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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251210T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251210T200000
DTSTAMP:20260417T092058
CREATED:20251008T214027Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251130T171309Z
UID:10000156-1765391400-1765396800@vicsocny.org
SUMMARY:Early 1800s Music and Dance Extravaganza!
DESCRIPTION:Scholars and performers will celebrate a new book about Black and Irish competitive dancers in early-19th-century New York City. \nStony Brook University professor April Masten\, author of the new book Diamond and Juba: The Raucous World of 19th-Century Challenge Dancing (U. of Illinois Press)\, and other experts will discuss the lives of two antebellum dancers and perform works related to their careers: Irish American John Diamond (c. 1823–1857) and African American William Henry Lane (1825–c. 1852)\, known as Juba. Diamond and Juba became internationally famous as competitors in the art and sport of challenge dancing\, which was born from Black-Irish social interaction in antebellum New York’s dockside markets\, taverns\, and theaters. Promoted as a masculine art with ties to boxing\, it featured prolific gambling\, hefty purses\, and championship belts\, yet also included women competitors\, cross-dressing\, and blackface. Its practitioners’ astonishing jigs drew huge audiences across northeastern port cities\, along Mississippi Valley circus routes\, and into England’s provincial music halls. Masten’s study of Diamond and Juba’s rivalry and parallel careers offers a rare glimpse into Black and immigrant strivings in an expanding nation keen for talent yet divided by prejudice. \nThe evening’s scholars and performers\, in addition to April Masten\, will include cultural historian John Reddick; dancer\, actor\, and scholar DeWitt Fleming Jr. performing Black-Irish tap dance; legendary fiddle player Gabe Terracciano; instrumentalist and singer Hubby Jenkins playing old-time banjo; and vocalist\, musician\, and writer Christina Britton Conroy. \nMasten’s book will be available for sale and signing at the event\, which will be followed by a reception with refreshments. \nWednesday\, December 10\n6:30–8:00 pm\nMiddle Church\n50 E. 7th Street\, New York\, NY 10003 \nPurchase tickets. \nCover design by Jason R. Gabbert \n \n“Bravo Dick!_welt the flure!!_foot about!!!” From “The Hedge School\,” Designed & Etched by W. H. Brooke\, A.R.H.A.\, Dublin\, Published by Wm. Curry Jun.r & Co. Marsh\, 1830. \n \nExcerpt from Georgia Champions playbill\, Portland\, Maine\, June 18 [1845]. Box 7\, Folder-Juba\, Mins.\, Box 7 (H-K)\, Playbills-Companies\, Minstrels\, Harvard Theater Collection\, Houghton Library\, Harvard University. \n \nWilliam Sydney Mount\, Dance of the Haymakers\, 1845. Long Island Museum of American Art\, History & Carriages. \n \nDetail from Royal Vauxhall Gardens Poster\, 1848. Harvard Theatre Collection.
URL:https://vicsocny.org/calendar/early-1800s-music-and-dance-extravaganza/
LOCATION:NY
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=application/pdf:https://vicsocny.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Masten_2_rev_e-1.pdf
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260123T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260123T200000
DTSTAMP:20260417T092058
CREATED:20251230T062804Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251230T062804Z
UID:10000159-1769193000-1769198400@vicsocny.org
SUMMARY:Washington Irving\, the Dutch Saint Nicholas\, and the American Santa Claus
DESCRIPTION:In Knickerbocker’s History of New York\, first published on Saint Nicholas Day 1809\, Washington Irving introduced the Dutch Saint Nicholas as patron saint and folk hero\, changed his appearance\, and manipulated his character traits. This presentation will follow the Nicholas celebration from its early European origin through its arrival in New Netherland and continued observance in the United States. Irving’s adoption of the Dutch “Sinterklaas” is responsible for the survival of what was originally a transplanted regional celebration among New Yorkers of Dutch descent into the nationally cherished American Santa Claus. \nCopies of Funk’s book The Dutch World of Washington Irving will be available for sale and signing during the event. \nCo-sponsored by the Holland Society. \nFriday\, January 23\n6:30–8:00 p.m.\nSt. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church\n263 West 86th Street\, New York \nPurchase tickets. \nElisabeth Paling Funk\, PhD\, recently published the book The Dutch World of Washington Irving. The books tells an alternative origin story of American literary culture. Funk explores what the young Irving would have read\, heard\, and observed during his early life and career in New York City\, once part of the former colony of New Netherland\, where he was surrounded by Dutch-speaking neighbors and relatives and Dutch literature. Born in Woerden\, the Netherlands\, Elisabeth received her PhD from Fordham University\, taught English at the university level\, and is now a translator\, editor\, and independent scholar. She lives in the Hudson Valley.
