How do you create a collective memory?
The new nations’ first three generations of citizens shaped our memories of the American Revolution. People saved and created items to commemorate the struggle for independence to keep Revolutionary ideals alive during an era of great change and conflict. These objects form the foundation for our own memories.
The DAR Museum’s period rooms have evolved much over the past century. Many of the period rooms today occupy spaces in Memorial Continental Hall that were once the administrative offices of the National Society before the Administration Building was built. In celebration of the DAR’s 125th anniversary, the DAR Museum is showing vintage photos of how the period rooms looked way back when and what they look like today.
"Eye on Elegance: Early Quilts of Maryland Virginia" introduces visitors to a little known history of early American quilts. Curator of Costumes and Textiles Alden O’Brien looks at quilts and their makers from Maryland and Virginia 1790 to 1860. The quilts, made from the finest imported fabrics of the time, reflect the refined taste, style, and wealth of the women artists.
This exhibition explores how we got from the fireplace and washing clothes by hand to the many conveniences we take for granted today like automated electric appliances, plumbing and central heating.
The comforts and conveniences that define modern life did not come about overnight but evolved during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Daily chores became easier especially for the housewife as American inventors patented all sorts of labor-saving devices from the vacuum to the washing machine.
It's human nature to like shortcuts; people are always seeking ways to save time or take the easy way out. An office supply store even markets a bright red "Easy" button for its products. The quest for comfort and efficiency in the home evolved through discovery and innovation, which led the way for dramatically improved living standards.
Washington, DC, December 1, 2001--The Daughters of the American Revolution Museum (DAR) announces the opening of a new exhibition, The Stuff of Childhood: Artifacts and Attitudes 1700 to 1900. The exhibition, which explores the changing roles of children in American society, includes more than 200 historic objects relating to childhood. It runs from December 9, 2001 to August 31, 2002.
Fanny Kemble, 1832.
By Thomas Sully.
Feminine Images: American Portraits 1750-1860, brings together more than eighty images of women and young girls who lived during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. On view at the DAR Museum from July 1 through October 31, 2001, it includes portraits, miniatures, silhouettes, and daguerreotypes.
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 1, 2002 -The DAR Museum exhibition Forgotten Patriots: African American and American Indian Service in the Revolutionary War is extending its run until August 30, 2003. Forgotten Patriots represents a long-overdue effort to recognize the contributions that African American and American Indian patriots made during the Revolution.
Have you ever traveled to an unfamiliar place and found yourself lost, looking for directions? If so, you undoubtedly have discovered the benefits of a good map, something as important today as it was centuries ago. Travelers, historians and cartographers alike will delight in "Degrees of Latitude: Maps of America from the Colonial Williamsburg Collection," an extraordinary exhibition of more than 30 historic maps and an atlas of early America, which will be on view at the DAR Museum from November 14, 2003 to February 28, 2004.
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Washington, D.C. - Fifteen vintage wedding dresses, as well as groom's attire, will be on view at the DAR Museum from April 16 through September 4, 2004.
What Our Founders Built, We Must Preserve
Learn how DAR members selflessly and tirelessly dedicated themselves to the war relief effort of World War I
Find special initiative opportunities for every interest and every budget!
