FCCC Calendar of Events

Exhibition Opening: "Clothes Make the Man The Colonial Gentleman in New England"
Eighteenth-century gentlemen were very stylish and impressive. See recent acquisitions of men's costumes, as well as the "Freedom Suit" owned by Jacob Brown (1736-1816) from the Concord Museum that illustrate men's fashions during the 1700s. On view through August 17. Flynt Center of Early New England Life, Historic Deerfield, Deerfield. Included with general admission: Adults $14, Youth (6-21) $5, under 6 and members free. 413-775-7175 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Into the Woods:Crafting Early American Furniture
Historic Deerfield's newest exhibition will display leading examples of furniture and decorative arts dating from 1675 to 1825, many from the George A. Cluett Collection of American Furniture and Clocks.
Into the Woods was developed by Joshua Lane, Curator of Academic Programs and Assistant Curator of Furniture. Drawing on the wealth of fine examples in Historic Deerfield's permanent collection, Lane has incorporated graphics, before-and-after views of conservation treatments, and innovative "exploded view" display techniques to create multi-disciplinary interpretations of the furniture. Important pieces highlighted in the exhibition including a 17th-century chest produced in rural Connecticut, an 18th-century bombé desk, a rare Boston turret-top tea table (circa 1735), and a desk and bookcase from Newport, R.I. (circa 1770) attributed to John Townsend.
In addition a changing section, which will debut with a focus on design and construction of clockcases. Clocks were the first domestic machines and so became status symbols with the connotation that time was important to the owner. As such, ticking clocks became objects of attraction and beauty. Clock cases were required to protect the expensive movement and in their own right became very specialized products designed with the same proportions as architectural columns so that they would properly fit the room. A group of ten clocks, most from the Cluett Collection, will be used to illustrate these themes in American clockmaking. In the Flynt Center of Early New England Life. Historic Deerfield. 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $14 Adults, $7 Youth (ages 6-21), under 6 and members free. For more information please call 413-775-7214 or visit www.historic-deerfield.org 9:30 AM - 4:30 AM

Don’t Smile for the Camera: Another Angle on Early Photography
Have you wondered why people in early photographs wear such solemn expressions? Deerfield’s Memorial Hall Museum opens their 2008 season on May 1st with a special exhibition, Don’t Smile for the Camera. The 75 early daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, and albumen prints exhibited—including 26 platinum prints by Deerfield’s Allen sisters—feature an intriguing assortment of unsmiling people and idiosyncratic poses. What changed? When photography entered the sphere of the art world, Pictorial photographers such as Frances and Mary Allen saw their subjects differently. They didn’t ask people to smile, but used poses and lighting to capture an idealized scene or evoke a mood, sometimes even facing their subjects away from the camera. It wasn’t until photography was made accessible to all through new technology that the camera was taken out of the studio and into the hands of family and friends, that people were encouraged to ham it up and “put on a happy face.” Don’t Smile for the Camera also includes an iron head brace used by Jonas Patch of Shelburne, albums, and early photography advertisements. Hours - daily from 11 am to 5 pm. At the Old Deerfield Summer Craft Fair on June 21 and 22, tintype photographer John Bernaski will demonstrate his craft for the public. Admission to the nineteen exhibition rooms on art, history, and culture in Memorial Hall Museum, 8 Memorial Street, Deerfield, MA, is $6 for adults, and $3 for youth and students 6-21. 413-774-3768 x 10 or visit the Pocutmtuck Valley Memorial Association’s website: www.deerfield-ma.org 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM