Stay engaged with the MHS this year!
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“The opportunitye of so fitt a messinger, and my deepe engagement of Affection to thee, makes me write at this tyme, though I hope to followe soone after. The Lorde our God hath ofte brought vs togither with comfort, when we haue been longe absent, and if it be good for vs, he will doe so still...thou must be my valentine, for none hath challenged me.”
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Charles I Locket
This silver jewel, held in a box made of leather and silk, is one of many pieces made after the English monarch Charles I's death when public mourning for the king became widespread, despite the fact that he had been unpopular during his reign,1625–1649.
The production of these objects marked the beginning of an expanded mourning jewelry industry. Before the Restoration in 1660, when Charles II assumed the throne, mourners wore these items hidden under their clothing. In this piece, the engraving pictured reads, “I live and dy in loyaltye,” and depicts a bleeding heart pierced by arrows. Like the inscription, the heart shape suggests the wearer’s loyalty, as well as undying divine love. This iconography also invokes comparisons to Christ, martyred for human transgressions. The engraving on the other side of the jewel ties it to the memento mori tradition, reminding the wearer, “Prepared be to follow me.”
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The Object of History Podcast New Episode Live Today!
Listen to episode 7, “The Casket of Hair,” live today! In this episode, take a close look at an artifact known as the casket of hair. Join MHS President Catherine Allgor as she talks about this little wooden box displaying the hair of First Lady Dolley Madison and Presidents George Washington, James Madison, and John Quincy Adams. Listen to learn about the larger collection of hair held at the MHS and explore what it is like to encounter hair in the archive.
Listen to it on the MHS website here, or anywhere you regularly listen to podcasts.
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Calling All History Lovers!
WE NEED YOU to Judge for
National History Day in Massachusetts!
National History Day in Massachusetts offers students in grades 6–12 the opportunity to explore history and become informed citizens. They perform extensive research, analyze primary sources, and present their findings through papers, exhibits, performances, websites, and documentaries.
Judges for the virtual regional competitions on March 5th and 6th support student scholars from across Massachusetts. Judges are needed from all backgrounds and experiences; we provide training and you can volunteer from home. Judges work in teams to review entries in a specific category, provide written feedback, and join students for a virtual reflection roundtable after judging is complete.
We can’t wait to celebrate history with you!
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Events in February will be a mix of fully virtual or hybrid, with a choice of in-person or virtual attendance. Please be sure to register in the way you plan to attend.
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“Twas not long since I left my native shore”: Phillis Wheatley’s Celestial Cartography
Against the enduring mystery of Phillis Wheatley’s African origin, this talk will address how the poet established bearings in a world far from her natal landscape. A Christian convert whose poems celebrate a spiritual journey from darkness to light, from perdition to salvation, she nevertheless found ways to evoke the Middle Passage and to build a testimony against the slave trade that set her on what she dutifully represents as a redemptive path. The poems develop a cartography that unites her Old World and her New World as well as the world that her faith assures her awaits at the end of her long journey. The final, celestial “transport” is a recurring theme in her poetry, an ascent that she admonishes her white readership that they, too, must prepare to make.
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The MHS offers both virtual and hybrid programs. For hybrid events, please be sure to register how you will attend. Visit www.masshist.org/events for updates, cancellations, and to register.
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On Tuesday, 8 March, at 5:15 PM, Johnathan Williams, Boston University, presents Targeting Reform: CERCLA, Industri-Plex, and Pollution Remediation in the United States, with comment by Elizabeth Grennan Browning, Indiana University, an Environmental History Seminar.
On Thursday, 10 March, at 6:00 PM, Jon Santiago, Physician, Boston Medical Center, and Massachusetts State Representative, 9th Suffolk District; Jasmine Laietmark, Funeral Director at Stanetsky Memorial Chapels; and Emily Donahue, K-12 Educator, present Reflecting on Repercussions of COVID-19: Frontline Workers.
On Tuesday, 15 March, at 5:15 PM, Claudia Roesch, German Historical Institute, presents The Translations of Our Bodies, Ourselves: Comparing Feminist Self-Help Handbooks in the 1970s West Germany and the United States, with comment by Jennifer Nelson, University of Redlands, a History of Women, Gender & Sexuality Seminar.
On Wednesday, 16 March, at 6:00 PM, Jan Turnquist, Executive Director of Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, and Heather Rockwood, MHS, present Film Club: Little Women.
On Wednesday, 30 March, at 6:00 PM, Marylou Sudders, Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services; Dr. Paul Biddinger, Director of the Center for Disaster Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, advisor to Governor Charlie Baker, and leader of the Vaccine Advisory Board; and Dr. Sandra Bliss Nelson, doctor in the Infectious Diseases Division at Massachusetts General Hospital, and lead doctor on Governor Charlie Baker’s school reopening panel, present Reflecting on Repercussions of COVID-19: Policy Makers and Policy Advisors.
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Purchase Your Tickets Today!
Join us on Monday, 2 May, at 6:00 PM (5:30 PM Sponsor Reception) for cocktails, dinner, entertainment, and speaking program at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston with Heather Cox Richardson and GBH's Jared Bowen.
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Interested in Viewing Past Programs?
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If you missed a program or would like to revisit the material presented, please visit www.masshist.org/video or our YouTube channel. A selection of past programs is just a click away.
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Visiting the MHS during COVID-19
Please note that all guests are required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter the building. Learn more about our COVID-19 protocols.
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