We are currently open Friday–Monday, 10am–4pm. Stop by and visit our safe, comfortable, and spacious gallery and museum shop, and enjoy the “Threads” exhibition and the Community Quilts!
Color & Comfort: Quilts in Context
If you can’t make it in to see the quilts in person, join us for a talk by our own curator of collections, Gerald W. R. Ward, about quilts, their place in our lives, and their meaning.
Quilts and coverlets, in addition to being examples of outstanding needlework and beautiful works of art, have symbolic value and functional purposes. They hold many meanings for people and have played a central functional role in the domestic interior for centuries. In his talk, Ward will examine some of the symbolic meanings of quilts, and also look at them in the context of the bed chamber, examining them as one element in a constellation of related objects and examining changing patterns and rhythms of life over–and under–the covers.
Thursday, September 24 at 7pm via Zoom FREE for Member/Donors $15 for Non-Members
Congratulations to the Winner of ourJohn Paul Jones Jubilee Wine Raffle!
The winner of our fantastic wine raffle was…..(drum roll please)…….none other than the amazingly lucky and totally awesome Sharon Parker!
Thank you to everyone who purchased a wine raffle ticket and entered our contest! The raffle raised more than $1,500 in support of our programs and exhibitions. Thanks as well to the members of the Portsmouth Historical Society Board of Trustees who provided the wine for the raffle. Santé!
John Paul Jones Jubilee Auction Showcases Gorgeous and Unique Seacoast Art
Our John Paul Jones Jubilee Benefit Auction, running until 6pm on October 7, 2020, features wonderful works of two- and three-dimensional art, including oil and watercolor paintings, weaving, jewelry, photography, drawing and sculpture, by artists all over the greater Seacoast. The proceeds from each winning bid will benefit equally both Portsmouth Historical Society and the artist—and YOU! This art could be in your home! Or perhaps consider a gift for a wedding, birthday or anniversary. Not here on the Seacoast? No problem! Art can be shipped. Bid now! Bid high! And Bid often!
Walking Tours End October 31, So Don’t Delay and Register While You Can!
Our Walking Tours end October 31! Book now to be sure you get a spot. Tours are smaller this year, and all guidelines for the health and safety of our visitors are followed. This is a fantastic way to get out of the house and learn something about Portsmouth!
Private tours can also be scheduled, just call or email Robin Lurie-Meyerkopf, our walking tour manager! For more info on what tours are available and to book tickets, click below!
Above: The center medallion of the “Washington” coverlet, on display in the “Threads” exhibition. Probably made in Bolton, England, ca. 1780; cotton. Portsmouth Historical Society; Gift of Mrs. John F. Tyler (2005.033).
“Coverlets & Counterpanes of New Hampshire: Bedcovers for a New Nation”
Tonight’s talk will focus on that other kind of bedcover popular in New England in the early 19th century, the coverlet. Learn about the luxury furnishings displayed to impress visiting VIPs like George Washington and the marquis de Lafayette, and the artisanal industry of their creation, here in New Hampshire.
Left: Tonight’s speaker, Jennifer Swope, assistant curator of Textile and Fashion Arts at the MFA, Boston.
The local artists participating in our online auction have submitted some phenomenal works to the cause! Proceeds from each item auctioned will be split equally between Portsmouth Historical Society and the artist, thus supporting arts in the Seacoast two ways!
Jubilee ticket holders will have exclusive access to our online party, receive a gourmet goodie-bag of snacks for the show, get a sneak preview of the art to be auctioned, and see the “Threads” community quilt unveiled!
Thanks to the hard work and dedication of shop manager Beth Gross-Santos, we now have an online retail establishment with a select number of items available for purchase.
Members can still receive their 10% discount! Keep an eye out for a special email with your discount code!
Anything Planned for the Weekend?
You’ll be surprised what you don’t know about Portsmouth! Our five-star rated walking tours are a great way to get outdoors! Check them out here!
