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Editorial Staff

Early American Industries Grants Program

February 6, 2010 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Early American Industries Association (EAIA) has announced a $6,000 Research Grants Program to provide grants to individuals or institutions engaged in research projects that relate to historic trades, crafts, and tools and their impact on our lives. The numbers and amount of each grant is to be given at the discretion of a committee, with no one grant to exceed $2,000.

The 2009 grant supported a project on 18th and 19th century coopering in Virginia and New England. Previous grants have supported a wide variety of projects, and normally three or more grants are made each year. A complete list may be found on the EAIA web site.

The Early American Industries Association, established in 1933, preserves and presents historic trades, crafts and tools and interprets their impact on our lives. The Association comprises collectors, curators, historians, antiquarians, librarians, material culturists, and anyone who shares our interests.

The Application deadline for 2010 is March 15. For further information on the EAIA and the Research Grants Program, and to print the four-page application visit their web site, www.EAIAinfo.org or contact Ms. Justine Clerc, Lorleton Assisted Living, 22 West 14th Street, Apt. 129, Wilmington, DE 19805 (302) 652-7297.

Send all inquiries to Research Grants Program c/o Ms. Justine Clerc.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Academia, Grants, Industrial History, Labor History

This Week’s New York History Web Highlights

February 5, 2010 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

  • Eastman House: Why Basements Are Bad For Film
  • American Folk Art: Mural Painting in Rural NY
  • LG Mirror: Lumbering the North Woods, 1890
  • Adirondack Almanack: Dannemora-Clinton Prison
  • American Folk Art: Elmira Reformatory
  • Brooklynology: The Grapes of Brooklyn
  • John McLaughlin: Am Revolution Black Loyalists
  • NY Times: Short History of Superbowl Hype

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: nyhistoryblogs

NYS Museum Exhibit: George Eastman House Photos

February 5, 2010 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

“Seeing Ourselves: Masterpieces of American Photography from George Eastman House Collection” opens February 12 at the New York State Museum and will be on view through May 9 in the Museum’s West Gallery. The exhibit will introduce visitors to historical and contemporary photographic masterpieces. Proving the power of photography, more than 155 images and artifacts tell the story of America over the last 150 years.

The photographers range from professionals such as Lewis W. Hine, Dorothea Lange, Matthew Brady and many others, including several who are unidentified. The images capture America and Americans in various ages and stages. They depict grandeur and simplicity, joy and anger, beauty and grit. A limited number of brochures on the exhibition will be available at the gallery entrance.

The exhibition is drawn entirely from the collection of George Eastman House. It is arranged into five sections: “American Masterpieces,” “American Faces,” “America at War,” “America the Beautiful” and “American Families.” Each section addresses key photographic works documenting the American cultural experience.

The “American Masterpieces” section displays photographs that show outstanding artistry, skill or workmanship. They show that American masterpieces cover a broad spectrum of subject, format, and history. Some photographs began as intentional works of art while others began as something else – propaganda, information, aide memoire, or novelty — and only later achieved iconic status. This section will include “The Steerage” by Alfred Stieglitz, “Nautilus” by Edward Weston, and “Yosemite Valley, Summer” by Ansel Adams.

In the “American Faces” section visitors will see photographs of people that have been used to create celebrity, establish identity, and influence our perceptions. Photographers who have captured these American faces include Mathew Brady, Richard Avedon, Alfred Stieglitz, Dorothea Lange, Edward Steichen, Mary Ellen Mark, and Gordon Parks.

The “America at War” section reminds visitors that of all the information that photography brings us, little is more pressing than news about war. Since the beginning of photography, images have defined our understanding of conflict. Images will include “A Harvest of Death, Gettysburg” by Timothy O’Sullivan; David Douglas Duncan’s “Combat, Korea”; “Reaching Out, The DMZ” by Larry Burrows; and “Vietnam Memorial, Washington, DC” by Hiroshi Watanabe.

Timeless photographs that exemplify the beauty and power of nature and an expanding America are included in the “America the Beautiful” section. On display will be William Henry Jackson’s “Mt Sopris, from Junction of Rock Creek,” “Refugio Beach” by Ansel Adams, “Dunes” by Edward Weston and “Desertscape, Death Valley” by Marilyn Bridges.

The “American Families” section explores the role photography can play in helping to put our own family experience into context and define “family” for ourselves. Included are “Tenement Penthouse” by Weegee, “Italian Family, Ellis Island” by Lewis Hine, “East Harlem” by Helen Levitt and “The Damm Family in Their Car” by Mary Ellen Mark.

