Merchant's House Museum

Killing an Evening with Edgar Allan Poe Returns to Merchant’s House Museum for Halloween - TheaterMania.com Jones will present readings of “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado.”

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗛𝗢𝗧 𝗪𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥

If outside temperatures are 90 degrees or warmer, the Merchant's House will close at 4 p.m. (one hour early).

12 p.m. guided house tours will take place regardless of the weather; if you'd prefer to reschedule or cancel your guided tour ticket in hot weather, please email [email protected].

Thinking cool thoughts on this hot day!

Due to the forecast for Thursday, July 11, the Summer Evening in the Garden program with jazz flutist Cheryl Pyle has been canceled.

We hope to see you all next Thursday evening for wine and conversation in the garden, with a guided house tour at 6pm.

The Merchant's House is CLOSED today, in celebration of Independence Day.

On July 4, 1859, the New York Times dedicated two full columns announcing the City's many planned celebrations for the day, including a military parade marching from 14th Street to City Hall, boat races at the Battery, many theatrical performances, and, of course, fireworks.

The Times boasted that "the display of fireworks promises to be very fine" and listed a dozen different Manhattan locations where fireworks would take place, including City Hall, Madison Square, and (closest to the Tredwell home) Thompkins Square.

Pictured: "Fire-works on the evening of the Fourth of July, as seen from Brooklyn Heights," Harpers Weekly, 1859.

In the 19th century, people regularly exchanged letters with family members and friends, sometimes writing two or three letters a day. The portable writing desk in Seabury Tredwell's bedroom is placed near the window, for maximum light.

People sent news, greetings, invitations, and more through the mail. Letters were carried around the world by trains, boats, and horses – or just across town by a servant or local mail carrier. When sent long distances, they could take weeks, even months, to reach their destination.

Women in the 19th century used hat boxes, or bandboxes, to store personal items such as hats and accessories; the Tredwell Collection contains more than two dozen hats and bonnets, many featuring ribbons, bows, and elaborate plumage. Highly decorated hat boxes were an opportunity to show off one’s wealth and status.

These bandboxes, 1840-1860, were recently conserved by The Found Object, Inc., thanks to a grant from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network - GHHN. The conservator found that the boxes had been repaired several times during the 19th century, showing that they were valuable to the Tredwell family and worth preserving. They are currently on display in Eliza Tredwell's bedroom.

The Merchant’s House will close early today, Saturday, June 22. Last entry 4 pm.

Stay cool out there, everyone!

Earlier this month, we thanked our volunteers with an evening of camaraderie in our beautiful rear garden. Our dedicated volunteers are vital to the important work we do: preserving our landmark building, caring for our original collection, and educating the public about life in 19th century NYC. We are so (so!) grateful for their participation and support.

Are you interested in volunteering? Reach out at [email protected]. Volunteer time commitments are modest and benefits are many (including invitations to exclusive gatherings like this one)!

New exhibition! 𝗜 ❤️ 𝗠𝗛𝗠: 𝗙𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲

The landmark 1832 Merchant’s House is indisputably a national treasure. It is also much beloved by the many people who have been swept up in its magic over the years. The house has inspired visitors, volunteers, children, and even passersby to create artworks in homage since it became a museum in the 1930s. Today, our archive is bursting with art – photographs, paintings, sculptures, mixed-media, and other works.

On display, for the first time, are pieces depicting the late-Federal and Greek Revival facade and selected architectural features by professional and amateur artists. As the Museum fights development next door (and faces possible closure as a result), these works can’t help but serve as a reminder that we must save the Merchant’s House!

Included with regular admission.

On this day in 1820, Seabury Tredwell and Eliza Parker were married at St. George's Church in lower Manhattan.

Pictured here, Eliza Tredwell's wedding dress, the earliest dress in the Museum's collection. The hem of this dres [second image] was most likely embroidered by a skilled artisan in India. The embroidered muslin was then shipped to the West, sold in bolts, and joined to a cotton bodice by a dressmaker.

The Merchant's House holds some of the most significant 19th century costumes in New York City. The core of the Tredwell Costume Collection consists of a remarkable 39 dresses documented to have been owned and worn by the women of the family. Many are outstanding examples of the 19th century dressmaker’s art, composed of fine and delicate fabrics and ornamentation.

Now on display! This two-piece spring and summer dress (MHM 2002.0840), 1862-1865, reflects a transitional style between the 1850s and the 1860s. The invention of synthetic aniline dyes in 1856 made possible the pink color of the fabric, which is printed in an ikat pattern. The use of both aniline dyes and printed (rather than woven) patterns made dresses like this one less expensive, and thus accessible to middle-class women.

Summer evenings in our "secret" 19th century garden return, starting June 6!

The garden is open -- with free admission -- on Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. in June and July. Join us for an informal evening to celebrate summer with light refreshments in the garden. Enter the garden via Manuel Plaza.

