Exhibits & Events
For reservations and information, please call 212.777.1089
or email nyc1832@merchantshouse.org.
Unless otherwise noted, all events require reservations and prepayment (48-hour cancellation policy).
Thursday, July 10, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Garden Amusements: Fans, Flowers, and 19th-century Flirting
We’ll gather in the Garden (resplendent with mid-summer foliage) to learn about 19th-century fans and flowers, and their secret languages of romance. Wine and light hors d’oeuvres will be served. $25, $20 students & seniors, $15 members.
Thursday, July 24, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Garden Amusements: 19th-Century Fortune Telling
We’ll gather in the Garden (resplendent with mid-summer foliage) to learn about the ancient art of divination and its 19th-century revival from astrologer Roberta Alessandra. Wine and light hors d’oeuvres will be served. $25, $20 students & seniors, $15 members.
"At Home" Events
Saturdays & Sundays
Speaking of the Past . . .
What was life really like in mid-19th century New York City? Visit the Merchant’s House Museum and find out. Our knowledgeable docents will be on hand to answer your questions and offer engaging conversations about the past. Free with Museum admission.
Fridays
Celestial Consultations with Madame Alessandra, 1 to 3 p.m.
Mediums, Spiritualists, and Fortune Tellers were frequent guests in the more liberal parlors of 19th-century New York City. They offered amusement and advice to fashionable ladies and gentlemen. Let Madame Alessandra, the renowned practitioner of the ancient science of Astrology, tell what the stars portend for you.
15 minute reading $25 (includes admission to the Museum), appointments suggested but not required.
Please come prepared with the exact date and time (to the minute if possible) of your birth.
A number of the founders of the mid-19th century Spiritualist movement lived in New York -- including Andrew Jackson Davis and the notorious Victoria Woodhull. Spiritualist teachings challenged the religious establishment, and laid the groundwork for turn-of-the century mysticism and other New Age movements. “Brethren: Fear not, for Error is mortal and can not live, and Truth is immortal and cannot die!” – The Principles of Nature, by Andrew Jackson Davis, 1847.
Exhibits
Permanent Exhibit
What Life was Really Like at Home
in mid-19th Century New
York City
The Merchant’s House Museum is the city's only family home preserved intact -- both inside and out -- from the 19th century. The permanent exhibition features seven period rooms filled with the original furnishings and personal possessions of the Tredwells, the wealthy merchant family that lived in the house for almost 100 years. It feels as though they just stepped into another room when they hear you coming.
As a recent visitor wrote: "I've never experienced such a closeness with a
bygone era. I was enthralled."
Ongoing
Called by the Bell –
What Life Was Really Like for a Mid-19th Century Servant
Many of the Irish girls who immigrated to New York City in the early to mid-19th century found work as domestic servants in fashionable homes like the Merchant’s House on East Fourth Street. These women worked from dawn to dusk, performing the most laborious tasks of daily life – often for very little pay. Because they left few written records, their story is often forgotten. One thing we know for certain: the comfortable lifestyle enjoyed by wealthy New Yorkers would have been impossible without them. This display features pictures of our fourth floor servants’ quarters – closed to the public – and offers insight into what life was really like for a mid-19th century domestic servant.
Ongoing
Highlights from the Collection
The Merchant’s House Museum’s collections are extensive, comprising the possessions of a wealthy merchant family — the Tredwells — accumulated over the course of almost 100 years. These objects provide a remarkably complete, tangible record of daily life at home in mid-19th-century New York City. The story they tell is what life was really like.
Recent Events
Fridays, June 6, 13, 20, 8 p.m. &
Sundays, June 8, 15, 22, 2 p.m.
Metropolitan Playhouse Presents:
"Tracking Gertrude's Ghost" (and 4 other short plays)
A ghost hunter stalks his quarry in The Merchant's House Museum, in spite of a mysterious curator's skepticism— or maybe her ectoplasm.
