EMAIL NEWSLETTER

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2003

 

 

Dear VSA Member,

 

Welcome to the second email newsletter of the Victorian Society in America, designed to keep you up to date with news from the Society and beyond.  These newsletters will appear periodically as time permits, usually around holidays, to supplement the paper publications of the Society. 

 

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

The VSA offers all its members and friends Season's Greetings, and best wishes for the holiday season and the new year.

 

REGIONAL HOLIDAY  EVENTS

We have posted holiday Chapter events on our web pages.  Click here for details.  See also our selection of Victorian holiday happenings from the nation's daily newspapers.

VSA CHRISTMAS

For fun and facts about the Victorian Christmas (and other resources), visit our Resources page at:

http://www.victoriansociety.org/reschristmas.html.

 

GIFT GIVING

Members are reminded that the Society's Annual Appeal is currently underway.  To donate, use the forms you have been sent in the mail, or, if you do not have a form, contact us about making a donation.  Please help us to continue our work in providing education, preservation support and member benefits. Donations are tax-deductible. Many thanks to those who have already donated.

 

WEBSITE CONTINUES TO BE UPDATED

The VSA website at www.victoriansociety.org continues to be updated regularly.  The site now has a new, but not too dissimilar, look.  Pages recently updated include PRESERVATION, RESOURCES, CHAPTERS, and SUMMER SCHOOLS.  Please pay us a visit; comments and suggestions are welcome.

 

VSA LENDS ITS VOICE TO PRESERVATION CAMPAIGN

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
 
The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts building (Furness & Hewitt, 1872) at Broad and Cherry Streets in Philadelphia is a masterpiece of Victorian architecture by the noted Philadelphian architect Frank Furness.
 
As part of plans to connect the building to another north of Cherry Street, a tunnel is proposed that would create a new basement stair emerging under the existing staircase in the Academy's fine entrance.
 
Many have opposed this idea, including architectural historian George Thomas, Pritzker Prize-winning architect Robert Venturi, and the society's own Prof. Michael Lewis, who has co-authored a book about Frank Furness (George E. Thomas, Michael J. Lewis and Jeffrey A. Cohen. Frank Furness, The Complete Works. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1991. ISBN 1-878271-04-0. NA 737.F84A4 1991).
 
On December 17, 2003, these noted scholars and many others formed a protest group outside the Academy to lobby board members to amend the scheme.
 
The VSA concurs in this dissent.  In a letter to the Director of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Charles J. Robertson, Chair of the VSA Preservation Committee writes:
 
"The Victorian Society in America joins others in opposing the proposal to bring a tunnel entrance into the entrance/stair hall of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Prof. Michael J. Lewis, a board member of the Victorian Society and a distinguished scholar of Frank Furness, has set forth in convincing detail Furness’ intent in designing this space and the impact intended on visitors to the building.  His arguments against altering the sophisticated interrelationships of this grand centerpiece of the Academy are persuasive.
 
The Pennsylvania Academy is a National Historic Landmark and is recognized nationally not only as a masterpiece of Frank Furness but also as a unique gem in the history of American architecture.  The dramatic visual impact of the stair/hall upon visitors must not be diminished.  The architect’s ingenious design must not be violated.  With its national membership and eighteen individual chapters throughout the country, the Victorian Society urges the Academy’s director and board of trustees to explore alternative solutions for a tunnel entrance into this icon of American architecture."
 
Further support: contact Michael Lewis at: michael.j.lewis@williams.edu

MORRIS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY - DOCENTS WANTED

Acorn Hall, 68 Morris Avenue, Morristown, NJ

The Morris County Historical Society, headquartered at Acorn Hall, an 1853 Victorian Italianate mansion, is holding two volunteer training and information sessions in February.

Volunteer docents, also known as tour guides, give tours of Acorn Hall and MCHS exhibits and assist with special events throughout the year.  The Society is currently looking to expand its base of volunteer docents to staff the open hours of Acorn Hall on Mondays and Thursdays from 10 AM to 4 PM and on Sundays from 1 to 4 PM.   

Being a docent gives you much more than just the satisfaction of contributing to your community.  In addition, volunteering is a learning experience, through which you’ll get to see the “behind the scenes” work that goes into operating a historical society.  At the same time, you can share you love of history with people with similar interests.  Volunteer receptions and events are a great way to socialize with fellow history buffs. 

 If you have any interest in being a volunteer docent, you can attend a volunteer interest and training session at Acorn Hall on Tuesday, February 10th at 2 PM and Saturday, February 28th at 10:30 AM.  The snow date is Thursday, February 19th at 6 PM.  Both sessions will be the same, so you can attend whichever one better fits your schedule.  If you are interested in attending, contact Tracy Zengro, Program Manager, at (973) 267-3464.