Annual Fundraiser will Support Local Artists & Portsmouth Historical Society
Our benefit auction through Bidding For Good, featuring more than 50 works of art by local artists, opens to bidding on the evening of September 10th and runs through October 7th. Your winning bid will be split equally between the Portsmouth Historical Society and each artist! Our exclusive, online Jubilee program will have a VIP preview of the auction, the unveiling of the “Threads” Community Quilt, music, and more! Plus, everyone who purchases a ticket gets a take-out goodie-bag with delicious treats from Wood Stove Kitchen, Port City Pretzels, and Naughty Good Bites! A huge thanks to our event sponsors Ashton & Company, P.A., Lynne Joyce/Tate & Foss Sotheby’s International Realty, Westerly Portsmouth,Southport Printing, and Seacoast Flash!
Coverlet (George Washington coverlet), detail. Probably Bolton, England, ca. 1780; cotton. Portsmouth Historical Society; Gift of Mrs. John F. Tyler (2005.033).
Zoom with us Thursday, August 27 at 7:30pm for a special lecture with Jennifer Swope, Assistant Curator of Textile and Fashion Arts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. In her talk, “Coverlets & Counterpanes of New Hampshire: Bedcovers for a New Nation,” Swope will discuss some of the oldest objects on display in the “Threads” exhibition, and their brushes with colonial fame.
Assembly of the community quilt is underway! We have a small committee of volunteers putting together all the squares we received. We plan to reveal our progress at our John Paul Jones Jubilee event (online!) on September 10th! More details and links for tickets to this event farther down.
We’ve been busy preparing the quilt exhibition, but now that the exhibition is open to the public, we will get back to posting submitted quilt squares through our social media accounts!
“Coverlets & Counterpanes of New Hampshire: Bedcovers for a New Nation”
Our next “Threads” Zoom lecture features MFA assistant curator Jennifer Swope, who will take a closer look at two objects in the Portsmouth Historical Society’s collection that are currently on display in “Threads,” and that may have had close encounters with early American celebrities—George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette! Ms. Swope will talk about separating truth from fiction, a challenge often encountered with objects supposedly used by famous historical figures.
Thursday, August 27 at 7:30 pm FREE for members $15 for non-members
(*Lecture zoom link will be provided by email after registration.)
7th Annual John Paul Jones (Online!) Jubilee & Auction
Virtual Gala • Online Auction • Wine Raffle
Arts, history, and culture define Portsmouth, and we realize that the artist community, so integral to the city’s unique character, has been hard hit by the pandemic. Portsmouth Historical Society has also seen financial challenges due to the stay-at-home order and social distancing requirements.
To that end, we have decided to use our annual fundraiser, which provides a significant portion of the Society’s income, as an opportunity to “pay it forward” in support of artists. Our online auction will feature original works of art, with 50% of the net proceeds from the sale of each item going to the artist.
Additionally, our Fund-A-Need campaign will be dedicated to raising funds to commission artwork which will be displayed at the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center, thereby supporting a local artist and beautifying a city landmark.
This month-long online auction kicks off with an exclusive online virtual gala event on
September 10, 2020 at 7:00 pm
So join us for great art, delicious ‘Goodie Bag’ treats courtesy of Port City Pretzels, Wood Stove Kitchen (Sangria mix, baby!), and Naughty Good Bites. And don’t forget to purchase a raffle ticket or ten for then amazing wine raffle.
Reminder! Inside the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center is the entrance to another FABULOUS gallery space.
The Seacoast African American Cultural Center is hosting a wonderful exhibition of photographs by Pete Souza, chief photographer at the White House during the Obama administration.
“Obama: An Intimate Portrait” exhibition tickets are available through SAACC’s website, www.saacc-nh.org.
“Threads: A Community Quilt for 2020” Opens at Portsmouth Historical Society on Friday, August 7
Quietly, behind the scenes, a team of masked historians has been assembling a landmark exhibition of some uniquely American art. Created by the nonprofit Portsmouth Historical Society, “Threads: A Community Quilt for 2020” opens at the Society’s Academy Gallery adjacent to the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center on Friday, August 7.
“When it became clear back in March and April that COVID-19 would threaten loans to our main art exhibition this year,” says PHS executive director Brian LeMay, “we took a closer look at our own museum collections, and we tried to think about what would be most meaningful to exhibit at this challenging moment in history. Over the years, we’ve acquired many historical quilts, and quilts have come to be recognized as both an important medium of fine art and a distinctively American art form. Quilts are colorful, they tell incredible stories, and they are comforting.”
