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Boston Athenaeum

The Boston Athenaeum, one of the oldest and most distinguished independent libraries in the United States, was founded in 1807 by members of the Anthology Society, a group of fourteen Boston gentlemen who had joined together in 1805 to edit The Monthly Anthology and Boston Review. Their purpose was to form "an establishment similar to that of the Athenaeum and Lyceum of Liverpool in Great Britain; combining the advantages of a public library [and] containing the great works of learning and science in all languages." The library and Art Gallery, established in 1827, were soon flourishing, and grew rapidly, both by purchase of books and art and by frequent gifts. For nearly half a century the Athenaeum was the unchallenged center of intellectual life in Boston, and by 1851 had become one of the five largest libraries in the United States. Today its collections comprise over half a million volumes, with particular strengths in Boston history, New England state and local history, biography, English and American literature, and the fine and decorative arts. The Athenaeum supports a dynamic art gallery, and sponsors a lively variety of events such as lectures and concerts. It also serves as a stimulating center for discussions among scholars, bibliophiles, and a variety of community interest groups.break

http://www.bostonathenaeum.org

Burying Sir Joshua Reynolds

Tue, Sep 27, 2005

Richard Wendorf discusses his new book on British art in the 18th and 19th centuries, an experiment in cultural history that combines analysis of specific artistic objects with an exploration of the cultural conditions in which they were created. In a lecture titled "After Sir Joshua" presented at the Athenæum eight years ago, Richard Wendorf investigated Sir Joshua Reynolds' legacy among the biographers, painters, and writers who followed him. In "Burying Sir Joshua," Wendorf provides an illustrated analysis of the various cultural factors that made the preparation for Reynolds' funeral in 1792 so difficult. Drawing on rarely seen archival material in the Hyde Collection at the Houghton Library, Wendorf charts the day-by-day events involving not only the recently deceased first president of the Royal Academy, but the artist Benjamin West, the architect Sir William Chambers, and the politician and writer Edmund Burke as well. "Burying Sir Joshua" is the final Athenæum lecture based on Wendorf's new book, *After Sir Joshua: Essays on British Art and Cultural History*.

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North Shore Boston: Country Houses of Essex County

Tue, Oct 4, 2005

Pamela Wilkinson Fox discusses more than 50 great houses in Boston's North Shore, designed by such architects as McKim, Mead & White, the Olmsted Brothers, Peabody & Stearns, and Ogden Codman. Since the mid-19th century, well-to-do Bostonians have fled the sweltering city streets for the cooling breezes, gently rolling hills, and rugged coastline of the fabled North Shore. From prestigious seaside communities such as Nahant, Marblehead, and Prides' Crossing to inland villages such as Wenham, Topsfield, and Ipswich, elegant country mansions arose, growing ever grander and more elaborate as the Age of Elegance progressed. Exclusive enclaves such as the Myopia Hunt Club, Eastern Yacht Club, and the Essex Country Club endowed the North Shore with a summer playground where Boston Brahmins mingled with Midwestern moguls (Henry Clay Frick, Richard Crane, and Edwin Swift), US Presidents (William Howard Taft and Calvin Coolidge), and artists and authors, including Maxfield Parrish, Edward Hopper, and Rudyard Kipling.

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William John Bankes: The Exiled Collector

Thu, Oct 6, 2005

Anne Sebba discusses her new book about William John Bankes, The Exiled Collector. William John Bankes was a former Tory MP, pioneer Egyptologist, renowned traveler, and consummate collector. A prominent figure in early Victorian Britain and friend to both Byron and the Duke of Wellington, Bankes was forced to flee Britain in 1841 and settled in Venice. He lost his possessions and property to the authorities, but unable to let his standing as an outlaw interfere with his affection for his prior estate, Bankes continued to decorate his beloved home and assemble his extraordinary collection. He collected obsessively for the house that he no longer owned, sending art, sculpture by Carlo Marochetti, huge quantities of marble, gilding, leatherwork, and Pietra Dura to the estate, which he visited in secret near the end of his life. Ms. Sebba recants the dramatic events in William Bankes' life, using previously unpublished archives, and examining the psychology of collecting as well as the pain and creativity of exile.

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After the Victorians: The Decline of Britain in the World

Tue, Nov 8, 2005

The distinguished historian A.N. Wilson charts Britain's rise to world dominance. In his much anticipated sequel to the classic *The Victorians*, he describes how, in little more than a generation, Britain's power and influence in the world virtually dissolved. Wilson presents a panoramic view of an era, stretching from the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, to the dawn of the Cold War in the early 1950s. He offers riveting accounts of the savagery of World War I and the world-altering upheaval of the Communist Revolution and explains Britain's role in shaping the destiny of the Middle East, casting a new light on the World War II years. Wilson's perspective is not confined to the trenches of the battlefield and the halls of parliament: he also examines the parallel story of the beginnings of Modernism, looking at novelists, philosophers, poets, and painters to see what they reveal about the activities of the politicians, scientists, and generals. Blending military, political, social, and cultural history, A.N. Wilson offers an absorbing portrait of the decline of one of the world's great powers.

