Past Exhibitions Coming Soon
Nipper’s Toyland: 200 Years of Children’s Playthings
The Maryland Historical Society has opened a new gallery showcasing the toys that Maryland children have loved over the past two hundred years. The exhibition features hundreds of toys, as well as portraits and photographs of Maryland children.
Served in Style: Silver Collection of the
Maryland Historical Society
Served in Style: Silver Collection of the Maryland Historical Society
showcases important MdHS silver from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries
and provides an overview of the MdHS' extraordinary collection of more
than 2,000 objects. Recent gifts and purchases along with old favorites
are used to tell the story of silver ownership and manufacture over three
centuries in Maryland. Significant pieces on display include a pap boat
marked by George Hunter and engraved on underside "Sarah Ellicott 1757".
It was used for feeding pap, a soft mixture of bread, sugars, and water
or milk, to infants or invalids. This silver pap boat was used to feed
Sarah Ellicott (1755-1779), the second of nine children born to Judith
Bleeker Ellicott and Joseph Ellicott, when she was an infant. Joseph Ellicott
was the founder of Ellicott's Upper Mills in 1774. Sarah was the sister
of Andrew Ellicott, one of the surveyors of Washington, DC. Other stunning
pieces on display include tea sets, candlesticks and a box signed by President
Nixon.
Couch (one of a pair),
Baltimore, 1819,
made by William Camp
Furniture in Maryland Life explores the manufacture, design, and function of furniture made and used in Maryland from 1634 to 2000. Decorative arts treasures, such as silver and porcelain, along with stunning paintings of Maryland interiors will contribute to this fresh look at the furniture industry in Maryland.
Looking
for Liberty: An Overview of Maryland History
Looking for Liberty explores more than 350 years of Maryland's history—its
people and events—in an innovative and engaging presentation that looks
at Marylanders' pursuit of liberty from the earliest settlement to the present.
The ground-breaking exhibition combines new research, important objects and
artifacts from the MdHS and other collections with oral histories, video installations
and interactive elements, allowing the visitors to experience Marylanders'
pursuit of liberty in ways that are compelling and represent a true departure
from conventional state history exhibits.
The Star-Spangled Banner, manuscript, September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key (1779–1843)
Typewriter Owned and Used By H.L. Mencken (1880–1956)
Eubie Blake, Baltimore 1981, sculpture by Bobbiegita Walker
This exhibition provides a stunning visual journey through three centuries of the state's history as seen through the eyes of artists who recorded the stories of the state's people, places, and events in singularly personal ways. It features the MdHS's rich assemblage of paintings by the Peale family, its treasure trove of precious miniatures, and its distinguished collection of portraits and landscapes. More than 60 objects—ranging from Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte's jewelry, to 19th-century silver by Samuel Kirk and Sons and dress patterns designed by 20th-century Maryland fashion designer Claire McCardell- complement the more than 130 paintings in the exhibition.
Gray's Inn Creek, c. 1740–60,
Unknown Artist, Kent County
- Passport to the Past is a booklet full of kid-friendly activities to complete while exploring the museum galleries.
- The Looking for Liberty exhibition contains 13 special panels, designed only for kids and highlighted in yellow, to help children relate historical artifacts and the concept of liberty to their own lives.
- A Child's World, an interactive center with activities,
toys, and costumes designed for children ages 4 through 12, can be found
midway through the Looking for Liberty exhibition.
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