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“ But the hope, that some day will come, when we shall all meet again together, still cheers and encourages me, though it is like trees in the dusk, which seem lengthening as you go. ”
Featured Item from the MHS Collection

This elegant volume, created by Marianne Dwight during her time at Brook Farm in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, features twenty watercolor sketches from nature and two contemporary views of Brook Farm. Dwight painted flowers, birds, and autumn leaves, which in 1845 were gathered into books to be sold for the benefit of the community. The entire volume is available for browsing online. Read more about Marianne Dwight and Brook Farm .
Online Programs

On Wednesday, 15 July, at 5:30 PM , Martha Ackmann presents These Fevered Days: Ten Pivotal Moments in the Making of Emily Dickinson . Emily Dickinson’s interior world was extraordinary. She loved passionately, hesitated to publish, embraced seclusion, and created 1,789 poems that she tucked into a dresser drawer. Ackmann unravels the mysteries of Dickinson’s life through ten illustrative episodes that distill her evolution as a poet. Utilizing thousands of archival letters and poems, Ackmann constructs a remarkable map of Emily Dickinson’s inner life. Together, these ten days provide new insights into her wildly original poetry and render a concise and vivid portrait of American literature’s most enigmatic figure.  Register for the online program .

On Thursday, 16 July, at 12:00 PM , Mia Levenson, Tufts University, presents Anatomical Acts: Exploring the Intersections between Popular Anatomy & Popular Theatre in 19th-Century America . Levenson will contextualize her research as the intersection of three historical threads: the increasing importance of anatomical science to medical education, which contributed to widespread theft of bodies from public (and primarily African American) graves; the rise of a “popular anatomy,” whereby moral reformers sought to uplift the white middle class through anatomical education; and the popularity of minstrelsy, a theatrical form that created a mockery of Black anatomy while, in some burlesques, simultaneously using the site of the dissection room as a punchline. Register for the brown-bag .

On Friday, 17 July, at 2:00 PM , Heidi Vaughan and Susan Lachevre, Forbes House Museum, present a Virtual Tour of the Forbes House Museum . Built in 1833, the Greek Revival mansion was initially the seasonal home of the entrepreneurial Forbes family who made their fortune in the China trade. In the 1964 the house opened to the public as the Museum of the American China Trade, founded by Dr. H.A. Crosby Forbes, a curator of Asian art and direct descendant of the home's original occupants. Today, the house is the site of the Forbes House Museum and boasts an impressive collection of Chinese export art and objects; Civil War and President Lincoln memorabilia; and Forbes family holdings, including American and European painting, furniture, and artifacts. Register for the online program .
Upcoming July Programs
On Monday, 20 July, at 5:30 PM , Larry Tye presents Demagogue: The Life & Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy .

On Thursday, 23 July, at 12:00 PM , Leslie Leonard, University of Massachusetts Amherst, presents Responsibility & Re-Orienting the Self in 19th-Century America .

On Thursday, 23 July, at 5:30 PM , Ned Hinkle, Jim Vrabel, Brattle Film Foundation, and more present Boston in Film: Beyond the Oscars . This is the second in a series of three conversations in partnership with The Brattle Theater and Emerson College.

On Wednesday, 29 July, at 5:30 PM , Peter Drummey, MHS, presents Salem History Through the MHS Archive .

On Thursday, 30 July, at 12:00 PM , Samantha Payne, Harvard University, presents Reconstruction as the Last Atlantic Revolution .

V isit www.masshist.org/events for more information and to register.  To view a selection of past programs, go to  www.masshist.org/video  or visit our  YouTube channel .
Share Your COVID-19 Experience(s)

The MHS invites you to contribute your COVID-19 experience(s) to our collection. Record your experiences on a daily, weekly, or intermittent basis. You can contribute your thoughts and images online. Visit our COVID-19 web display to learn more and to share your thoughts. Or, you can keep a journal and donate it to the MHS. Contact collections@masshist.org for more information.  
 
Thank you to everyone who has shared so far. If you have not yet done so or would like to contribute again, please visit: www.masshist.org/projects/covid/index.php . You can also read what others have shared.

Our Members are the heart of the MHS community and an integral part of the MHS story. Become a Member to help make possible the Society’s mission to promote the study of American history. Receive benefits including invitations to enhanced Member-only events; free or discounted admission to special programs; and access to publications such as our calendar of events, newsletter, and Annual Report. Learn more at www.masshist.org/support/members .