Folded and Feathered: bringing hand fans to the Collections Portal
Long before air conditioning was a common amenity in most residences and buildings, high society New York women established their “cool” with an opulent, yet useful accessory: the hand fan. … Continue reading
Festivities of the Gilded Age “Season”
The morning after returning from visiting family for Thanksgiving, I awoke with the thought, “The ball season has again returned, and already the ‘busy hum of preparation’ for its festivities … Continue reading
Harry Harkness Flagler House Chandelier
Object conservation presents an opportunity to learn about aspects of an object’s history that cannot always be revealed by researching secondary sources. Conservation done for the re-installation of a chandelier … Continue reading
Vanderbilt Ball – how a costume ball changed New York elite society
In the spring of 1883, the solemnity of Lent didn’t stand a chance against the social event on the mind of all of New York’s elite society: Mrs. W. K. … Continue reading
Dollar Princesses, or how the American heiress saved Downton Abbey and other estates like it
Perhaps it goes without saying that among the Collections crew here at the Museum there are a number of huge fans of the Masterpiece Classic series Downton Abbey. In the … Continue reading
