Tuesday Talk: “Picturing America: The Prints and Legacy of Currier & Ives”

September 8, 4:00 pm. With some 900 collected prints to select from, Maggie North, acting curator of the Springfield (MA) Museums, will open the file on “Picturing America: The Prints and Legacy of Currier & Ives.” Founded in 1835 by Nathaniel Currier, who in 1857 took on his brother-in-law James Merritt Ives, their company excelled in creating nostalgic prints for middle class America. Due to new technology and changes in popular taste, the firm closed in 1907. However, after World War I Americans sought comfort in nostalgic images, which led to a surge in merchandise created with Currier & Ives imagery. North will examine the difference between original and reproduced lithographs.

Ventfort Hall has a strict no-refund policy and tickets are nontransferable. Please ensure you have a strong internet connection and access to Zoom before purchasing tickets.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated by the Massachusetts Cultural Council as an important partner of the Lenox Cultural District, one of the five such Berkshire County districts, Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum was built in 1893 for George and Sarah Morgan, the sister of legendary financier J. Pierpont Morgan. Tours of the historic mansion are offered daily, as well as Tea & Talks, such exhibitions as the Bellefontaine Collection, concerts, theater and other programs. This elegant Jacobean-Revival Berkshire “cottage” is open to the public year-round and is available for private rental. Ventfort Hall, also an Official Project of Save America’s Treasures program sponsored by The White House, has undergone substantial restoration, which continues.