VSA e-newsletter

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EVENTS

CARIBBEAN BUSINESS

Puerto Rico to host 39th Victorian Society in America annual meeting May 4-8

For the first time, the U.S.-based cultural organization will hold its annual event outside North America

By JOSE L. CARMONA

For the first time in its 39-year history, the Victorian Society in America (VSA) will hold its annual five-day tour and meeting outside the North American continent. The event will take place in Puerto Rico, May 4 to 8.

An estimated 100 participants will tour local homes, churches, and public buildings dating from the 16th to 20th centuries during their stay in Puerto Rico, said VSA member and art historian Federico Suro.

Suro was instrumental in the organization’s selection of Puerto Rico for its annual meeting, through his introduction to the organization of the book "Puerto Rico 1900," by Jorge Rigau, dean of the New School of Architecture at Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico in Hato Rey.

"Through the abundant illustrations in Rigau’s book, VSA leaders became aware of the many well-preserved historical buildings on the island and decided to hold the organization’s 39th annual meeting in Puerto Rico, the first time the organization visits outside the U.S. mainland and Canada," Suro told CARIBBEAN BUSINESS.

Rigau will introduce the island’s unique and diverse architectural legacy in a keynote speech during the VSA’s opening reception, at the Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel & Casino. Rigau and Enrique Vivoni Farage, director of architecture and construction archives at the University of Puerto Rico, will be the cultural group’s tour guides, Suro said.

"The group will begin by tracing Puerto Rico’s rich past with a tour of the picturesque town of San Germán in the southwestern hills of Puerto Rico. The sights will include the ancient Porta Coeli, or ‘Heaven’s Gate’ church, built in the early 1500s, and three private homes that reflect the various late and post-Victorian styles, from Queen Anne to European art nouveau and bungalow," Suro said.

On the second day, the VSA members will go on a walking tour of Old San Juan, where they will be shown the city’s roots as a fortified city in the early post-Christopher Columbus days to its early 20th century focus on building architecturally significant civic and governmental buildings along Constitution Avenue, Suro explained.

The following day the doors of buildings normally off-limits to everyday sightseers in Ponce will be opened exclusively for the group’s visit to the city considered Puerto Rico’s 19th century crown jewel, or the island’s "Pearl of the South," Suro added. Special stops in Ponce will include the red-and-black-horizontal-striped Parque de Bombas (historical firehouse), the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas), and Casa Monsanto, a privately owned 19th-century townhouse, one of the many architectural gems on Ponce’s Isabel and Reina streets. The trip to Ponce will end with a visit to the Ponce Art Museum, which houses the best collection of European art in Latin America, along with the island’s best.

Events at the UPR and Puerto Rico Polytechnic University will include the VSA’s annual meeting, during which members will elect a new board of directors, as well as a tour of the Puerto Rico Art Museum in Santurce, where they will hear a lecture on Puerto Rican art.

On a postmeeting tour, the group will visit the restored architectural masterpieces of Casa Roig in Humacao and Casa Cautiño in Guayama, Suro revealed.

"During their stay, VSA members will also enjoy the many fine restaurants, shops, and spectacular natural scenery Puerto Rico has to offer," Suro added.

April 7, 2005
Copyright © 2005 CARIBBEAN BUSINESS. All Rights Reserved
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Fall Study Tour: Mid-Hudson Valley
October 14, 15 and 16, 2005

The Victorian Society in America’s Fall 2005 study tour – co-sponsored with Wilderstein Preservation – focuses on the Mid-Hudson Valley.

Click: Symposium

...already proving popular.

Interest is already being shown in our Fall Study Tour to the Mid-Hudson Valley.

Please note that for this and all future events, registration will be begin on an announced date that is sufficiently advanced to preclude advance booking and allow a fair notice to all members.

So please await receipt of the brochure or announcements in printed and email newsletters.

Thank you.

