We’ve assembled a stand-out crowd of lecturers for this summer and fall! Textile experts Diane Fagan Affleck, formerly of the American Textile History Museum, Lynne Bassett, author of Northern Comfort: New England’s Early Quilts 1780-1850 and co-author of Homefront & Battlefield: Quilts & Context in the Civil War, Jennifer Swope, Assistant Curator at the MFA’s David and…
We’re Re-Opening!
The Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center and the John Paul Jones Historic House Museum will be open limited days and hours beginning on July 10, 2020 Friday through Monday11:00 am–4:00 pm The Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center will be open to greet visitors and provide access to our new, universally accessible public restrooms! Historical Walking Tours to…
THREADS: A Community Quilt for 2020
Quilt Square Instructions: PDF Document Download Make your own square to show what you love about your community and mail it to the Portsmouth Historical Society by June 15th! DEADLINE EXTENDED! Please get your squares in the mail by JULY 13! Download the guidelines PDF for full details! While nothing like the current pandemic has…
#PHSFamilyArtChallenge
Challenge No. 2: John Paul Jones Coat of Arms This coat of arms was copied by Virginial Lowell from an image on file at the Masonic Library in Boston. A coat of arms was meant to tell the history and achievements of a family with images and symbols. John Paul Jones’ arms, therefore, have a…
Our 2020 Schedule & COVID-19 Response
Despite challenging times, Portsmouth Historical Society has exciting plans for this summer! Although we have rescheduled “Twilight of American Impressionism,” and “Don Gorvett: Working Waterfronts” for the 2021 summer season, please check back soon for details about some alternative virtual programs and a major community-wide project that will help see us through the unusual days…
PHS Family Art Challenge
Stuck inside? So are we! So we’re starting a Family Art Challenge at the Portsmouth Historical Society. We’ll be posting some pictures, some coloring pages, and suggestions for creating artwork. We encourage all ages to participate, just post in a comment or use the #PHSFamilyArtChallenge tag. Challenge #1: Milliner’s Box This box is probably from…
Seacoast Arts Organizations’ Call to Action
In times of crisis we come together. Current safety measures now prevent us from doing so in person. This new reality is leaning in on us; its shadow leaving area arts and cultural organizations, and many others around the world, dark. In the spirit of collaboration, we, the Portsmouth area arts nonprofits, make this united…
“Don Gorvett: Working Waterfronts”
RESCHEDULED: Spring/Summer 2021Balcony Gallery at the Portsmouth Historical Society A Massachusetts native, Don was born in Boston in 1949 and spent his youth in Cambridge and Somerville, Massachusetts. He loved the seashore where he swam and fished, and learned about New England’s seafaring industry. When his family moved to Burlington, Massachusetts, Gorvett’s high school art instructor…