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Alanson B. Houghton: Ambassador of the New Era

Thu, Jan 26, 2006

Jeffrey J. Matthews provides a clear and concise account of Alanson B. Houghton's diplomatic experience during the 1920s, and consequently, a fresh assessment of US foreign policy during a pivotal decade in world history. Matthews explores why the United States failed to establish a stable world order during the New Era and additionally sheds light on the key historiographical themes of isolationism, new-imperialism, and corporations. American industrialist and politician Alanson B. Houghton, was the world's most influential diplomat during the "New Era" of the 1920s. Houghton, who served as ambassador to both Germany (1922 through 1925) and Great Britain (1925 through 1929), offers a unique window into the formation and implementation of American foreign policy. As the leading ambassador in Europe, he played a key role in the major diplomatic achievements of the era, including the Dawes Plan for reparations, the Locarno security treaties, and the Kellogg-Briand peace pact. While Houghton's significant contributions to these international accords are fully explored, the major theme of this book is his emergence as chief critic of US foreign policy within the Harding and Coolidge administrations.

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Familiar Faces: Gilbert Stuart's George and Martha Washington

Tue, Mar 21, 2006

Ellen Miles discusses Gilbert Stuart's creation in 1796 of his very familiar life portrait of George Washington, together with its companion portrait of Martha Washington, often known as the "Athenaeum portraits" because they were owned by the Boston Athenaeum for more than 150 years. Miles describes the relationship between the Washingtons and the artist, the reason for the incomplete composition of the two portraits, and the immediate and lasting success of the portrait of the President, in contrast to the relative obscurity of the portrait of Martha Washington.

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Elizabeth Kolbert: Field Notes from a Catastrophe

Thu, Apr 6, 2006

New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert discusses topics from her new book, Field Notes from a Catastrophe. Americans have been warned since the late 1970s that the buildup of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere threatens to melt the polar ice sheets and irreversibly change our climate. With little done since then to alter this dangerous path, the world has reached a critical threshold. By the end of the twenty-first century, it will likely be hotter than at any point in the last two million years, and the sweeping consequences of this change will determine the course of life on earth for generations to come. Acclaimed journalist Elizabeth Kolbert approaches this monumental problem from every angle. She travels to the Arctic, interviews researchers and environmentalists, explains the science and the studies, draws frightening parallels to lost ancient civilizations, unpacks the politics, and presents the personal tales of those who are being affected most: the people who make their homes near the poles and, in an eerie foreshadowing, are watching their worlds disappear. Growing out of a groundbreaking three-part series for the New Yorker, Field Notes from a Catastrophe brings the environment into the consciousness of the American people and asks what, if anything, can be done to save our planet.

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Mount Auburn Cemetery's 175th Anniversary: William Clendaniel Opens the Ceremony

Tue, Apr 11, 2006

William Clendaniel, president of Mount Auburn Cemetary, lectures on the history of Mount Auburn in celebration if its 175th anniversary. Clendaniel shares this remarkable institution's history, its ties to the Boston Athenaeum, what it is today, and how it continues to evolve and remain a relevant and important part of Boston's cultural fabric. One of Boston's oldest nonprofit institutions, Mount Auburn Cemetery is a National Historic Landmark and a beloved historic landscape that continues as an active cemetery today. Mount Auburn is also an important cultural resource for the community with a nationally known collection of plants and important collections of architecture, sculpture, paintings, paper and photographic archives, and decorative arts from three centuries.

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Boston in 2030

Thu, Apr 20, 2006

Marc D. Draisen of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council asks what metro Boston will look like in 2030 if we continue to grow at our current rate. The MAPC's MetroFuture project, an initiative to develop a plan for metro Boston's growth and development through 2030, has involved more than 2,000 people, including municipal officials, residents, workers, community groups, and legislators. The MetroFuture team has integrated findings about the region into "Scenario 1: Current Trends Extended to 2030," which presents a likely picture of the region if current conditions persist. This has served as a starting point for discussions across metro Boston about such details as: where and how our population will live and work; how prepared they will be for the jobs of the future; the growing stress on our water resources; impacts on municipal budgets; and the dramatic increase in the elderly population in the region.

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Fragments of Grace: My Search for Meaning in South Asia

Fri, Jun 18, 2004

Pamela Constable reads from and discusses her book, Fragments of Grace. For four and a half years, Constable, a veteran foreign correspondent and award-winning author, traveled through South Asia on assignment for the Washington Post. Following religious conflicts, political crises, and natural disasters, she also searched for signs of humanity and dignity in societies rife with violence, poverty, prejudice, and greed. Between extended sojourns in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, Constable returned to the West to reflect on the risks and rewards of her profession, revisit her roots, and compare her experiences with Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity. Her book, Fragments of Grace, is a uniquely personal exploration of the rich but solitary life of a foreign correspondent, set against a regional backdrop of extraordinary political and religious tumult. **Pamela Constable** has been covering South Asia for the Washington Postsince April 1999, spending four years as the region's bureau chief. She is the author with Arturo Valenzuela of A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet. She has been awarded an Alicia Patterson Fellowship and the Maria Moors Cabot Prize, and was a Pew International Journalism Program's journalist-in-residence.

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