MEMBERS
Gersil N. Kay, Philadelphia Chapter PRESERVATION The Proposed 10 Rittenhouse Square Condominiums Preservationist Gersil Kay brings to our attention several threatened Victorian buildings at a historic Philadelphia site. And she is also looking for volunteers for a rally to protect these buildings. Ms. Kay says that a dreadful precedent will be established if unnecessary demolition of still-usable Victorian/Edwardian buildings surrounding Philadelphia's beautiful Rittenhouse Square are allowed to make way for a condominium tower block. "The Rittenhouse Square Historic District is a vibrant urban oasis that serves every level of society" says Ms. Kay. "The whole idea is simply poor business, the opposite of ingenious Victorian thinking. It is also contrary to the city's Preservation Ordinance. It is ironic that the architect is a strong preservationist in New York, but has failed to convince the developer to re-use the period properties here." More urgent is the need for publicity. Ms. Kay is looking for imaginative suggestions to attract the attention of the public, the media and politicians before it is too late. She already has plans to represent the threat of the uncompromising developer in the form of a mustachioed villain in pursuit of a lady in Victorian dress. If you think you can help please contact her at: 215-568-0923. SEE LOCAL NEWS STORY http://www.philly1.com/story1041404.html
Dr. Ian Dungavell (UK) As reported in the March issue of the email newsletter, VSA member Dr. Ian Dungavell, who is the director of the UK Victorian Society, will be touring America to explore the role of communities in saving their heritage. He is among more than 100 beneficiaries of this year's Winston Churchill memorial trust awards, a UK scheme designed to create a better understanding of the lives of people and cultures overseas. Ian is currently in the process of making his travel plans and would appreciate the help of VSA members. Please visit Ian's Churchill Fellowship web site at www.dungavell.net that explains more of his plans and gives people an opportunity to comment. Dr Ian Dungavell Director The Victorian Society 1 Priory Gardens London W4 1TT Telephone 0870 774 3698* Extension 45 Direct Line 020 8747 5891 Facsimile 0870 774 3699* www.victorian-society.org.uk
MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS
VSA member THE HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION is proud to announce a new fellowship to support scholarly research and promote the history and culture of Louisiana and the Gulf South. The inaugural DIANNE WOEST FELLOWSHIP IN THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES will be awarded in 2006. Located in the heart of the city's French Quarter, The Historic New Orleans Collection combines museum, research, and publishing facilities. Woest fellows will be based at the Williams Research Center, home to some 35,000 library items, more than two miles of documents and manuscripts, and approximately 350,000 photographs, prints, drawings, paintings, and other artifacts. The Woest Fellowship is open to doctoral candidates, academic and museum professionals, and independent scholars. U.S. citizenship is not required, but applicants should be fluent in the English language. Fellows will be expected to: * present a public lecture during their term of residence * acknowledge The Collection in any published work drawing on research completed under the aegis of the fellowship STIPEND: The fellowship carries a stipend of $4,000/month, to be disbursed on a monthly basis for a minimum of one and a maximum of three months. Fellows may select their period(s) of residence, but all research must commence and conclude during the specified calendar year. DEADLINE: Applications for the 2006 Woest Fellowship are due August 1, 2005. Awards will be announced September 15, 2005, with research to begin on or after January 1, 2006. TO APPLY: Applicants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with The Collection's resources by visiting www.hnoc.org Fellowship applications may be downloaded from the website's "research" link. For more information, call Dr. Alfred Lemmon, Director of the Williams Research Center, at 504-598-7124, or Dr. Jessica Dorman, Director of Publications, at 504-598-7174.
Can you help? VSA member The Delaware Art Museum is organizing an exhibition entitled 'Anatomy of a Painting: John Everett Millais' The White Cockade' under the direction of Dr. Margaretta Frederick, curator of the Bancroft Pre-Raphaelite collection. Several versions of the subject (also know as 'The Fair Jacobite') have not been located: a small oil on panel dated 1862, a Thomas Annan photograph of the painting dated 1862, a small watercolor dated 1863 and a George Zobel mezzotint published 1878. Can any members offer information or the whereabouts of these works? Contact: mwinslow@delart.org.