Ticketed guided house tours and music in the garden on select evenings at 6 p.m. Visit www.merchantshouse.org/calendar for the full schedule!

Today, on NY1: Construction Threatens one of City's First Landmarks!

"In a city always changing and growing, Merchant’s House has stood the test of time. Its leadership said the question now is whether it will continue to."

Construction threatens one of city's first landmarks, advocates say NY1 reporter Eric Feldman has the story.

From today's amny: It's Time to Save the Merchant's House!

"In other words, Merchant’s House is no ordinary landmark. Indeed, it is among the most precious structures in New York City."

Op-Ed | It’s time to save Merchant’s House | amNewYork The Landmarks Preservation Commission recently approved a project that includes construction of a 7-story office building directly adjacent to the Merchant’s

The introduction of gas-power lighting into homes was revolutionary. The switch from oil burning to gas-burning lamps allows for brighter and better lit homes, well into the evenings. Gas lights offered a bright, steady flame without the smell and smoke of oil lamps.

The cast-bronze gasoliers at the Merchant's House, installed in the mid-1850s by the Tredwell family, are thought to be among the oldest in-situ examples of gas lighting in the United States.

These gasoliers were designed to overcome the primary disadvantage of gas lighting: its lack of portability. One could pull the fixture down to eye level thanks to a telescoping set of two pipes located within the decorative spiral rod. To raise the fixture, simply push it upward and the counterweights, which hang from the top of the fixture, lift the fixture back up towards the ceiling.

The Merchant's House Museum opened to the public on May 11, 1936 -- 88 years ago today!

Almost immediately, the Merchant’s House and its collections gained national recognition for its remarkable state of preservation and importance in the history of New York City.

In spite of this, today, the Merchant's House is at risk. If construction next door is allowed to move forward, the Museum will have no choice but to close to the public ... perhaps forever. Irreparable damage to our landmark building is guaranteed, and could be catastrophic. Please take just 30 seconds to add your name to our letter-writing campaign at https://actionnetwork.org/letters/save-the-merchants-house-museum-2.

May is Lower East Side History Month!

Lower East Side History Month is an annual celebration of the rich and diverse history of the Lower East Side.

Lower East Side History Month was launched eleven years ago in the hope that a collective celebration of our neighborhood would strengthen our connection to each other and our sense of community. Our history sheds light on our present and can motivate us to continue building a future of mutual support, respect, and inclusion.

Celebrate with us with a neighborhood walking tour! Our tours this month are offered Sunday, May 12, Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 26, all at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are available at merchantshouse.org/calendar.

Manufactured between 1846 and 1848 by the Nunns and Fischer company in New York, the piano features brass, iron, and steel hardware, ivory and ebony keys, machine-cut moldings, and a floral, cast iron hitch plate. Its foot pedals are supported by a lyre-shaped frame, a popular decorative motif across early-19th century Empire style furniture. The five and a half octave “square” piano was typical of 19th-century domestic pianos.

The pianoforte also functions as a harmonium: the player can activate leather bellows, streaming air over a set of internal reeds and producing an organ-like sound, popular for hymns or other religious songs.

On April 16, the plaster ceiling in the historic library at Boscobel House and Gardens collapsed without warning, causing major damage. This is a nightmare scenario for any historic house, and one that hits particularly close to home for us at the Merchant's House, as we fight to protect our historic plaster from destruction resulting from construction next door. Visit https://boscobel.org/ for information on how you can help their restoration efforts.
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Historic plaster is extremely fragile, with ceilings particularly vulnerable: plasterers working above their heads were fighting gravity, and the result is that ceilings are always more at risk than walls. According to preservation architect Michael Devonshire, "ceilings invariably fail first in historic buildings." Add in extreme vibrations from major construction mere feet away, and irreparable damage is certain.

When we talk about the damage that will occur if construction next door is allowed to move forward, this is what we're talking about. The Merchant's House is an exterior and interior NYC landmark, which means the city of New York has a legal obligation to ensure the protection of the house – including the original 1832 plasterwork, considered by experts to be the "finest surviving" from the period. If you haven't already, please sign a letter to demand the City does its job and protects the Merchant's House: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/save-the-merchants-house-museum-2

[Image 1: damage at Boscobel; Images 2-3: ornamental plasterwork at the Merchant's House, photos by Max Touhey.]

Built into the brick wall to the left of the fireplace is a brick oven, called a bee hive bake oven because of its domed interior.

The Tredwells’ cook no doubt continued to use the beehive oven even after the coal cookstove was installed in the mid-19th century; many homemakers believed a brick oven was far superior to the ovens in a coal stove, especially for baking bread, a staple at every meal.

As many in New York look forward to this afternoon's solar eclipse, here's a look back at the eclipse of May 26, 1854, when Gertrude Tredwell was just 13 years old.

According to The New York Times: "The Eclipse will be well worth watching, for it will be very many years before we shall have another like it."