Part of East Village Chronicles, Vol. 5. Performances take place at 220 East Fourth Street. Visit www.metropolitanplayhouse.org for details or to purchase tickets.
Thursday, June 19, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
It Happened One Night
Benefit party on the rooftop of the Historic Arsenal in Central Park. Come celebrate the high life, and the nightlife, of the glamorous 1930s. Dancing, Big Band Records (spun by Danny Stiles), Grey Goose Martini Bar, Silent Auction, and more! Click here to see a panoramic view of the party.
Sunday, June 15, Seatings at 1 & 3 p.m.
Father’s Day Tea to Benefit the Garden
Bring dear “old” dad for an old-fashioned afternoon tea in the Merchant’s House Museum’s exquisite 19th-century style garden. Delicacies include dainty sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, and tempting sweets. Followed by a tour of the Museum. $40 per person, $30 members.
Saturday, June 7, 1 to 6 p.m.
Old Fashioned Fancy Fair:
Charity Bazaar for the Merchant’s House Museum
In addition to great bargains, shoppers will enjoy a carnival atmosphere as the Merchant’s House Museum hosts a 19th-century style charity bazaar. Vintage fashion, books, music, DVDs, furnishings, art, and much more will be on sale. Free admission. Donations of gently used items gratefully accepted (tax-deductible). Call 212-777-1089.
Sunday, May 11, Seatings at 1 & 3 p.m. - SOLD OUT!
Mother’s Day Tea to Benefit the Garden
Bring your favorite mother for an elegant afternoon tea in the Merchant’s House Museum’s exquisite 19th-century style garden. Delicacies include dainty sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, and tempting sweets. Followed by a tour of the Museum. $40 per person, $30 members.
Sunday, May 4, 9 a.m. to Noon
Annual Garden Plant Sale
Co-sponsored by the North American Rock Garden Society, NY Chapter. Plant divisions and seedlings from our historic Garden; astilbes, epimediums, aquilegias, hostas, sedums and sempervivum, ferns, ivies, herbs, and an assortment of shade perennials. Proceeds to benefit the Garden Fund. Free admission.Saturday,
Sunday, April 20, noon to 5 p.m.
Irish Servants’ Quarters Tours
Part of NYC’s Immigrant Heritage Week
Come climb the narrow staircase to see the fourth floor servants’ quarters (normally off limits to visitors), where the young Irish women who served the family lived and did some of their work. You’ll also hear about the daily chores and general hardship of a life ‘in service’. Free with regular admission.
| www.flickr.com |
Click the image above to see pictures from Christine Scott's 19th-Century fashion lecture on flickr.com.
April 19, 1 & 3 p.m. Seatings
Afternoon Tea & Tour – 19th-Century Strip Tea-se
Ever wonder what those mid-19th century ladies wore under their hoop skirts? Here’s your chance to find out, as costume historian Christine Scott performs an educational strip tease a la 1855. Plus you’ll enjoy a delectable afternoon tea (sandwiches, scones, and sweets) served in the Merchant’s House. $40 per person, $30 members.
Monday, March 17, 7 p.m.
Reading – Yeats in New York: Simon Loekle Presents 19th-Century Irish Poets
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, renowned Joyce scholar, cartoonist for the James Joyce Quarterly, and WBAI radio personality Simon Loekle will read selections from 19th-century Irish poets and ponder the fabled New York sojourn of W.B. Yeats. $20, $10 students & members.
Saturday, March 15, 1 & 3 p.m. Seatings
Afternoon Tea & Servants’ Quarters Tour: Wearin’ O’ The Green Tea
In the mid-19th century, the majority of New York City’s domestic servants were Irish. Enjoy a tasty afternoon tea served by saucy Irish maids, then climb the stairs to the fourth floor servants’ quarters (usually off limits to visitors) and see the drafty garret rooms where the servant girls slept and worked. $40 per person, $30 members.
