The Richard H. Driehaus Museum

05/06/2020

Although the initial restoration of the Nickerson Mansion took place between 2003 and 2008, the care of this historic building is ongoing.

Our floors are polished approximately every other year to keep them gleaming and worthy of a Marble Palace!

In recognition of #PreservationMonth we will be sharing some of our own restoration and preservation stories throughout May. We are extremely grateful to those who make it possible for the public to continue to enjoy historic spaces.

#preservationmonth #historicpreservation #historicarchitecture #historichouses #housemuseum
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Image: The Main Hall of The Richard H. Driehaus Museum (Nickerson Mansion), Chicago, 2017.

05/05/2020

The Tiffany window below depicts the kiss of charity – an ancient gesture conveying a wish for peace for the recipient. We extend this wish to everyone in the Museum’s community during this time of unease and uncertainty.

On this #GivingTuesdayNow, we are certain of one thing: we will not stop our efforts to ensure a joyful reopening and safe new ways to share the important impact of the Gilded Age through art, architecture and design. Contributions to our 2020 Annual Fund provide tremendous relief as we keep working towards this goal while closed.

Thank you for considering the Driehaus Museum in your #GivingTuesdayNow gifts. Your support will help sustain us through this unprecedented disruption of our normal operation and fund supplies required to adapt the Museum to this new environment.

Donors who give over $100 today will receive the uplifting exhibition catalog Eternal Light: The Sacred Stained-Glass Windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany. (Image of Charity, 1925, page 71.)

Make your contribution now at http://driehausmuseum.org/support/donate
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Image: Tiffany Studios, American (1902-1932), designed after Frederick Wilson (American, born Ireland, 1858-1932). Charity , 1925. Leaded and enameled glass. The Collection of Richard H. Driehaus, Chicago, 40112.a. Photograph by Michael Tropea, 2018.

05/01/2020

On May 1, 1893 the fairgrounds for the Chicago World's Fair officially opened to the public.

In the first image below, artist Walter Launt Palmer (American, 1854-1932) features the fair’s grand Administration Building at twilight at the World’s Columbian Exposition—an immense, white, classically-inspired structure designed by Richard Morris Hunt. This oil painting currently hangs in the Library.

The second image is a historical photograph of the Administration Building on Opening Day.

#driehausmuseum #onthisday #chicagohistory
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First Image: Walter Launt Palmer (American, 1854-1932), Twilight at the World's Columbian Exposition, 1894, Oil on canvas. Photograph by John Faier.
Second Image: Administration building at World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, on opening day, May 1. 1893. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, .

04/30/2020

#TBT - We're throwing it back today to when we partnered with The Joffrey Ballet on their photoshoot for one of their most popular productions - Yuri Possokhov's Anna Karenina.

The talent and grace of the dancers along with the gorgeous backdrop of the Driehaus Museum made for a stunning combination.

#driehausmuseum #joffreyballet #balletphotography #ballet
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Image: Victoria Jaiani and Alberto Velazquez of The Joffrey Ballet. Photographed at the Driehaus Museum by Cheryl Mann, 2018.

04/29/2020

New on the Blog - Parlor Games

Parlor games were often played in a “parlor”, the most formal room in a traditional Victorian house for social gathering and entertaining. Today, the living room has replaced most of the functionality of the parlor with televisions and computers providing most of the entertainment.

We know a lot of you are spending your days in the living room, looking for something a little different to do. Feel free to throw on your best hat, make some tea and finger sandwiches, and unplug from the 21st century for a while with a parlor game…

CLICK FOR MORE -
http://driehausmuseum.org/blog/view/victorian-parlor-games-puzzles-for-a-pandemic

#driehausmuseum #parlorgames #shelterinplace
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Image from: Plays and Games for Little Folks, Sports of All Sorts, Fireside Fun, and Singing Games, 1889

04/27/2020

While our staff is working remotely, we asked them to choose #athingofbeauty that they miss from the Museum. We are happy to share them with you here.