URL:https://vicsocny.org/calendar/washington-irving-the-dutch-saint-nicholas-and-the-american-santa-claus/
LOCATION:NY
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/avif:https://vicsocny.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/9781501781650.avif
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260209T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260209T200000
DTSTAMP:20260417T092058
CREATED:20260107T235220Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260110T040245Z
UID:10000160-1770661800-1770667200@vicsocny.org
SUMMARY:America’s Greatest Unknown Author: Rediscovering George Templeton Strong
DESCRIPTION:Scholar Geoff Wisner will lecture on the Civil War diaries of George Templeton Strong\, which offer unique insights and first-person encounters with Abraham Lincoln\, Ulysses S. Grant\, Edwin M. Stanton\, and others—told with Strong’s wicked humor. \nBeginning in 1835\, at age 15\, George Templeton Strong started writing in his diary\, which totaled about four million words at his death in 1875. When portions were eventually published\, the work was recognized as a literary masterpiece and treasure trove for historians. Geoff Wisner\, editor of Library of America’s new George Templeton Strong: Civil War Diaries\, reveals how Strong chronicled his Civil War experience with insight and wicked humor. Strong’s diaries provide unique insights on Lincoln\, Grant\, Stanton\, and others\, on the devastating draft riots of 1863\, and on Strong’s efforts to support the Union as a founder of the US Sanitary Commission and New York’s Union League Club. \nWisner’s Strong diary edition will be available for sale and signing at the event. \nMonday\, February 9\n6:30–8:00 p.m.\nCenter at West Park\n263 W. 86th St.\, New York \nPurchase tickets. \nGeoff Wisner is an author\, editor\, and book reviewer based in New York City. His ancestors include a Swiss soldier who arrived at Governors Island in 1710; Henry Wisner\, a member of the Second Continental Congress who manufactured gunpowder for George Washington’s army; and George W. Wisner\, a reporter and editor for the New York Sun from 1833 to 1835. \n \nGeorge Templeton Strong from his diary\, 1860s \n \nGeorge Templeton Strong from his diary\, 1863 \n \nPhoto: Courtesy Geoff Wisner
URL:https://vicsocny.org/calendar/americas-greatest-unknown-author-rediscovering-george-templeton-strong/
LOCATION:NY
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vicsocny.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/strong-loa-cover.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260219T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260219T200000
DTSTAMP:20260417T092058
CREATED:20260217T015333Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260217T015333Z
UID:10000163-1771525800-1771531200@vicsocny.org
SUMMARY:Carving History
DESCRIPTION:Join the Museum of the City of New York\, The Heckscher Museum of Art\, and the Victorian Society New York for an exploration of 19th-century sculpture and public space through the work and life of Emma Stebbins and her partner\, actor Charlotte Cushman\, centering Angel of the Waters at Bethesda Fountain as both a monumental artwork and a feminist intervention. The discussion considers Stebbins’s sculptural practice within the material\, social\, and political realities of her time while examining how her partnership with Cushman enabled alternative models of artistic and personal life. By treating Bethesda Fountain as a living site rather than a static monument\, the conversation invites reflection on figuration\, visibility\, and the ongoing challenge of making sculpture that remains emotionally and politically resonant in public space. \nThursday\, February 19\n6:30–8:00 p.m.