Evergreen Museum & Library

Today is and November is , so we at Evergreen have been holding space in our holiday celebrations this week to reflect on the history and culture of indigenous peoples. Leading this reflection is Evergreen intern Elana Neher (KSAS '20), who has been posting to our social media accounts all week to share more information about the native objects and photographs in Evergreen's collection. Scroll back to see what you missed! Over to you, Elana!

The eagle feather headdress in Evergreen’s collection is an icon of Plains Native American culture. Headdresses like this one could only be worn by the most honored warriors. Each feather on a headdress was awarded to a warrior for a special feat in battle or display of bravery. These headdresses were not worn during battle, but during military society ceremonies and dances.

John W. Garrett, like many east coast elite men, would likely have been attracted to objects made by Plains Native Americans. Plains Native American society was perceived to be a masculine, warrior society. Objects might be displayed in a collector’s “Indian Room,” popularized among Americans beginning by the early nineteenth century.

Headdress, Unrecorded Plains Native American Artist; third or fourth quarter of the 19th century, eagle feathers, trade cloth, metal, beads, animal hair, rawhide, Evergreen Museum & Library, JH1942.1.1131.

Nothing gold can stay. ✨

We so excited because the furniture for the museum’s new classroom was delivered today! This state-of-the-art space will allow Evergreen to host new family programs and accommodate even more classes from our parent institution, and other education partners. The room still needs some touch up paint and artwork for the walls but it’s close. Can you tell that Evergreen’s director/curator Dr. Lori Beth Finkelstein is ready to get started?
@ Evergreen Museum & Library Private Events

Earlier this summer, the museum’s main entrance got power washed and now it’s looking oh-so-fresh-and-so-clean, just like it must have when it was originally constructed in 1895. Also note the 1905 Tiffany canopy shielding the doors. with
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It's amazing what can be accomplished with a power washer.

Happy 290th birthday to our dear City of Baltimore! Evergreen’s collection contains many objects that speak to the history and development of the city, and we are proud to been a part of that history since 1857!

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“Evergreen.” Residence of T. Harrison Garrett, publishes by L.H. Everts, c.1887, image courtesy of Evergreen House Foundation.

Looking for a great weekend activity? Head to Evergreen this weekend for a guided tour of the house and its collections. Plus, regular admission gets you in to see the museum’s current exhibition, Fantasia Reimagined: Don Joint & Evergreen’s Meissen Garden. From the mind of contemporary artist Don Joint, the exhibition juxtaposes 18th-and 19th-century German porcelain figures from Evergreen’s collection with the artist’s own large-scale glass mosaic. The museum is open noon to 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Last tour of the day departs at 3 p.m.
@ Evergreen Museum & Library Private Events

Looking for a great weekend activity? Head to Evergreen this weekend for a guided tour of the house and its collections. Plus, regular admission gets you in to see the museum’s current exhibition, Fantasia Reimagined: Don Joint & Evergreen’s Meissen Garden. From the mind of contemporary artist Don Joint, the exhibition juxtaposes 18th-and 19th-century German porcelain figures from Evergreen’s collection with the artist’s own large-scale glass mosaic. The museum is open noon to 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Last tour of the day departs at 3 p.m.
@ Evergreen Museum & Library Private Events

Fifty years ago today, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the the moon. The Apollo 11 mission that brought Armstrong and Aldrin to the lunar surface was a long time coming. Many connect it’s beginning to a 1962 speech given by then-President John F. Kennedy in which he said, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

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While Kennedy’s were inspiring, the truth is man had been wanting to visit the moon for much longer.

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Nearly 100 years before Kennedy’s speech, Jules Verne (French, 1828-1905) published “De la terre à la lune” (“From the Earth to the Moon”). The novel—which, oddly enough, is set in Baltimore—tells the story of a group of explosive experts and amateur explorers who launch a spaceship to the moon. Ina remarkable coincidence, the mission described in the book shares a number of details with the real mission: both mission launched from Florida and return via splash down in the Pacific Ocean. Additionally, the rocket ship in the book is named Columbia’s, while the Apollo 11 astronauts flew aboard the Colombia. In face, the similarities were notable enough for Neil Armstrong to mention the book during the Apollo 11 broadcast.

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Pictured here is an 1874 translation of “De la terre à la lune,” returned “The Baltimore Gun Club.”

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“The Baltimore Gun Club, from the French of Jules Verne; freely translated by Edward Roth. Philadelphia: King & Baird, 1874; 442 pages. The John Work Garrett Library, Evergreen Museum & Library, The Johns Hopkins University. 🌎🚀🌖
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Evergreen is fortunate to have approximately 100 works by the artist Léon Bakst (Russian, 1866-1924) in its collection. Although Bakst had a varied career that encompassed many artistic disciplines, he is perhaps best known for his work as a set and costume designer for the Ballets Russes. Alice Warder Garrett, the last mistress of Evergreen, befriended Bakst and acted as his agent and patron during his final decade. When Bakst visited the Garretts at Evergreen in the early 1920s, he completed a number of artistic projects for Alice, including creating this corseted costume for her to wear during her amateur dancing and singing performances.

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Costume by Léon Bakst; c. 1922; silk, silk velvet, cotton, lace; Evergreen House Foundation, bequest of Alice Warder Garrett.

Well, who are we to argue with that? with
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The grounds of Evergreen Museum & Library definitely gives us secret garden vibes🌼🌸🌺. Housed in a former Gilded Age mansion surrounded by Italian-style gardens, this hidden gem should be on your list of Charm City sites to visit this summer! 📷:
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Did you know that Evergreen has one of the largest private collections of Tiffany art glass in the world? Not all of the objects in this case are by Tiffany, but many of them are! Others are by manufacturers such as Steuben, Loetz, and Quezal. Come by and see them for yourself!

🚨🚨🚨ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨🚨🚨
Tonight’s Free Summer Social is still ON! Because of inclement weather, we will hold the festivities in our grand historic Carriage House. Because of the weather, some individual events, like the scooter derby, will not be held. But almost everything else—magic show, arts & crafts, board games, face painting, co****le, summery treats, tours of the museum’s first floor from 5-6 p.m., and more—will go on as planned! Please join us starting at 5 p.m.!