E-Newsletter | December 18, 2020 |
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And to you a Wassail too: The Celebratory Punch Bowl |
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"A Ship at Launch Jonathan Greenleaf 1752" Delft potteries in Bristol, Birmingham and Liverpool, England, frequently produced presentation punch bowls like this one. On loan from Mr. and Mrs Edmund G. Noyes, Jr. |
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Punch has been a staple New England drink for the past three centuries. While its popularity has waxed and waned through the years, its ubiquitous and distinctive vessel is recognizable to all.
Punch bowls have become important symbols of celebration and congregation. They were usually the large, ostentatious and central source of merriment during festivities. But while their presence often expressed wealth, the wide, deep containers were inherently a point of gathering and kinship. The Museum of Old Newbury is fortunate to have a number of these symbolic bowls in our collection.
Tradition records that punch was invented by 17th century British East India Company sailors who were seeking an alternative to beer, which did not last well in hot climates.
Instead, they looked to native customs and ingredients and started combining rum, citrus and spices. Sometimes sweetened with sugar or elevated with brandy, this refreshing and vigorous draft became a favorite of revelers in England and New England alike once it was brought back from the exotic voyages.
Rum was highly available in Massachusetts. Here, along the banks of the Merrimack River, local merchants participated in the triangular trade route. Molasses, a cheap byproduct of the sugar refinery process, would have been shipped up from the Caribbean plantations and left to ferment in wooden barrels. In order to make this strong spirit more appealing and easier to imbibe, it was diluted with water, sweetened by sugar or fruit, enhanced with spices and served out of one large bowl with a long-handled ladle.
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1732 English etching depicting a large punch bowl and ladle. William Hogarth, "Midnight Modern Conversation." Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. |
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The punch bowl remains an enduring symbol and has been a part of well-stocked households since at least 1682, when John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay colony, made note of their being for sale in Boston. Even Benjamin Franklin was inspired to write a short poem/recipe about the festive drink in the 1737 Poor Richard’s Almanac:
‘Boy, bring a bowl of China here,
Fill it with water cool and clear;
Decanter with Jamaica ripe,
And spoon of silver, clean and bright,
Sugar twice-fin’d in pieces cut,
Knife, sieve and glass in order put,
Bring forth the fragrant fruit and then,
We’re happy till the clock strikes ten.
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19th-century Punch Bowl and a Wolf Tavern English bowl is, featuring a popular Chinese pattern. From the collections of the Museum of Old Newbury. |
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These vessels were most commonly ceramic, crafted from imported 18th century Delftware or Chinese export porcelain in five traditional sizes, which ranged from less than a quart's capacity to one of several gallons. Because of their strong symbolic connection with convivial celebration, punch bowls were often commissioned and given for the commemoration of a major event, such as a ship launch or anniversary. The exquisite bowl show above, for example, was presented to Newbury shipbuilder Jonathan Greenleaf (1723-1807) by a merchant from Edinburgh, Scotland, for whom Greenleaf built the ship pictured.
Traditionally, the Museum of Old Newbury has held a holiday party at the Cushing House for our community. In old fashioned New England convention, a large bowl of “Lady Arabella Punch” [often spelled Arbella] has always graced the sideboard, serving as a place of assembly and a symbol of community. While we cannot gather around the punch bowl this year, we still want to thank all our wonderful members who have stood with us through this unprecedented time. Our best to you all.
(Editor's note: see below for museum's signature Lady Arabella Punch recipe and watch Mike Welch’s "A Colonial Christmas" presentation for a close look at more holiday traditions such as “Wassailing!”)
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Editor's note: Last week's story on Florence Evans Bushee elicited further images and photos from family members. Many thanks to Kitty [Kelley] Pearson of Newbury and Sally Chandler for these gems.
It's in the Mail!
The envelope (shown above) is part of a large collection of stamps, first day of issue envelopes and other related things, collected by John W. Kelley, aka "Jack," while Postmaster. He had a very large collection of “certificates,” for want of a better word, small pieces of paper printed with similar information as shown at the left of the envelope, all from various towns and cities proclaiming “National Air Mail Week May 15-21, 1938”
This envelope is addressed to him, in what is believed to be his own writing, at his house on High Street.
Now That's Some Serious Horse Power!
It is believed the two photographs (shown below) were taken as part of a ceremony related to this “Air Mail Week.” Regardless, it was clearly a big deal to have had a photographer on hand to take all these pictures.
The carriage stopped near the post office, traveled along the turnpike, stopping by the airport. Something big was happening, since there weren’t a lot of cameras at every turn in those days. But is it definitely Florence Evans Bushee, aka Mrs. Dibble, taking part in it with her "coach and four."
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Jim Chandler's grandfather, Postmaster John W. Kelley, is seated in the carriage in the first photo, at far left, “above” one of the grooms who is standing right behind him. This wonderful first photo was taken along the Plum Island Turnpike; it appears that there are three rows of seats on that carriage! Very impressive. The second photo is their arrival at the Plum Island airport. |
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Auction of Merman Tree Topper Continues through January 1, 2021
A gilded steel replica of the Museum of Old Newbury Merman, featured high atop the Custom House Maritime Museum's "Maritime Tree," is up for auction.
