The recent opening of the MFA's new wing has created lots of excitement, from the ultra-modern glass building designed by Norman Foster & Partners to its 53 galleries showcasing Pre-Columbian through late Twentieth Century art. Join us for an insider's tour with Gerry Ward, as he highlights pieces from one of the country's best and largest collections of early American arts, freshly displayed in new settings. Particular attention will focus on furniture and other decorative arts of the Portsmouth and New Hampshire region.

Members only. To cover transportation and admission, $45 per person. Transportation via chartered bus leaving from the Tyco Center, Strawbery Banke, at 1:00 pm. Space is limited, so make your reservations early.

Courtesy of Northeast Auctions

Fifty Years in the New Hampshire Antiques Trade
Howard Oedel, Professor, Antiques Dealer & Show Organizer

"Antiques Week in New Hampshire" an annual rite of August, is one of the most important and anticipated events in the country for collectors and dealers of Americana. "Antiques Week" evolved from a show Howard Oedel launched in 1957 for the New Hampshire Antiques Dealers Association. Of the show's original founders, Mr. Oedel is the only one still with us and through the years, he has continued to exhibit and participate in the event. Howard will share stories of the colorful people, objects, and times that make this field so fascinating.

Howard Oedel is a longtime resident of Hebron, N.H. In addition to his interest in the antiques trade, Mr. Oedel is a retired Professor of American Colonial History, having taught for many years at several schools including Concord Academy, Lesley College, and Southern Connecticut State University. A charter member of Strawbery Banke Museum, Mr. Oedel holds a BA and MA from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from Boston University. A copy of his dissertation, "Portsmouth, New Hampshire: The Role of the Colonial Capital in the Development of the Colony, 1700-1775," can be found in the collection of the Portsmouth Athenaeum.

Courtesy of the Portsmouth Historical Society
Gift of Florence Dodge

May 24th, 2011

Paisley in Portsmouth
Sandra Rux, Curator of the Portsmouth Historical Society

In the early to mid-nineteenth century "paisley" or "Kashmir" shawls were the ultimate fashion accessory. Sarah Goodwin, wife of Governor Ichabod Goodwin, wrote in her memoirs,

"When I was a child there came up a new style of shawl called French cashmere− the material was partly silk and partly Indian cashmere wool− they were woven in beautiful patterns and cost from twenty to forty dollars. When the three Misses Hart came out one Sunday in their forty dollar 'French cashmere' shawls, the old three decker (North Church) came alive with curiosity and excitement."

Discover the origins and diversity of these beautiful shawls− some woven in India, some in Europe− and how to tell them apart; learn how the shawls made their way to this country; and how women acquired and adapted them to changing fashions. Illustrated with examples from Portsmouth collections.

Sandra Rux, Curator of the Portsmouth Historical Society, is also a hand loom weaver. She has written about 19th century carpet weaving for the Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife and was a contributing author to Carriages and Clocks, Corsets and Locks, a book about the industrial development of New Haven, Connecticut. Sandra holds a BA and MA in History from the University of Connecticut and Trinity College and is a graduate of the Museum Studies program of the Munson Institute, Mystic Seaport Museum.

June 14th, 2011

Eighteenth Century Architecture & the Building Trades in the Piscataqua Region
James L. Garvin, State Architectural Historian, N.H. Division of Historical Resources

Join James Garvin as he highlights the 18th century architecture found throughout New Hampshire's Colonial capital and region. Using period documents and local buildings for examples, Dr. Garvin will discuss building techniques and styles, the work of individual craftsmen, and regional characteristics and trends.

James Garvin, State Architectural Historian since 1987, has worked in the field of historic preservation for over 45 years. During that time, he has been involved with approximately 200 National Register nominations. His ties to Portsmouth are long standing. As the second full-time employee hired at Strawbery Banke Museum, Jim supervised the restoration of several 18th century structures and later served as Curator at the Portsmouth Athenaeum. Dr. Garvin is a Winterthur fellow and holds a Ph.D. from Boston University. He is the author of a number of books, including "A Building History of Northern New England" and co-author of "On the Road North of Boston: New Hampshire Taverns and Turnpikes, 1700-1900."

Courtesy of Strawbery Banke Museum

September 20th, 2011

Cutting to the Chase: Results of Historic & Archaeological Investigations of the 1762 Chase House Site
Sheila Charles, Chief Archaeologist, Strawbery Banke Museum
Tara Vose, Collections Manager

Archaeology has long been an important focus at Strawbery Banke, where artifacts complement the print culture of inventories, diaries, and journals, guiding the interpretation and furnishing of structures. For the past 4 years, the field school has been conducting excavations at Chase House. A fine example of Portsmouth Georgian architecture constructed circa 1762, the house was home to merchant Stephen Chase and his family for most of the 19th century. Although it was the first structure to be restored at the museum, no excavations had been conducted at the site until recently. Learn what the archaeological team has uncovered, and how their research and discoveries will impact the management and interpretation of the house.

Sheila Charles is an independent archaeologist and historian specializing in New England and Colonial history, environmental review, and archaeological education. She is President of the New Hampshire Archaeological Society and Co-Coordinator of Project Archaeology. Ms. Charles holds a BA and MA in Anthropology from California State University, Northridge.

Tara Vose has been working with Strawbery Banke Museum's collections for over 10 years.

October 18th, 2011

The Case of the Missing Family Heirloom: A Copley Pastel of a Boston Bride
Deborah M. Child, Author, Lecturer, and Independent Curator

Through meticulous genealogical research, critical for authenticating and attributing portraits and establishing provenance, Ms. Child will retrace the journey of a dazzling painting depicting an eighteenth century beauty over the course of more than 200 years. From the salesrooms of Sotheby's New York, where the Collection of Ted & Toine Samuel, San Francisco antiques dealers, was sold in 2003, to a family's mansion home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and finally back to the studio of John Singleton Copley in Boston, the story will illuminate what the passage of time conspired to obscure.

Deborah Child is project curator of the "Catalogue Raisonné for John Samuel Blunt (1798-1835)." In 2007 she curated the first solo exhibition of this artist's work, held at the Portsmouth Historical Society, and authored The Sketchbooks of John Samuel Blunt. Currently, she is a guest lecturer on American folk art for the American Society of Appraisers and a regular contributor to Antiques and Fine Arts. Ms. Child holds an MA in Art History from Queen's University, Ontario, Canada.

Lectures Are Free For Society Members And $10.00 Each For The General Public
All Lectures Take Place At Strawbery Banke Museum’s Tyco Visitor Center, Just Off Of Hancock Street in Portsmouth, NH.
Lectures Start At 5:30 PM With Wine & Cheese Served Before Each Lecture