"My favorite object at the Driehaus Museum is a beautiful mantel clock featured in a guest room on the third floor. I think it is special for its refined simplicity. For me, museums are places we visit to connect with our memories of the past and clocks have always been a source of family reflection for me in that I grew up with a house full of antique clocks. Clocks are both functional and aesthetic. This clock I admire for its design and aesthetic appeal. Specially, I love it for its decorative ceramic tile. The tile is a moss green color and features a high relief image of a dragonfly. Unsurprisingly, dragonflies have been used for inspiration by artists for hundred of years and as an artist myself, I just love them.

The tile is special because it is a J. & J. G. Low Art Tile Works tile. This company was an American manufacturer of decorative ceramic tiles active in the later part of the 1900’s in Chelsea, MA. These tiles ornamented a variety of objects such as cast-iron stoves, trivets, fireplace surrounds, and walls. In fact, the museum has three rooms where the walls feature these tiles."
- Eirik Anderson, Museum Guide

#athingofbeauty #driehausmuseum #museumfromhome #staffpicks
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J. & J. G. Low Art Tile Works (American, 1877-1907). Clock, 1884. Glazed tile and gilt bronze. Photograph by TripAdvisor user HMKaren, August 2018.

04/24/2020

Today at 4 p.m., hear from A Tale of Today artist, Nate Young. Details below.

Today at 4pm CST join Nate Young in conversation with Stephanie Cristello (Artistic Director, EXPO CHICAGO | Editor-in-Chief, THE SEEN) as they discuss the concepts linking his recently mounted solo exhibition Transcendence of Time at Monique Meloche Gallery and upcoming two-person exhibition A Tale of Today at the The Richard H. Driehaus Museum. They will explore how Young’s narrative-based sculpture investigates the illusion of time, and how its nature seems more malleable than ever in the current climate.

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83425122060

#ChicagoGalleries #MuseumfromHome #StaySafe #ExpoChicago

04/22/2020

This Earth Day, many of us are feeling exceptionally grateful for nature.

In the words of Mark Twain, "Each season brings a world of enjoyment and interest in the watching of its unfolding, its gradual harmonious development, its culminating graces-and just as one begins to tire of it, it passes away and a radical change comes, with new witcheries and new glories in its train."

#earthday #driehausmuseum #marktwain
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Tiffany Studios, American (1902 - 32). Garden Landscape Window, c. 1900-1910. Leaded glass. The Collection of Richard H. Driehaus, Chicago. Photograph by John Faier.

04/21/2020

When the light hits just right, things have a tendency to glow. Letting all the #MuseumSunshine in today - we hope you are too!
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Image: Artist unknown, Japanese, Meiji period. Patinated cast bronze vessel, c. 1893. Photo by Flickr User Peter Hayes Millen.

04/20/2020

Today is Agnes F. Northrop's birthday. Born in 1857 in Flushing, New York, Northrop was the foremost female artist at the Tiffany Studios. She began her career with Tiffany in 1884 at the age of twenty-seven. She shared Tiffany’s love of nature and, during her five decades at the Studios, Northrop used her artistic abilities to pioneer the genres of landscape and floral stained-glass windows. She was even awarded a silver medal at the Paris World’s Fair of 1900 for her stained-glass designs. After Tiffany Studios closed, Northrop remained active as a designer of leaded windows until the age of ninety-four.

#driehausmuseum #tiffanyglass #womanartist
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Image 1: Agnes Northrop, American (1857-1953). Landscape, c. 1890-1925. Gouache and oil on board. Photograph by John Faier.
Image 2: Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, American (1892-1900). Designed by Agnes Northrop, American (1857-1953). Lilies and Palms Underhill Memorial Window , probably after 1895. Leaded and enameled glass. The Collection of Richard H. Driehaus, Chicago, 40007. Photograph by Michael Tropea, 2018.

04/18/2020

In honor of World Food Travel Day, we present you with one of our Dining Room menus!