The hand cut and crafted Triton with Horn, also known as the Merman, is similar to the one on the Museum of Old Newbury's sign, made by museum Co-President, David Mack. It can be used as a tree topper or garden ornament. The piece measures 15"H x 18"W and is mounted on a 3' steel pole.
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Puzzle Me This:
Canton ware was exported to the West and was popular in this country from the latter half of the 18th century to about the middle of the 19th century.
The traditional Canton design includes a tea house, bridge, river, mountains, boat and a willow tree creating a landscape intended to represent the harmony of nature. The sources for the images are found on early Chinese painted scrolls.
English potters in the 19th century, in an effort to popularize the blue willow design based on the original Canton ware, created a fable of star-crossed lovers. The daughter of a wealthy mandarin was engaged to a prosperous merchant, but fell in love with a young man working for her father. On the eve of her wedding the lovers, Koong-se and Chang, escaped across a bridge to a secluded island where they lived happily until the jilted fiancé discovered their refuge and had them killed.
Click on the image to begin the puzzle. From the collections of the Museum of Old Newbury.
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Something is Always Cooking at the Museum
What goes better with a story about our famous punch bowl than the traditional recipe for the Museum of Old Newbury's signature holiday libation!
Lady Arabella Punch
Juice of 18 lemons, no pulp or seed
2 quarts Young Hyson tea
1 1/2 pounds sugar
Mix above ingredients, thoroughly dissolving sugar. Then add:
1 quart dark rum
1 quart brandy
1 pint gin
1 quart red wine (vin ordinaire)
Mix in a covered crock the day before its proposed use. Pack the crock and its contents with ice and allow to remain "at rest" until served.
NOTE: Served by Elizabeth Crowninsheild Mosley to Lafayette at Salem in 1824.
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Learn about upcoming programs, register, find Zoom links and catch up on previous presentations here. |
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Yeat Yeat, Don't Tell Me!" Season 1 Finale airs at Noon Today
Jack Santos, Custom House Maritime Museum, and Colleen Turner Secino, Museum of Old Newbury, welcome special guest, Alex Cain (get link here), author, academic dean and one of the founding partners of Untapped History, a historical walking tour company based in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
Today closes out the first season of "Yeat Yeat, Don't Tell Me!" Santos notes, "It's great fun to meet fellow Newbury-area history buffs. I have to say, we have some extremely knowledgable residents!"
Season 2 of "Yeat Yeat, Don't Tell Me!" starts Friday, January 8, 2021.
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A Colonial Christmas Premiers Today, Friday, Dec. 18, 2020
The Museum of Old Newbury is proud to present a holiday program to watch at your leisure. Board Member, Historian and Re-enactor Mike Welch will take you back in time and explain what holidays were like in the late 1700s through 1800.
Gather 'round the computer screen and enjoy this cozy Colonial Christmas show. Click here.
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A Newburyport Travelogue - Part 2
Tuesday, January 5, 2021 @ 7:00 p.m.
Hold onto your armchair, we are heading to Europe.
Newburyport has a rich and storied history that connects it to places spanning the globe. Stories of Newburyport can be found in faraway lands like London, the Caribbean, Chile, Oregon, California, Bermuda and Hawaii. With Jack Santos as your guide, learn about Newburyport’s connections to the world.
Find out how you can be a Global Newburyport History Explorer – far from Market Square!
This is a virtual event and is free of charge; register here. We will send the Zoom link the day before, Monday, January 4, 2020.
(Miss Part 1? Check it out here.)
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Black Flags, Blue Waters:
The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates
Thursday, January 14, 2021 @ 7:00 p.m.
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In this virtual event, best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin will take us through the Golden Age of American piracy when lawless pirates plied the coastal waters of North America and beyond.
Dolin will explore how colonists at first supported these outrageous pirates in an early display of solidarity against the Crown, and then violently opposed them.
Legendary pirates such as Blackbeard, the ill-fated Captain Kidd, and sadistic Edward Low, who delighted in torturing his prey, will all be discussed.
Black Flags, Blue Waters was chosen as a "Must-Read" book for 2019 by the Massachusetts Center for the Book.
This is a virtual event and is free of charge; register here. Donations graciously accepted.
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Still struggling with those last few holiday gifts? The 2021 Cushing House Calendar is a perfect idea and we can get it to you or mail directly to the recipient, if you prefer. We still have limited copies available.
EXTENDED HOURS!
Last minute shoppers can also stop by the Brown Chapel (Oak Hill Cemetery, 4 Brown Street, Newburyport), December 19 & 20 (Saturday and Sunday), as well as Tuesday, December 22; Wednesday, December 23; and Thursday, December 24 from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. Pick up your 2021 calendar (and a couple of her excellent books) from Newburyport native and historian, Ghlee Woodworth.
COVID-19 safety protocols will be in place; masks and social distancing required.
$16.50 per calendar.
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During this difficult period of COVID-19, we rely on your support more than ever. We are working to reschedule many of the programs that we have had to postpone, as well as develop new, online programs for you to enjoy and keep us connected. We hope, if you are able, that you will consider a donation to the museum. Thank you for your continued support.
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Museum e-Newsletter made possible through the
generosity of our sponsors:
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Museum of Old Newbury
98 High Street
Newburyport, MA 01950
978-462-2681
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