\nThe Museum of the City of New York\n1220 Fifth Ave at 103rd St.\, New York \nPurchase tickets. \nHeather Arnet\, Executive Director & CEO\, joined The Heckscher Museum in 2022. She has a B.A. in Literary & Cultural Studies from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Liberal Arts in Museum Studies from Harvard University Extension School. In tandem with organizational strategic planning\, Heather has spearheaded significant expansion of bilingual Spanish-English language education programs and interpretive materials\, American Sign Language availability\, materials for the blind and partially-sighted\, and is advancing community-centric initiatives serving Huntington’s diverse populations. \nKarli Wurzelbacher\, PhD\, is Chief Curator at The Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington\, New York\, where she has curated more than a dozen exhibitions on American art. In addition to curating Emma Stebbins: Carving Out History and editing the accompanying publication\, she has published on artists including George Grosz\, Courtney M. Leonard\, Louise Nevelson\, Joseph Stella\, and Jack Whitten. Prior to joining the Heckscher Museum\, she worked at the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Columbus Museum of Art\, Ohio. \nThis program is supported\, in part\, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
URL:https://vicsocny.org/calendar/carving-history/
LOCATION:NY
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://vicsocny.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/1_3-crop.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260321T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260321T120000
DTSTAMP:20260417T092058
CREATED:20251230T063125Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251230T063125Z
UID:10000158-1774087200-1774094400@vicsocny.org
SUMMARY:Museum Tour and Irish Heritage at Lockwood-Mathews Mansion
DESCRIPTION:Lockwood-Mathews mansion is a National Historic Landmark and one of the earliest and most significant Second Empire Style country houses in the United States. Located in Norwalk\, Connecticut\, Lockwood-Mathews recently re-opened after being closed for a two-year renovation project. VSNY attendees have been offered a rare opportunity to visit the museum before public hours\, allowing for a more intimate experience. Trained docents will lead a 90-minute tour of the mansion\, including the upcoming Irish heritage exhibit\, which will be unveiled the week of St. Patrick’s Day. \nSaturday\, March 21\, 2026\n10:00 a.m. (Tour begins promptly; please be sure to arrive at least 10 minutes early so you can be checked-in with the group.)\nLockwood-Mathews Mansion\n295 West Ave\, Norwalk\, CT 06850 \nPurchase tickets. \nAttendees are responsible for their own transportation to and from the mansion. Ticket cost only covers entrance to Lockwood-Mathews. \nDirections: \n\nDepart Grand Central Station\, Metro-North New Haven line.\nArrive at South Norwalk. Off-peak train ride time is roughly 70 minutes.\nSouth Norwalk station to Lockwood-Mathews mansion is roughly a 1.5 mile drive. Uber and Lyft ride services are available in the area.
