Past Programs?

If you missed a program or would like to revisit the material presented, please visit www.masshist.org/video.

Exhibition and Library Hours

Closing 29 February 2024! “The Dye is cast”: Interests & Ideals That Motivated the Boston Tea Party. Learn more about the exhibition and explore items from our collection related to the Tea Party.

Our galleries and library are open Monday and Wednesday through Friday, from 9:30 AM to 4:45 PM, Tuesday from 9:30 AM to 7:45 PM, and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM (the galleries and library open at 12:00 PM the second Tuesday of the month). Please note that the last admission is 45 minutes prior to closing.

Please check our hours and admissions for hours, building closings, and other events.

An advance appointment is strongly encouraged. Please log in to your Portal1791 account to select your preferred visit dates.

Set up an appointment via Zoom or live chat with a member of our reference staff.

Learn more at www.masshist.org/library.

2024 Making History Gala

Join us for an unforgettable evening on 6 June 2024, with featured speaker Doris Kearns Goodwin at the iconic Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston. Visit www.masshist.org/gala to purchase tickets.

The MHS Fund and Membership

Our Members make it possible for us to offer an array of complimentary services including admission to our exhibition galleries and library, online access to our collections and digital editions, and onsite and remote reference services for all. Membership begins with a fully tax-deductible contribution of $250 or more to the MHS Fund. All Members enjoy a full year of social, cultural, and educational experiences, including invitations to our annual Holiday Party, FREE program registration, and Member Week perks. Learn more and join today!

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