Shirts, Shoes, and Service: The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History and Its Early Contemporaries

In 2025, the CMCH will mark its 200^th birthday. What was it like to visit us in our early days? Join us to learn about why Americans in the early 1800s became interested in preserving the stories and artifacts of the past, and how they presented them to the public.

In 1791, a group of elite Bostonian men established the first historical society in the nation; by 1850, dozens of states and localities hosted historical societies. Offering a vital account of the formation of historical culture and consciousness in the early United States, this talk by author Alea Henle will explore Connecticut’s role, successes, and failures, in gathering and protecting historical materials–and making them available for view.

This event will take place over Zoom. Free for CMCH members, $6 for non-members. You can register here via Yapsody. When you purchase your ticket, you’ll recieve a receipt from Yapsody with the Zoom link attached. We’ll also send you an emailed reminder two hours before the program begins.

About Our Speaker:

A librarian and historian, Alea Henle is Head of Access & Borrow and Associate Librarian at Miami University (Ohio). Her recent book project, Rescued from Oblivion: Historical Cultures in the Early United States (UMass Press), explores foundational moments in collecting and preserving historical materials. Her current research focuses on how people used postcards in the early twentieth-century, as featured on her blog at aleahenle.com

Questions? Contact Natalie Belanger, Adult Programs Manager, at natalie_belanger@chs.org.

Image: CMCH 1844.21.0. Bed curtain, late 1700s; one of the earliest items donated to the CMCH