events
Read-the-Room Book Club:
Winter 2020 Meeting
The Bostonians by Henry James (1886)
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
6:00-7:30 p.m.
$12 per meeting; free for Nichols House Museum and Gibson House Museum members (details below)
Hosted virtually by Meghan Gelardi Holmes, Curator, Gibson House Museum
The Bostonians book summary from Penguin Random House: This brilliant satire of the women’s rights movement in America is the story of the ravishing inspirational speaker Verena Tarrant and the bitter struggle between two distant cousins who seek to control her. Will the privileged Boston feminist Olive Chancellor succeed in turning her beloved ward into a celebrated activist and lifetime companion? Or will Basil Ransom, a conservative southern lawyer, steal Verena’s heart and remove her from the limelight? The Bostonians is one of James's most provocative and astute portrayals of a world caught between old values and the lure of progress.
Discussion will focus on the changing social world of Boston’s elites at the end of the nineteenth century. We will also consider early feminism and the “Boston marriage.” And, of course, we will talk about material culture, both in the book and at the Gibson House.
The Gibson House was featured in the 1984 film version of the book, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Christopher Reeve, which the New York Times called “a rare delight, a high comedy with tragic undertones.” (And we won’t tell if you just watch the movie and come to book club anyway!)
We’re thrilled to offer a very special joint membership in conjunction with the book club: join both museums for $60 (a savings of $35) and receive free access to the book club as well as member benefits at both museums! Register and sign up for membership here.
Purchase The Bostonians through your local bookstore or online through the local-bookstore network, Bookshop. An ebook version is free through Project Gutenberg.
Winter 2020 Meeting
The Bostonians by Henry James (1886)
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
6:00-7:30 p.m.
$12 per meeting; free for Nichols House Museum and Gibson House Museum members (details below)
Hosted virtually by Meghan Gelardi Holmes, Curator, Gibson House Museum
The Bostonians book summary from Penguin Random House: This brilliant satire of the women’s rights movement in America is the story of the ravishing inspirational speaker Verena Tarrant and the bitter struggle between two distant cousins who seek to control her. Will the privileged Boston feminist Olive Chancellor succeed in turning her beloved ward into a celebrated activist and lifetime companion? Or will Basil Ransom, a conservative southern lawyer, steal Verena’s heart and remove her from the limelight? The Bostonians is one of James's most provocative and astute portrayals of a world caught between old values and the lure of progress.
Discussion will focus on the changing social world of Boston’s elites at the end of the nineteenth century. We will also consider early feminism and the “Boston marriage.” And, of course, we will talk about material culture, both in the book and at the Gibson House.
The Gibson House was featured in the 1984 film version of the book, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Christopher Reeve, which the New York Times called “a rare delight, a high comedy with tragic undertones.” (And we won’t tell if you just watch the movie and come to book club anyway!)
We’re thrilled to offer a very special joint membership in conjunction with the book club: join both museums for $60 (a savings of $35) and receive free access to the book club as well as member benefits at both museums! Register and sign up for membership here.
Purchase The Bostonians through your local bookstore or online through the local-bookstore network, Bookshop. An ebook version is free through Project Gutenberg.
Etiquetteer's Ninth Annual Repeal Day Celebration for the Gibson House Museum!
Friday, December 4, 2020
6:00-7:00 p.m. EST
Tickets: $60
Reservations required. This program will be conducted through Zoom.
Join Etiquetteer Robert B. Dimmick for the Ninth Annual Celebration of the Repeal of Prohibition to benefit the Gibson House Museum. The coronavirus is not keeping us from celebrating! This year’s virtual Repeal Day will include some special aspects:
RSVP by November 25 so that we can mail your book in time!
This event will take place via Zoom. Please be sure to download and acquaint yourself with the platform prior to the program. Access information will be sent to those who register. Registration is required and will close 15 minutes prior to the event.
Friday, December 4, 2020
6:00-7:00 p.m. EST
Tickets: $60
Reservations required. This program will be conducted through Zoom.
Join Etiquetteer Robert B. Dimmick for the Ninth Annual Celebration of the Repeal of Prohibition to benefit the Gibson House Museum. The coronavirus is not keeping us from celebrating! This year’s virtual Repeal Day will include some special aspects:
- Our beloved Miss Kitty, Kirsten Amann, will be back with us behind the bar, this time conducting a cocktail tutorial for all of us.
- Etiquetteer will be hosting Repeal Day live from a room in the Gibson House you may not have seen yet: the third-floor bathroom, where our founder was known to concoct some good bathtub gin during Prohibition.
- And our special guests Andrew Klausner and Jeremy Cooper, sharing with us interesting aspects of their new book, Cocktail Hour Meets . . . a Presidential Election! Your ticket price includes a complimentary copy of this exciting new book of tasty cocktail recipes based on all the American presidents. Andy and Jeremy used the pandemic quarantine to experiment with new drinks recipes. This resulted first in their book, Cocktail Hour Meets ... a Pandemic, and now with their second volume!
- As usual, there will be door prizes and some Prohibition trivia!
RSVP by November 25 so that we can mail your book in time!
This event will take place via Zoom. Please be sure to download and acquaint yourself with the platform prior to the program. Access information will be sent to those who register. Registration is required and will close 15 minutes prior to the event.
Victorian Holiday Customs
with Etiquetteer Robert B. Dimmick
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
6:00-7:00 p.m. EST
Tickets: $10
Reservations required. This program will be presented through Zoom.
No one celebrated Christmas quite like the Victorians. The festivities began with Thanksgiving and extended through New Year's Day (and sometimes Twelfth Night). We continue to embrace many customs the Victorians popularized--like the Christmas tree--although others, like the once-traditional gift of an orange, have fallen by the wayside.
Etiquetteer Robert B. Dimmick delves into the food, gifts, entertaining, and superstitions involved in Victorian celebrations.
This event will take place via Zoom. Please be sure to download and acquaint yourself with the platform prior to the program. Access information will be sent to those who register. Registration is required and will close 15 minutes prior to the event.
with Etiquetteer Robert B. Dimmick
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
6:00-7:00 p.m. EST
Tickets: $10
Reservations required. This program will be presented through Zoom.
No one celebrated Christmas quite like the Victorians. The festivities began with Thanksgiving and extended through New Year's Day (and sometimes Twelfth Night). We continue to embrace many customs the Victorians popularized--like the Christmas tree--although others, like the once-traditional gift of an orange, have fallen by the wayside.
Etiquetteer Robert B. Dimmick delves into the food, gifts, entertaining, and superstitions involved in Victorian celebrations.
This event will take place via Zoom. Please be sure to download and acquaint yourself with the platform prior to the program. Access information will be sent to those who register. Registration is required and will close 15 minutes prior to the event.
More events coming soon.