“We have three stunning silk quilts in excellent condition that appear to have been made by the same woman, Anne Peirce Drown Hamm,” says exhibitions manager Meredith Affleck. “We have what is called a ‘bolt-ends’ quilt top that reveals surprising facts about the British textile industry. And, of course, there’s the worn quilt that once belonged to Ruth Blay, who was hanged in Portsmouth after a notorious trial in 1768.”
“Frequently, if not universally, quilts were made by women,” says “Threads” curator Gerald W. R. Ward. “Regardless of how they descended down the years, quilts can represent what sociologists call ‘icons of continuity’ between generations.”
Intriguing examples of 19th- and 20th-century quilts from “Threads” can be seen on the PHS website. They include brilliant colors, dizzying designs, and complex patterns. From simple, practical quilts made from cotton scraps to elaborate creations of brocade, velvet, and satin, this exhibition highlights the exciting range of this fabric art form. The exhibition also promises a number of surprises. Famed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, an avid quilt collector, has lent an item soon to be revealed. The Seacoast African American Cultural Center, located within the Discover Portsmouth facility, has loaned a rare 1930s quilt crafted by workers at a rubber plantation in Liberia. On the second floor of the gallery, local expert quilters have loaned pieces in a variety of styles and techniques in a display of just how wide-ranging the modern art of quilting is. With everything from traditional to abstract quilts, classic baby blankets to inventive pictorial wall hangings, and even clothing, this show is bound to inspire crafter and art-lover alike.
A highlight of the exhibition will be the Community Quilt, now being assembled from more than fifty original squares created by New Hampshire and seacoast families during their months of “sheltering at home” due to the pandemic. Until the quilt is ready in September, individual squares will be on display in the gallery. In fact, the overwhelming response to this project has led PHS staff members to consider creating a second Community Quilt. Those wishing to contribute quilt squares are invited to download instructions at www.PortsmouthHistory.org the PHS website.
“Threads” is possible because of the generosity of several local businesses who have continued to donate funds despite these uncertain times. Corporate sponsors include Hoefle, Phoenix, Gormley & Roberts, P. A.; Performance Business Solutions; Charles Schwab/Charles B. Riopel; Piscataqua Savings Bank; and DTC Lawyers.
In addition to “Threads” in the adjacent Academy Gallery, the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center continues to offer regular historical walking tours, featuring wireless headsets that offer both excellent sound quality and safe social distancing. The Museum Shop is stocked with Portsmouth-oriented gifts, books, and souvenirs (including handmade facemasks!), the purchase of which helps support the Historical Society. Plus, the Society has virtual lectures on quilting and textile arts and regular updates on museum events and collections available through their website.
Meanwhile, at the Seacoast African American Cultural Center, accessible from inside the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center, is “Obama: An Intimate Portrait,” a major exhibition of photographs by Pete Souza, former White House photographer for the Obama administration. This stunning show is accompanied by “Obama: An Ancestral Legacy,” an exhibit featuring objects from SAACC’s collection that highlight Obama’s African diaspora heritage and America’s history of foreign policy in Africa, curated by University of New Hampshire students. For details, tickets, and hours visit www.saacc-nh.org online.
For the health and safety of all guests, volunteers, and staff members, masks are required to be worn at all times and social distancing rules are to be observed. Free masks are available, and hand sanitizing stations are located strategically around the facility.
Portsmouth Historical Society’s air-conditioned Welcome Center and galleries at 10 Middle Street now feature over $250,000 in improvements, including new, universally-accessible restrooms and automatic gallery doors. Less modern but equally interesting is the 1758 John Paul Jones House Museum just across the street, the only historic house interior currently open in Portsmouth. For safety reasons, a limited number of guests will be allowed in the historic house at the same time. To avoid waiting, it’s recommended that tickets for self-guided tours be purchased in advance. Tickets may also be purchased online for walking tours of historic Portsmouth, led by expert guides throughout the day, departing from the front doors of the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center.
For hours, museum and walking tour tickets, Society memberships, and the latest updates, please visit www.portsmouthhistory.org or call 603-436-8433.
PHOTO CAPTION: A quilt square submitted for the community quilt, made in the classic mariner’s compass design, featuring the spire of North Church. The square celebrates what the maker calls her “Portsmouth adventures.”