The Times went on to reassure its readers: "We need not look for any remarkable degree of darkness to-day ... The chickens will not be compelled to roost, nor human observers to grow drowsy."

And finally, a warning: "Observers will consult the safety of their eyesight by providing themselves with bits of glass 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 (not merely browned) by exposure to the smoke of a candle ... During the last important eclipse of the sun, in 1831, many instances occurred where serious injury was sustained by observers who neglected the necessary precautions."

The eclipse in May 1854 was the first solar eclipse in North America captured on camera. Pictured here: one of a series of daguerreotypes by Philadelphia-based photographers William and Frederick Langenheim. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005.100.614d)

We had a great visit from Ariel at Urbanist this morning!

The 19th century brought embalming into the mainstream, but Jessica Mitford's 1963 book "The American Way of Death" cast the field in a tarnished light for many.

In April's "Ask A..." virtual program, thanatologist Matilda Garrido will speak with embalmer Monica Torres about how she entered the field and her recent book, "Embalming Tips Revealed." We'll discuss how embalming is evolving in the 21st century and whether it might be an appropriate choice for your family. Join us for this fascinating discussion!

Thursday, April 11, 6 p.m. -- free! Register at https://merchantshouse.org/calendar/reservations/ #!/April-11-6-p-m-Ask-an-Embalmer-VIRTUAL-PROGRAM/p/634431703/category=1651948

Monica H. Torres is a LE, LFD, LC, Reconstruction Specialist, Desairologist and internationally recognized public speaker and technical trainer. Monica is also the owner and founder of NXT Generation Mortuary Support, a trail blazing trade service company which not only offers traditional embalming services and staff support, but also develops untraditional modern online death education programs for professionals and families. She is a first-generation Funeral Director and Embalmer and has worked in the beautification of human bodies since the age of 16.

Monica was honored in 2016 by Vernie Fountain with the FNA Distinguished Professional Service Medallion for her contribution to funeral service. Her company was featured on the cover of American Funeral Director Magazine in 2018 and recognized as one of the funeral industries most innovative companies helping to shape the future of funeral service. Find her online at www.nxtgenmortuarysupport.com and Cold Hands.

Tonight! Join thanatologist Matilda Garrido for the next in our new "Ask A..." virtual series, where Matilda interviews professionals working in the field of death & dying.

Tonight Matilda welcomes End of Life Doulas Diane Button, Angela Shook, and Gabby Jimenez, authors of "The Doula Toolkit." In the 19th century, the dying were cared for at home by family, friends, and servants. As we move into the 21st century, we are seeing a desire to return to these practices of compassionate care in the rise of the End of Life Doula profession. Bring you questions as we explore the role of End of Life Doulas!

Wednesday, March 27, 6 p.m. -- Free!
Register at https://merchantshouse.org/calendar/reservations/ #!/March-27-6-p-m-Ask-a-Death-Doula-VIRTUAL-PROGRAM/p/624737953/category=1651948

This Sunday afternoon, March 24, join us for a walking tour exploring the Tredwells' world of 19th century Noho! On the bustling Astor Place, we'll imagine the drama of events that led to the Opera House riot of 1849, among the bloodiest in American history.

The riot was caused, superficially, by a dispute between two rival actors, but revealed a growing class struggle between working-class Americans and New York's wealthy elite. On the evening of May 10, 1849, approximately 10,000 people crowded the streets around the Opera House in protest. The state militia opened fire on protesters, killing between 22 and 31 people -- and the Astor Place Opera House was unable to survive. It closed in 1853, replaced by the Academy of Music, which opened the following year, on 14th Street.

Walking tour tickets available at www.merchantshouse.org/calendar!

Join us for the next in our new virtual program series "Ask A..." where thanatologist Matilda Garrido interviews those working today in the field of death & dying.

Next Wednesday, in "Ask A ... Death Doula," Matilda will interview End of Life Doulas Diane Button, Angela Shook, and Gabby Jimenez, authors of "The Doula Toolkit."

In the 19th century, the dying were cared for at home by family, friends, and servants. As we move into the 21st century, we are seeing a desire to return to these practices of compassionate care in the rise of the End of Life Doula profession. What is an End of Life Doula? Should you use one? Bring your questions!

The program is free, and will be recorded. Register at https://merchantshouse.org/calendar/reservations/ #!/March-27-6-p-m-Ask-a-Death-Doula-VIRTUAL-PROGRAM/p/624737953/category=1651948

It's the Spring Equinox! To celebrate the changing of the seasons, here's a room that changed frequently while the Tredwell family lived at 29 East 4th Street.

This small room adjoins Seabury Tredwell's bedroom. Today, we show this room as Seabury's study. However, its likely that the room served a variety of purposes over the years as the family grew and their needs changed: a nursery, a dressing room, or even an extra bedroom.

Photo by Annie Schlechter.