For Immediate Release
- Press Contact:
- Bren Landon
- [email protected]
- (202) 572-0563
DAR Museum Program to Examine the
Changing Perceptions of Womens Work
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Museum will host a program In The Service of Her Country: The DAR and Changing Perceptions of Womens Work on Wednesday, November 9, 2005 from 12:00 1:00 p.m. at DAR Headquarters in downtown Washington, D.C. Tracy Robinson, DAR Director of Archives and History, will give the lecture.
By first examining the extraordinary lives of the four founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution and then touching on a number of other celebrated Daughters throughout the decades, Robinson will illustrate how DAR members over the past 115 years have personified the changing roles of women.
When Mary Desha, Mary Lockwood, Ellen Walworth and Eugenia Washington founded the DAR in 1890, the United States was on the cusp between the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era. The definition of what constituted womens work was expanding and many American women used the changing culture to create opportunities to contribute to society in new ways. The personal and professional accomplishments of many DAR members provide an interesting and unique microcosm from which to explore the progress of American women over the course of the 20th century.
By elaborating on some of the life stories of these very active DAR members with prolific careers, Robinson hopes to show the variety of walks of life that DAR members come from. Starting at the organizations very beginning, many DAR members have been progressive and have made profound contributions to American society, says Robinson.
After the lecture, attendees are invited to stop by the DAR Americana Room to view two exhibitions, The Four Founders and DARs Early Years and Dazzling Daughters. Some of the distinguished DAR members featured in the Dazzling Daughters exhibit include Red Cross founder Clara Barton, actress Ginger Rogers, former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, and First Lady Laura Bush.
Reservations are required to attend the lecture. Admission is $10.00. To make a reservation or for more information on the program, call (202) 879-3240 or email [email protected].
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote patriotism, preserve American history, and support better education for our nation's children. Any woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution is eligible for membership. With more than 168,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world's largest and most active service organizations. Encompassing an entire downtown city block, DAR National Headquarters houses one of the nations premier genealogical libraries, one of the foremost collections of pre-industrial American decorative arts, Washington, D.C.s largest concert hall, and an extensive collection of early American manuscripts and imprints. To learn more about the work of today's DAR, visit www.dar.org.