Exhibitions
Temporary Exhibits
Opening August 22, 2008
“Tell Us Your Stories” Collision: People and Events that shaped the Vietnam Era in Maryland
August 22, 2008 – January 4, 2009
On May 17, 1968, nine Catholics burned draft files outside the Catonsville draft board, becoming known as the Catonsville Nine. By contrast, also in 1968, the Governor of Maryland, Baltimore-born Spiro Agnew, was picked to be Richard Nixon’s running mate, partly because of his highly vocal support for the war. Chronicling the diversity of opinion about the Vietnam War in the pivotal year of 1968 will be books, photographs, press articles, and other artifacts. The exhibition includes video interviews with Marylanders who participated in the protests, supported the war, or fought in it.
Opening Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Legacy of Enoch Pratt
September 10, 2008-January 4, 2009
In collaboration with the Enoch Pratt Free Library and First Unitarian Church, the Maryland Historical Society celebrates the bicentenary of Enoch Pratt’s birth with an exhibition on the life and legacy of this great philanthropist. Their home in Baltimore’s fashionable Mount Vernon neighborhood now forms part of the Maryland Historical Society campus. Among the institutions that benefited from the generosity of this remarkable man are the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Sheppard Pratt Hospital, First Unitarian Church, Maryland Institute College of Art, Maryland School for the Deaf, Keswick Center, Maryland Science Center, and many others.
Opening Thursday, November 6, 2008
Work and Play on the Bay
Exploring the importance of the Chesapeake Bay to Maryland for over 350 years. On display will be boat models, paintings, decoys, mastheads and trail boards, with a section where younger visitors can try their hand at oystering. This is the first of a number of changing exhibitions that will form part of “Maryland’s Maritime Heritage: From Fells Point to the World,” a permanent installation at the Maryland Historical Society.
Opening Veterans Day, Tuesday November 11, 2008
Maryland Veterans of World War II, Oue Arsenal of Democracy
November 11, 2008-December 31, 2009
Honoring combat veterans from Maryland, who served in every theater of the war, the exhibition displays uniforms, small arms, and equipment authentic to the men who used them, often “personalized” with their own artistic touches. Helmets are inscribed with individual names and units, and in some cases pierced by shrapnel and bullet holes, while weapons carry the dents and dings of active fighting from the Normandy beaches to Iwo Jima. The material in the exhibition comes primarily from the collection of Colonel (MD) George S. Rich.
Opening December 4, 2008
Mason and Dixon and the Defining of America: Treasures from the Maryland Historical Society and Independence Hall
December 4, 2008-February 28, 2009
The exhibition displays authentic artifacts and iconic documents related to the Mason-Dixon Survey, one of the greatest scientific accomplishments of the age.
Core Exhibitions
Maryland's Maritime Heritage: From Fells Point to the World
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.
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.
Maryland Through the Artist’s Eye
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.
Furniture in Maryland Life
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.
Mary Whitridge in a Gale
artist unknown c. 1856, 1990.24.1
Cast iron toy fire truck
1954.143.6