Forty-minute Interpretive Tours of Seeing Ourselves, and an open discussion focusing on several photographs, will be held at 1 and 2 p.m. on February 13-14, 27-28, March 20-21, April 24-25 and May. 8-9.

A podcast is available at http://podcast.eastmanhouse.org/discussing-seeing-ourselves/.


Photo: Powerhouse Mechanic, 1920, by Lewis W. Hine. Courtesy George Eastman House.

Filed Under: New Exhibits Tagged With: Albany, Cultural History, George Eastman House, Military History, Natural History, New York State Museum, Photography, Pop Culture History

This Week’s Top New York History News

February 5, 2010 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

  • Amtrak Volunteers Will Talk History
  • Pete Seeger Halts Banjo Head Auction
  • Giants Stadium Demolition Begins
  • First Ever Jewish Girl Scout Troop
  • Rockwell Descendent A Street Artist
  • Britannica Mangles Irish History
  • Rye’s Jay Center Seeks LEED Cert
  • Historic 1830s Troy Foundry Razed
  • Developers, Told Not To, Destroy 1845 Site

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: nyhistorywire

Atlantic World Literacies: Before and After Contact

February 4, 2010 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Atlantic World Literacies: Before and After Contact will be a an international, interdisciplinary conference sponsored by the Atlantic World Research Network, October 7-9, 2010 at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Elliott University Center. Featured Speakers will include
Laurent DuBois (Professor of French and History, Duke University), Susan Manning (Professor of English, University of Edinburgh), Peter Mark (Professor of Art History and African-American Studies, Wesleyan University), and Julio Ortega (Professor of Hispanic Studies, Brown University). [Read more…] about Atlantic World Literacies: Before and After Contact

Filed Under: Events, History Tagged With: Academia, African American History, Atlantic World, Calls for Papers, Conferences, Indigenous History, Latino History, Native American History

Old NYS Ornithological Association Journal Online

February 4, 2010 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

With a hat tip to the outstanding birding blog The Zen Birdfeeder we point readers to an interesting new online database of 57 years of the New York State Ornithological Association’s (NYSOA) quarterly journal The Kingbird. 229 issues of the journal are currently online, along with 4 ten-year indices; four new issues will be added each year. The journal includes commentary of historic bird lists, natural history field observation reports, an archive of NYSOA development and history, and a lot more.

Here are a few gems I found in the collection – warning – these are all pdfs!

Merriam’s Adirondack List

Stanley Lincoln’s History of the Federation of New York State Bird Clubs

John M.C. Peterson’s Report of the Great 1995 Blowdown from the Bouquet Valley

The Common Loon in New York State

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Adirondacks, Environmental History, Natural History, Online Resources

The Boston Area Seminar in Early American History

February 3, 2010 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Boston Area Seminar in Early American History invites proposals for sessions in its 2010-2011 series. Since 1989, the Seminar has been held at the Massachusetts Historical Society. Programs take place on the first Thursday evening of most months between September and May. The Seminar’s steering committee welcomes suggestions for papers dealing with all aspects of American history and culture from the era of first contact to the Civil War. Programs are not confined to Massachusetts topics, nor are they limited to the research of historians.

Each session focuses on the discussion of a pre-circulated paper. The essayist and an assigned commentator will each have an opportunity for remarks before the discussion is opened to the floor. Papers must be available for circulation electronically and by mail at least a month before the date of the seminar.

The seminar’s steering committee would like to fill two or three sessions through this call for papers. If you wish to be considered for a slot, send your CV and a one-page précis of your paper by March 15 to Conrad E. Wright, Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02215, or to cwright@masshist.org.

In your proposal, indicate when your paper will be available for distribution. If there are special scheduling conditions, such as a planned trip to Boston or an extended period when you cannot make a presentation, indicate in your proposal.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: Conferences, Massachusetts, Massachusetts Historical Society

Conference: Preservation in New York – The Next Generation

February 3, 2010 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York City Historic Districts Council has announced the Sixteenth Annual Preservation Conference, “Preservation in New York: The Next Generation” which will examine the future of preservation in New York City as a movement, both in terms of the types of buildings we should be preserving and the audiences we must engage in order to be successful. What will be the landmarks for the next generation and who will be fighting to preserve them?

The conference which runs March 5-7, 2010, will be preceded by an Opening Night Reception on Friday, March 5th. The Sunday following the Conference will feature a series of walking tours of historic areas throughout New York City. Participants can register online.

