Exclusive Docent Led Tour of Four Period Rooms at the DAR Museum
We will tour the Massachusetts, DC, Maryland and Virginia rooms after an orientation to the magnificent collections of the DAR.
Explore the American Home! Each of these period rooms looks like you’re stepping into a room from the past. You can peek into an 1810s bedroom, 1820s dining room, 1860s parlor, and many more. Compare how homes have changed over the years; which features do we still use today, and which have fallen by the wayside?
Massachusetts
1775 Bedroom and Parlor in Massachusetts
A Famous Ride
Tensions run high on the eve of the American Revolution. Neighbor turns against neighbor over the subject of liberty from England.
Two leaders of the Revolution, John Hancock and Samuel Adams, are visiting Hancock’s cousin in the room you see here. They enjoy a late supper, talking in low voices about how to achieve freedom from British rule. Outside they hear a horse arrive. In bursts Paul Revere, come to warn them that British troops are approaching and their lives are in danger! This moment was captured in later poems, paintings, and songs. The house still stands, a marker of an important event in American history.
District of Columbia
1810s Parlor in the District of Columbia
An Island of Good Taste
You would walk out of this room into a muddy, smelly mess.
Livestock roamed the unpaved streets, much of the land was swampy, and difficulty with drainage kept sewage from washing away. Much of the population was transient and lived in boarding houses, so not many people had a parlor like this. Still, a few people tried to keep up appearances. This family decorated their house with furnishings that are nice but not extravagant. Here they can sit and pretend they don’t hear the pigs outside in the street.
Maryland
1830s Parlor in Maryland
Honored Guests
You have just been invited to visit a family and arrive at their parlor.
This might be the only room of their house that you see, since formal parlors are reserved for guests. Here the family puts their fanciest and most expensive furnishings, out of respect for their guests and also to show off. As a guest you should honor your hosts by wearing nice clothes: ladies, this means a dress with huge sleeves, and gentlemen, you need a very tall hat. During your visit you will chat with your hosts and perhaps listen to music or enjoy a cup of tea.
Virginia
1810s Dining Room in Virginia
A Summer Meal
Don’t be late for dinner!
If you pull up a chair at this family dinner, you’d expect to sit down sometime between 2:00 and 4:00pm for the biggest meal of the day. You are joining this wealthy family for a casual summertime meal. You can tell the season because of the kind of food on the table. Before refrigerators and airplanes to store and carry food, most of what you eat has to be fresh and local. Here you can enjoy a small beef roast stuffed with onions, pan-fried perch, asparagus, stewed sweet potatoes, and a fruit pie.
Registration
Harvard Club members and their guests: $10/person
Non-members: $20/person
Click here to buy tickets!!!
When:
10:00AM - 11:00AM Thu 2 May 2019, Eastern timezone
Where:
The DAR Museum
1776 D Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
[ Get Directions ]