Wednesday, February 13, 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Film Screening – The Heiress (1949)
Based on Washington Square, Henry’s James’s classic novel of mid-19th century New York City, this haunting film tells the story of young love, and a father who didn’t approve. Our screening will take place in the Museum’s Greek Revival double parlors, whose amazing similarity to the film’s set is no accident – the filmmakers conducted extensive research at the Merchant’s House in the 1940s. Introduction to the film by noted videographer Anthony Bellov. $25, $15 members.
Saturday, January 19, 1 & 3 p.m. Seatings
Afternoon Tea & Tour – Tea Leaves & Star Charts: 19th-Century Fortune Telling
Mediums and fortune tellers were frequent guests in the fashionable parlors of 19th-century New York City. You’ll learn about the history of the ancient arts of divination from astrologer Roberta Alessandra, enjoy a delectable afternoon tea, and discover what the New Year has in store for you. $40 per person, $30 members. (10-minute personalized psychic readings available following tour, $10.)
Saturday, February 9, 1 & 3 p.m. Seatings
Afternoon Tea & Tour – Flowers & Fans: Old Fashioned Languages of Love
Enjoy a delectable afternoon tea, then learn to express emotions through flowers and flirt with a wave of your fan. $40 per person, $30 members.
Thursday, November 29 through Monday, January 7, 2008
Deck the Halls: A Mid-19th Century Holiday Celebration
In honor of the season, fragrant festoons of greenery and a traditional tabletop tree will grace the Museum’s Greek-Revival double parlors. Festive and fancy dresses from the collection of Tredwell fashion will also be on display.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
New Year’s Day Open House (Postponed!)
We're taking a year off, but rest assured that the Merchant's House Museum's annual New Year's Day Open House will return in 2009.
Thursday, December 13, 6 to 8 p.m.
Annual 19th-Century Holiday Party
Enjoy holiday decorations, savor festive delicacies, drink from the ‘Bowl of Bishop’, and join in the caroling led by the Museum’s own Bond Street Euterpean Singing Society. A silent auction and holiday gift bazaar will complete the festivities. $50, FREE for members. Click here to see a .pdf of the invitation.
Wednesday, December 19, 7 p.m.
“To All, Wassail”: A Concert of 19th-Century Holiday Songs & Stories
The Bond Street Euterpean Singing Society will present a concert of vocal quartets, solos, holiday readings and sing-alongs. A wassail reception to meet the artists will follow. $20, $10 Seniors & Children, FREE for Members.
Saturday, November 24, Seating at 1:30 or 3 p.m.
Thanks Be For Tea: Themed Tour & Afternoon Tea
Celebrate your post-Thanksgiving recovery by tracing the history of this harvest holiday and indulging in a traditional afternoon tea. Homemade Scottish scones, dainty sandwiches, decadent sweets, and pots of freshly brewed tea.
$35 per person. Pre-payment and reservations required; 48-hour cancellation policy.
Saturday & Sunday, November 10 & 11, noon to 5 p.m.
Called by the Bell:
A Rare Opportunity to View the Servants’ Quarters
Come climb the narrow staircase to see the fourth floor servants’ quarters (normally off limits to visitors), where the young Irish women who served the family lived and did some of their work. You’ll also hear about the daily chores and general hardship of a life ‘in service’. Special guided tour included with Museum Admission.
Sunday, October 28
Mid-19th Century Funeral & Cemetery Tour
In October 2007, the Merchant's House Museum staff, along with almost 60 guest "mourners," recreated the 1865 funeral of Seabury Tredwell. The ceremony began in the double parlors. Then a solemn procession bore the coffin (graciously loaned by Obscura Antiques) to the New York City Marble Cemetery for a final prayer. If you missed this "ground breaking" event, or if you just want to relive every mournful moment, use the links below to browse through photographs taken during the funeral, procession, and cemetery tour.
| www.flickr.com |