Art and artifacts that tell the stories of New England
The Importance of Being Furnished: Four Bachelors at Home
Historic New England’s newest exhibition explores the evolution of American interior design by focusing on four historic homes and their creators. It examines how these individuals used their residences to reflect their identities and create a sense of belonging, highlighting the pioneering role of the “bachelor decorator” in early twentieth-century historic preservation, collecting, and interior design.
Historic New England appreciates the generous support of the following donors in presenting this exhibition:
Candy Adriance
Artpack Services
Francois L. Bardonnet and Dr. Steven L. St. Peter
Nancy J. and John D. Barnard
Hiram Butler and Andrew Spindler-Roesle
Jon-Paul Couture
Alice and Thom Gould
James and Susan Hunnewell
Jonathan B. Loring
Kristin and Roger Servison
Many thanks to the additional donors who supported the exhibition.
Patron members also made this exhibition possible through their generous support of the Historic New England Fund.
The exhibition’s guest curator is R. Tripp Evans, Professor of Art History at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. Evans brings his expertise in American material culture and historic preservation to enrich this exploration.
The Importance of Being Furnished: Four Bachelors at Home
Now through October 27, 2024
Eustis Estate, Milton, Massachusetts
PLAN YOUR VISIT
When the Eustis Estate was completed in 1878, the family hired men and women from around the world to manage the household and landscape. The staff were largely able to manage their own lives, making choices that defined them personally and influenced their families for generations to come.
Music and Motion: The Chesnut Family Legacy focuses on the Chesnut family, who lived and worked at the Eustis Estate for two generations near the turn of the twentieth century. The Chesnut family story extends beyond the Eustis Estate, demonstrating a passion for music and a drive to succeed that shapes the family into the present day. The exhibition was on display through March 31, 2024.
There is a new tour that explores more stories about the people who worked at the Eustis Estate. Walk in the footsteps of the people who worked on the estate and view the mansion and era through their perspectives. Tours are at 2:00 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Get your tickets today.
Historic New England celebrates local, immigrant-owned markets with the exhibitMore than a Market: Food, Community, and Family in the Markets of Burlington and Winooski, Vermont, at the Old North End Community Center in Burlington.
“For people newly arrived in this country, local markets provide more than familiar food. They are places of connection and social support, and they offer owners and their families a path to economic independence. This was true in the past and continues today,” says Charlotte Barrett, former Community Preservation Manager for Historic New England. “The stories of markets established by immigrants and refugees embody timeless values of hard work, resourcefulness, resilience, and commitment to family and community.” Explore more on the web app MorethanaMarket.org has archival photos, audio clips, and stories about early markets.
More than a Market was on display at the Old North End Community Center in Burlington, Vermont, through May 2023.
This Historic New England exhibition explored an art form that was once banned in Boston, but today is seen as a creative mode of self-expression.
Loud, Naked, & in Three Colors: the History of Tattooing in Boston explores this phenomenon through a stunning selection of flash art, photography, and advertisements that paint a rich picture of this unique period in the history of tattooing. The exhibition traces the popularization of tattooing in Boston through the stories and memorabilia of the city’s leading tattoo pioneers.
The exhibition featured the work of Frank Howard and the Liberty family who dominated Boston’s tattoo scene from their shops in Scollay Square. Their stories reveal the complex and nonconformist tattoo culture and the people, businesses, and communities surrounding the tattoo trade.
Loud, Naked & in Three Colors: the History of Tattooing in Boston was on view at the Eustis Estate in Milton, Mass., through October 30, 2022.
The exhibition was a collaboration between Historic New England and Maine College of Art & Design.
The artists explored themes of queer ecology, from questioning the human versus nature paradigm to celebrating the beauty of transgenderism, with works in painting, mixed media, sculpture, and video.
Watch This Space featured the work of six Maine College of Art & Design alumni, including Kyle Hardy, Lindsay Mercer, olivier, Mai Snow, Benjamin Spalding, and Shel Stefan.
The exhibition was on view at Sarah Orne Jewett House Museum and Visitor Center through October 2022.
More than forty works of art from the Historic New England collection were on display during Artful Stories: Painting From Historic New England. The exhibition provided a fresh look at the regional stories told through art – stories about the people who sat for portraits, the artists, the owners, and the places. If you missed the exhibition while it was on display at the Eustis Estate, you can still see these exquisite works of art by by visiting online.
In 2021, Historic New England and New England Sculptors Association (NESA) partnered on an outdoor sculpture exhibition, Looking Back with 2020 Vision. It featured more than twenty-five sculptures by New England artists that reflected issues that were at the forefront in 2020.
| Everyone's History | Collection Highlights |
|---|---|
| African American Tourist Destinations | Blue Printed Pottery |
| North Shore Fried Clams | Lost Gardens of N.E. |
| Plum Island Aviation | Newbury Furniture |
| Verner Reed Photographs |
Sign up to our newsletter for our latest news and events
