The anticipation has been building for weeks. All of us here at CHS have been excited to bring Katharine Hepburn home to Hartford in the form of an exhibition on loan from the Kent State University Museum called “Katharine Hepburn: Dressed for Stage and Screen.” Well…on Thursday of last week she finally arrived and the better part of three days has been spent unpacking, dressing, hanging, and generally preparing the exhibit to open to the public tomorrow.
It is time to unveil the 2014 line up of Behind-the-Scenes Tours. We’re offering even more access to the hidden treasures of Connecticut history that are normally behind closed doors, and with the option of buying a Season Pass, you can get that sneak peek at a great 20% discount!
The weather is having a bit of a fit this week…it can’t quite decide if it is winter or fall. Either way, the air is getting chillier and people are looking to get warmer. Now-a-days we hop in the car and head to the nearest mall, specialty shop, or big-box store to find our cold weather gear, but there was a time when shopping for winter was an event. An event that often took place at G. Fox and Company Department Store in downtown Hartford.
Exterior view of G. Fox Department store, 956-986 Main Street. 1918. x.2000.9.19
I recently returned from a mini-vacation to visit some friends in Colonial Williamsburg (and brought back a cold, which leads to my apology at this late posting!). Even after living in New England for almost six years, I still think of Virginia and Massachusetts when I think of the American Revolution. Being a Midwestern girl, most of my education on the subject of the American Revolution revolved around these two states (when we weren’t talking about the French fur traders on the mighty Mississippi). These were the places you learned of and the places you yearned to visit. However, after being immersed in a crash-course of New England history upon my move, I’ve learned quite a bit about the part Connecticut played in our fight for independence.
A New and Correct Map of the United States of North America. 1784. Engraved and Printed by Abel Buell. 1950.553.0.
Tomorrow summer will officially begin and with it commences one of the easiest fashion seasons of the year. In summer we need to do little more to ready ourselves for the day than hop out of bed, throw on a t-shirt and shorts, or even a jersey dress, a quick pair of sandals and off we go. But did you ever stop to think that getting dressed maybe wasn’t always so easy? Let me show you what I mean…
Dress. 1805-1810. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred H. Terry. 1959.11.2
As you’ve come to find out, there are a lot of little things that go into making our collection safe and available. One of the most fun pieces of the puzzle (at least in my opinion), is the photography. By then all the little details like catalging and numbering are done, and it is time to just snap away.
Woman’s Shoes. 1880-1890. Gift of Elizabeth Cushman Titus Putnam in memory of her family. 2010.423.9a,b.
inside the CHS 