March 5: Opening Night Reception

This year the Opening Reception will be held in the LGBT Community Center, housed in an historic 19th-century school. As with last year’s event, in addition to refreshments and good preservation-minded conversation, this festive kick-off event will feature presentations on proposed historic districts and preservation campaigns across the city.

Friday, March 5, 6:00pm, at The LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street between Seventh and Greenwich Avenues. Tickets for this event are $35/person, $30 for Friends of HDC, seniors and students. Reservations required. Please call (212) 614-9107 or visit our website.

March 6: “The Next Generation” Conference Panels

This year’s Conference Panels will bring together a distinguished group of preservationists, educators, community activists and non-profit leaders from New York City’s five boroughs to present their views in a series of panel discussions: “New Landmarks: Modern, Vernacular and Cultural Sites” and “New Audiences: Identifying and Partnering with Diverse Populations” and a keynote address delivered by Fran Leadon, architect, professor, and co-author of the forthcoming AIA Guide to New York City, Fifth Edition.

Saturday, March 6, 8:30am-4:30pm, at St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street between Court and Clinton Streets, Brooklyn. Full day admission is $45/person, $35/person for Friends of HDC and seniors. Fee also includes continental breakfast, box lunch, and afternoon snack. Entrance fee will be waved for students with valid university ID (meals are not included). For reservations, please call (212) 614-9107 or visit our website.

March 7: Walking Tours

The final day of HDC’s Preservation Conference features six walking tours of neighborhoods throughout New York City:

The Grand Concourse: Ain’t It Grand!

A Walk Through Norwegian Brooklyn: Lapskaus Boulevard

Chelsea and Lamartine Place: A Cultural History

Modern in Midtown: Landmarks of the Recent Past

Parkchester: A City Within a City

West End Avenue: Way Out West

Space is limited, so reserve early. Meeting times and locations will be provided upon registration.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: Conferences, Historic Districts Council, Historic Preservation, New York City, Urban History

Met Offers Chronology ‘Museum Exhibitions 1870-2010’

February 2, 2010 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Archives has announced the availability of a valuable new source of information on the Museum’s history. “Museum Exhibitions 1870-2010” [pdf] is a chronological list of all special exhibitions held at the Museum from its founding in 1870 to the present. Although the document will be continually updated, for complete accuracy reserachers should verify information against primary source documents in the Museum Archives or publications in the Museum’s Watson Library.

Suggestions, corrections or information regarding any Museum exhibitions do not appear in the chronology should be directed to archives@metmuseum.org@metmuseum.org.>

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museums-Archives-Historic Sites, Online Resources, Public History

Adirondack Museum Offers "Passion in the Park"

February 2, 2010 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake wants visitors to discover the romantic side of the Adirondack Park, by joining them for a special Valentine’s Day program that explores love stories happy, melodramatic, and tragic – all set in the North Country. Museum officials are suggesting you “bring a special loved one and plenty of handkerchiefs” on Sunday, February 14, 2010 as the Adirondack Museum presents “Passion in the Park” a Valentine’s Day edition of the Cabin Fever Sunday series with Curator Hallie E. Bond.

The presentation will be held in the Auditorium, and will begin promptly at 1:30 p.m. Cabin Fever Sunday programs are offered at no charge to museum members. The fee for non-members is $5.00. There is no charge for children of elementary school age or younger. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, please call the Education Department at (518) 352-7311, ext. 128 or visit the museum’s web site at
www.adirondackmuseum.org.

Some of the love stories that Bond will share are part of the established folklore and history of the region. Others have recently come to light through research in the Adirondack Museum’s fine collection of diaries and personal letters.

Bond will discuss how the reputation of the Adirondack Mountains as a romantic spot was established in the mid-nineteenth century and share the ways Valentine’s Day was celebrated before the era of cards from Hallmark. The program will be illustrated with charming images of vintage Valentines and photographs from museum collections.

Hallie Bond has been Curator at the Adirondack Museum since 1987. She has curated a number of popular exhibits including “Common Threads” 150 Years of Adirondack Quilts and Comforters,” “A Paradise for Boys and Girls: Children’s Camps in the Adirondacks,” and “Boats and Boating in the Adirondacks.” She has written extensively about regional history and material culture.

Photo: Valentine greeting, ca. 1910. Collection of the Adirondack Museum.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Adirondack Museum, Adirondacks, Cultural History, Pop Culture History

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