URL:https://vicsocny.org/calendar/museum-tour-and-irish-heritage-at-lockwood-mathews-mansion/
LOCATION:NY
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vicsocny.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/LockwoodMathewsMansion.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260412T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260412T130000
DTSTAMP:20260417T092058
CREATED:20260331T175204Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T175531Z
UID:10000168-1775991600-1775998800@vicsocny.org
SUMMARY:“At the Tredwells’ Table” Culinary Tour
DESCRIPTION:The Merchant’s House Museum is a restored 1832 late-Federal and Greek Revival landmark on the federal\, state\, and city level. It was the first building designated in the borough of Manhattan following the passing of the Landmarks Preservation law in 1965\, and is one of only 120 interior landmarks—of those\, the Merchant’s House is one of only six residences. The Museum’s collection is comprised of over 3\,000 items belonging to the Tredwells\, the wealthy merchant-class family who lived in the home from 1835 to 1933. \nVSNY attendees will be led by a trained docent on a private 75–90 minute tour focusing on the culinary customs of mid-19th-century New York\, including favorite foods\, cooking methods\, dining etiquette\, entertaining\, parties\, even grocery shopping. \nSunday\, April 12\n11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. (Tour begins promptly at 11:00 a.m.; please be sure to arrive a few minutes early so you can be checked-in with the group. Self-guided tours are not an option for this specific subject matter.)\nMerchant’s House Museum\n29 East Fourth Street\, New York\, NY\, 10003 (Note: Due to restoration\, please enter the museum via Manuel Plaza\, 35 East Fourth Street.) \nPurchase tickets. \nRegistration due by April 10! Space is limited. \nPhotos courtesy of the Merchant’s House Museum; below: by Denis Vaslov
URL:https://vicsocny.org/calendar/at-the-tredwells-table-culinary-tour/
LOCATION:NY
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vicsocny.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/kitchen-june-2016.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260417T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260417T203000
DTSTAMP:20260417T092058
CREATED:20260324T023143Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260414T020037Z
UID:10000165-1776450600-1776457800@vicsocny.org
SUMMARY:Margot Gayle Benefit Tour
DESCRIPTION:Join the Victorian Society New York for our annual Margot Gayle Benefit Tour. This year we are privileged to visit the historic National Fine Art Foundry Building. \nA private residence since 1977\, the brownstone was erected in 1848 and was used for everything from a boarding house to a piano factory. It was named the National Fine Art Foundry Building for the foundry that purchased the building in 1868; the Kips Bay business soon became nationally known for their bronze and granite statues and monuments throughout the country. Sculptors Rochette & Parzini bought the building in 1909 and continued its artistic tradition operating it as an important sculptural foundry for most of the twentieth century\, decorating buildings for clients from McKim\, Mead & White to the New York Stock Exchange and the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. In 1977\, photographer Clara Aich rescued the by then run-down property and converted it to a residence using many of the remaining sculptural pieces as decoration. For a more extensive history of the building\, please see Tom Miller’s Daytonian in Manhattan blog. \nJoin us for a private tour of this remarkable piece of New York City history. Light refreshments will be served. \nFriday\, April 17\n6:30–8:30 p.m.\nThe National Fine Art Foundry Building\n218 E. 25th St. \nPurchase tickets. \nThe Margot Gayle Fund for the Preservation of Victorian Heritage was established in 2003 to honor Margot Gayle (1908–2008)\, an eminent preservationist who was one of the founders of the Victorian Society in America. VSNY regularly awards monetary grants from this fund to projects related to the preservation\, conservation\, and/or interpretation of material culture in the New York metropolitan area from c. 1837 to 1919. \n \nA 19th-century stereoscope slide highlights the metalwork—the statues\, plaques\, and decorations—of the Civil War Soldiers’ Monument in Greenwood Cemetery\, created at the National Fine Art Foundry.
URL:https://vicsocny.org/calendar/margot-gayle-benefit-tour/
LOCATION:NY
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vicsocny.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Picture1.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260428T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260428T200000
DTSTAMP:20260417T092058
CREATED:20260324T025224Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260409T174156Z
UID:10000164-1777399200-1777406400@vicsocny.org
SUMMARY:Emerging Scholars: Session 1
DESCRIPTION:As part of our Emerging Scholars program\, the Victorian Society New York supports scholarship about every aspect of 19th-century and early 20th-century culture\, including architecture\, literature\, theater\, fine and decorative art\, immigration\, economics\, politics\, education\, gender roles\, reform movements\, music\, fashion\, and food. Topics for recent event winners have included globetrotting 19th-century cabinetmakers and early 1900s representations (and misrepresentations) of Indigenous Arizonans (find complete list of past presenters here). \nThis year\, a different group of scholars will speak in one of two sessions. Session 1 on April 28 will include Charlotte Crum on the architectural innovation of New York City’s historic amories\, Christina Hurtado-Pierson on performer Lillian Washburn’s shifting personas on the American stage; Sam Simons on Progressive-Era cinematic staging of “white slave” figures; and Kate Singh on childbirth on New York’s Lower East Side at the turn of the 20th century. Learn more about each scholar and their work. \nTuesday\, April 28\n6:00–8:00 p.m.\nMacDowell\n521 West 23rd Street\, New York \nReserve tickets.