OBITUARY - ELEANOR LAMBERT BERKSON, VSA MEMBER

On November 25th last, a memorial was held in honor of Eleanor Lambert, who passed away in October at the age of 100.

The memorial was held,  fittingly, at the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, just across the street from where she had long resided. The one-hour tribute was a combination of remembrances, poems, and visuals, and was well attended by many bold-faced names - including those who have made the Best Dressed List founded by Lambert.

Eleanor Lambert, the publicist noted for establishing the international stature of American fashion, is equally well known in all fields of the arts and luxury living. In private life she was Eleanor Lambert Berkson, widow of Seymour Berkson, American journalist (d.1959). Their son, William Berkson, is a recognized poet and art critic.

Born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, she was the first publicist to represent American art and its artists as personalities and international innovators. She introduced the Whitney Museum at its founding.

Source: Look Online: http://www.lookonline.com/content.html

WINTER BOARD MEETING, PHILADELPHIA - March 6-7, 2004

Note for Board Members: the VSA Winter Board Meeting will take place in Philadelphia, PA, on the weekend of March 6-7, 2003. 

In addition to board activities, there will be a tour of Girard College led by Hy Myers.  We will visit Founders' Hall (Thomas Ustick Walter1833-1847), the Stephen Girard Museum (located in Founders' Hall), and the later Chapel Building (Art Deco at its best).

PRESERVATION DEADLINE APPROACHES
Members and Chapters are reminded that the deadline for submitting nominations for the annual Preservation Awards is February 15th, 2004.  Please visit our redesigned Preservation pages for more information.
 
 
GRAND TOUR OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA - September 2-11, 2004

The VSA and the Summer Schools Alumni Association present a Study Tour of British Columbia.  This exclusive 10-day tour visits some of the most historic and scenic places in Canada.  John Adams provides expert commentary along the way, including evening lectures, readings, and onboard videos.

 

If you anyone outside the Society who would be interested in receiving the printed brochure, please let us know, or visit the website to download the color brochure (pdf file).

 

 

NOSTALGIA IS STILL WHAT IT USED TO BE

As the year ends, members can think back on the Society's tours by visiting the itinerary links for:

 

DETROIT

http://www.victoriansociety.org/fallmeeting2003.html

 

BUFFALO AND NIAGARA

http://www.victoriansociety.org/annualmeeting2003.html

 

 

BACK ISSUES

We recently received an order for 230 copies of the same magazine back issue. While we do not expect such enthusiasm all the time, surely there must be an article from the past that you'd like to read ?

 

Index of articles at: http://www.victoriansociety.org/backissuesindex.html

 

 

SAME EMAIL ADDRESS BUT...

The VSA email address remains info@victoriansociety.org. 

 

However, for reasons far to unVictorian to go into, we have changed our Internet Service Provider (ISP) from ATT to Verizon.  This means that any vestiges of our old email address that contained 'att.net' or 'worldnet.att.net' will not work after January 10th, 2004.  Do not reply to messages sent from the old addresses, and please check your address books to see that you have the correct address. 

 

 

AND FINALLY…

The great British tradition of Christmas crackers was invented by Victorian baker Tom Smith in 1847. The idea evolved from a trip to Paris in 1840 when Smith first discovered the “bon bon”, a sugared almond wrapped in a twist of tissue paper.  Smith brought the bon bon to London and later decided to place a small love motto in the tissue paper.  Over the next seven years this eventually developed into a cracker when he found a compound which [he discovered] gave a satisfactory bang.

 

A simple tradition no doubt.  However, your staff of one at the e-newsletter was alarmed by the Scotsman newspaper's who reported that again we are assailed by scientists intent upon changing our age old habits.

 

Follow closely now:

 

"Keeping a firm, two-handed grip spreads the force around the cracker and prevents it from tearing at your end, according to experts from research organisation QinetiQ.  Tilting your end of the cracker downwards at an incline angle during the pull is also said to maximise your chances of winning its contents.  After stringent laboratory tests, a team from QinetiQ’s human sciences division concluded that the perfect pulling technique depended on seven key factors.  In addition to grip strategy and incline angle, they found that a steady and controlled pull was necessary to maximise “peak force”.  But using too much “twisting force” should be avoided as this increases the strain on the shoulder of the cracker, making it more likely to rip in your opponent’s favour."


http://www.news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2328786

 

So now you know.

 

And once again - Happy Holidays!

 

John Cooper
Business Manager
The Victorian Society in America