Gilded Age Americans loved having food from around the world to show off their wealth and taste. This menu (imagined for a Nickerson Dinner Party) features:
-Lyonnaise Potatoes, a French dish of sliced pan-fried potatoes
-Chicken Livers with Madeira, wine from the Madeira Islands off of Portugal
-Punch Lalla Rookh, a boozy dessert drink featuring Jamaican rum and vanilla ice cream. This drink takes its name from the daughter of 17th-century Mughal emperor featured in an 1817 poem written by a Irish poet, Thomas Moore.

In which Chicago dining room will you enjoy your first meal out when we can venture out to eat again?

#driehausmuseum #worldfoodtravelday #chicagodining
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The Dining Room Photo by Steve Hall of Hedrich Blessing, 2008.

04/17/2020

While our staff is working remotely, we asked them to share #athingofbeauty that they miss seeing at the Museum.

"How can Flora, who is made of white marble, take on different colors depending on the day of the year and time of day?

The answer to this mystery are the stained-glass windows on the South end of the second floor. As Flora looks upward, she is touched by the sun shining through the beautiful and colorful windows.

As I have watched Flora take on different shades and hues, I have imagined that the Nickersons planned the placement of those windows just so that objects in the house would reflect the colors in those stained-glass pieces."
-JoAnn, Museum Guide

#athingofbeauty #driehausmuseum #museumfromhome #staffpicks
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Sculpture attributed to Raffaello Romanelli (Italian, 1856 - 1928). Flora, late 19th century. Marble. Photographed in the Main Hall of The Richard H. Driehaus Museum, Chicago.

04/15/2020

In celebration of World Art Day, we pay tribute to those who are patrons of the arts. When the Nickersons commissioned their home in 1879, they asked that a purpose-built art gallery be included in the design. They had amassed a significant art collection of European paintings along with Chinese and Japanese porcelains, ceramics, and bronzes which they wanted to be able to share with their visitors and guests.

In 1900, when they returned to East Coast, the Nickersons donated most of their collection to the Art Institute. At the time it was the most significant gift in the young museum's history and, today, remains a lasting legacy and an important part of the cultural heritage of Chicago.

#worldartday #driehausmuseum #chicagohistory #artpatrons
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Image: The Gallery of the Nickerson Mansion, ca. 1883.

04/13/2020

Eternal Light: The Sacred Stained-Glass Windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany at the Driehaus Museum

As the majestic windows of our most recent exhibition, Eternal Light: The Sacred Stained-Glass Windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany, quietly come down, we contemplate the motive behind their creation – the art of uplifting images in vibrant colorful glass to conjure strength, compassion, meaning, and hope in extraordinarily difficult times.

With this in mind, the Driehaus Museum presents this virtual feast for eyes and ears - a journey through the sublime art glass of Louis Comfort Tiffany accompanied by the pastoral music of Aaron Copland.

Wherever you are watching, we hope the experience lifts your spirits and brings you joy.

DriehausMuseum.org

#driehausmuseum #museumfromhome #virtualtour #museumvirtualtour #tiffanystainedglass #sharethejoy

04/08/2020

#WhatIsItWednesday

In honor of Easter week, this Wednesday we present you with some beautiful oil on canvas lilies from a painting in the museum!

Can you guess what painting they are from?

Here are some hints:
The painting is in a room with a lot of floral details.
The artist of these lilies belonged to The Birmingham Group, a late 19th century offshoot of the Pre-Raphaelite movement.
The subject of this painting is the patron saint of music.
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Sidney Harold Meteyard (English, 1868-1947)
Saint Cecilia
Late 19th-Early 20th century
The Richard H. Driehaus Collection, 151467
Photograph by John Faier, ©️ The Richard H. Driehaus Museum, 2013

This painting, found in our drawing room, depicts Saint Cecilia. Saint Cecilia was a Roman martyr who had taken a vow of chastity, but forced to marry a pagan. Instead of taking part in her wedding she sang to God. After her pagan husband converted to Christianity, he saw an angel beside her, crowning her with a wreath of roses and lilies.