URL:https://vicsocny.org/calendar/emerging-scholars-session-1/
LOCATION:NY
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260505T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260505T200000
DTSTAMP:20260417T092058
CREATED:20260324T025407Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260409T174727Z
UID:10000166-1778004000-1778011200@vicsocny.org
SUMMARY:Emerging Scholars: Session 2
DESCRIPTION:As part of our Emerging Scholars program\, the Victorian Society New York supports scholarship about every aspect of 19th-century and early 20th-century culture\, including architecture\, literature\, theater\, fine and decorative art\, immigration\, economics\, politics\, education\, gender roles\, reform movements\, music\, fashion\, and food. Topics for recent event winners have included globetrotting 19th-century cabinetmakers and early 1900s representations (and misrepresentations) of Indigenous Arizonans (find complete list of past presenters here). \nThis year\, a different group of scholars will speak in one of two sessions. Session 2 on May 5 will include Qizhen Chen (Chi- jen Chen) on funerary architecture on the Lower East Side in the 19th century\, Jacob Kayen on the architectural and social evolution of Greek Revival row Houses on Henry Street\, Bethany Laskin on the work of architects Mary Gannon and Alice Hands\, and Deborah Wolfson on immigrant New York and safety infrastructure. Learn more about each scholar and their work. \nTuesday\, May 5\n6:00–8:00 p.m.\nMacDowell\n521 West 23rd Street\, New York \nReserve tickets.
URL:https://vicsocny.org/calendar/emerging-scholars-session-2/
LOCATION:NY
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260627T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260627T150000
DTSTAMP:20260417T092058
CREATED:20260324T022632Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260324T022632Z
UID:10000167-1782565200-1782572400@vicsocny.org
SUMMARY:New York’s Fabulous Fountains: A Walking Tour
DESCRIPTION:Join the Victorian Society and author Stephanie Azzarone to explore New York’s iconic fountains in person. Azzarone has just published her widely acclaimed “Fabulous Fountains of New York” and will give an in depth and fascinating walking tour. \n\n\n\n\nNew York’s fountains are more than just decorative features—they are historical landmarks\, cultural icons\, and dynamic works of art that shape the city’s landscape. They were designed to honor men and women of accomplishment\, memorialize events\, and at one time\, keep citizens from drinking too much alcohol. New York’s fountains are classical and ornate or modern and streamlined. They celebrate firemen\, authors\, social workers\, and more. This tour will take a close look at some of Manhattan’s most distinctive Midtown fountains—new and old\, famous and little known—and share the stories of why they came to be\, the people behind them\, and what makes those fountains special. \nStops will include: \n\n“Truth” and “Beauty\,” long hidden behind “Patience” and “Fortitude”\nThe first major monument in New York City to honor a woman\nThe fabulous “Christmas Balls” fountain\nThe jewel within Midtown’s “vest pocket parks”\nA 14K gold-leafed fountain once known as “Leapin’ Louie”\nThe statue whose bare bottom outraged a Gilded Age Vanderbilt\n\nThe tour will start at the Fountain in Bryant Park. \nSaturday\, June 27\n1:00–3:00 p.m.\nBryant Park Fountain \nPurchase tickets.
URL:https://vicsocny.org/calendar/new-yorks-fabulous-fountains-a-walking-tour/
LOCATION:NY
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://vicsocny.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Fabulous-Fountains-of-New-York.webp
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