In his depiction of Saint Cecilia, Meteyard adheres to the conventional iconography of the saint: an angel attendant, a pipe organ, and lilies. He most likely drew inspiration from Tennyson’s poem, “The Palace of Art”, a favorite of his Pre-Raphaelite mentors, which describes Saint Cecilia as “near gilded organ-pipes” while “An angel look'd at her.” It is quite likely that Kate Eadie, Meteyard's wife and a jeweller featured in our Maker & Muse exhibition, was not only the model for Saint Cecilia but for the angel as well.

Read more about this painting at: http://driehausmuseum.org/exhibitions/collection-highlights

04/07/2020

Flowers always make us feel better, how about you?

These artfully carved wood flowers are #athingofbeauty making us long for the days when we can enjoy these blossoms up close and personal.

#athingofbeauty #driehausmuseum #museumfromhome
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The Drawing Room (details), 2020. The Richard H. Driehaus Museum, Chicago.

04/06/2020

The second owners of the Nickerson Mansion were Lucius and Katherine Fisher. Mr. Fisher commissioned one of Chicago's first skyscrapers, the Fisher building, designed by Daniel Burnham & Co., and completed in 1896.

#driehausmuseum #museumfromhome #chicagoarchitecture #chicagohistory
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Image: February ,1971 South Entrance - Fisher Building, 343 South Dearborn Street, Chicago. Photography by Jack E. Boucher. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

04/04/2020

With many of us spending more time at home, Slow Art Day comes as a welcome excuse for us to pause and celebrate art by practicing some close looking.

The fireplace in our Reception Room is an eclectic masterpiece. By slowing down and admiring each element, we can really get to know the Aesthetic Movement which defined much of the design choices in the Nickerson’s Gilded Age home. Swipe through these images to see each feature up close. Which one is your favorite? Tell us in the comments below!

#slowartday #driehausmuseum #gildedagemansion #museumfromhome
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The Reception Room Fireplace (details), 2020. The Richard H. Driehaus Museum, Chicago.

04/02/2020

In celebration of International Children's Book Day, The International Publishers Association (IPA), the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have announced a joint initiative - #ReadTheWorld. Children's authors around the world will read their books, virtually, to young people who are currently sheltering in place. We are happy to help spread the word for this meaningful cause with today's post.

The first image here is a portrait of Walter Crane, a prolific children's book illustrator at the end of the 19th century, by Sir William Rothenstein. This portrait will be featured in our upcoming exhibition, PAN: Prints of Avant-Garde Europe, 1895-1900. The second image is an 1875 illustration by Crane from Beauty and the Beast.
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#driehausmuseum #museumfromhome #readtheworld #internationalchildrensbookday
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First Image: Sir William Rothenstein (British 1872-1945). Walter Crane (British artist and designer, 1845-1915) Published in PAN II, Volume 3, 1896, Lithograph.

Second Image: Walter Crane (British, 1845-1915). From Beauty and the Beast, 1875. Published by George Routledge and Sons, London.

04/01/2020

Tiffany and Chicago

As part of our Eternal Light exhibition, and to underscore Louis Comfort Tiffany's impact on Chicago’s art and architecture, the Museum organized a fourteen-stop interactive self-guided tour through the city.

Although you may not be able to go on the tour physically right now, you can take the tour virtually, by visiting the link below.

#driehausmuseum #museumfromhome #virtualtour
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Image of Levere Memorial Temple, Evanston by Instagram User @monumentswoman

Tiffany and Chicago, This interactive self-guided tour further explores the themes of Louis Comfort Tiffany's art in Chicago

03/31/2020

During this time of #socialdistancing we sure have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen! Anyone else?

Share any of your favorite dishes or recipes that are helping you make the best of things in the comments below.
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Image: A domestic servant in the kitchen at the Nickerson Mansion, ca. 1883.