ARTS AND CRAFTS NEWS
Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's estate in Spring Green, Wisconsin, is regarded as an eminent example of Wright's vision of Organic Architecture, and encompasses work from every decade and phase of his career. Taliesin Preservation works to preserve and generate interest and awareness in the history and importance of Taliesin and Wright. See www.taliesinpreservation.org
MISCELLANY
from the pages of... A local volunteer is among this year's winners of historical preservation awards from the Rhode Island state Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission. Noreen Stonor Drexel will be presented with the Antoinette Downing Award for Volunteer Leadership. "She's been volunteering since World War II when she drove an ambulance in Newport," said her daughter, Noreen O'Farrell. Drexel will be honored for her work in preservation and educational initiatives at the city's historic properties, work she has been doing "for decades," her daughter said. At the Preservation Society of Newport County, Drexel was instrumental in saving the Isaac Bell House (1883), reinterpreting social history in the society's house museums, and sponsoring educational initiatives, such as the Victorian Society in America's Newport Summer School.
BOOKS The Publications Committee convened at the recent Winter Board Meeting. Among their deliberations were dozens of books of Victorian interest: some were short-listed for the VSA Book Awards, and some will be reviewed in our magazine 19th Century. The Committee also commended many recently published books as recommended reading. We shall feature several of these each month in the email newsletter, starting with these fine publications: Flora Symbolica: Flowers in Pre-Raphaelite Art by Debra N. Mancoff This stunning bouquet of romantic paintings brings together two important aspects of Victorian life—the pre-Raphaelite movement and the language of flowers—in one exquisite volume. Albert Moore by Robyn Asleson Albert Moore (1841-93) was one of the most important late Victorian artists. In a single-minded quest for aesthetic perfection, he employed the female figure to embody abstract systems of ideal beauty, and created many of the iconic and defining images of the Aesthetic Movement. Yet he has remained a shadowy figure. Based on original research and unpublished family documents, Robyn Asleson’s monograph presents a fresh view of the artist’s allegedly reclusive personality, and firmly establishes him as a major figure and a significant precursor of Modernism. This beautiful book is now issued in a paperback format that will bring the artist to a wide and appreciative audience. Ringlingville Usa: The Stupendous Story Of Seven Siblings And Their Stunning Circus Success by Jerry Apps Ringlingville USA is the story of seven brothers who started with next to nothing and became the most famous circus family ever known. This is an extensively illustrated history with many never before published photos. This first history of the Ringling Circus in over fifty years recounts the hard work, business savvy, and entrepreneurship of the Ringling Brothers as they created the largest, most famous circus in the world. Author Jerry Apps presents a comprehensive history of the family business while at the same time recreating the sights and sounds of the circus at the turn of the century.
Should members wish to purchase any books, the VSA will benefit if the purchase is made via Amazon.com by clicking on the picture links to the books. Similarly, ANY purchase at Amazon made within 24 hours of visiting their web site via the Amazon logo here or on our website will also benefit the VSA. Thank you.	WEBSITE OF THE MONTH The Victorian Society (UK) The Victorian Society is the UK's national society responsible for the study and protection of Victorian and Edwardian architecture and other arts. PREVIOUS WEB SITES OF THE MONTH
Renewing Our Mission Last month we published a reminder of the The Victorian Society in America statement of purpose as it appeared in the incorporation of the Society on December 30, 1966. In the interests of completeness, here is the same statement taken from the current by-laws: Purpose A. To foster public appreciation and understanding of the artistic expression of the Victorian Era in the United States. B. To engage in and encourage the preservation and the publication of material culture of the Victorian Era, including but not limited to architecture, fine and decorative art, design, planning and technology. C. To offer educational opportunities for the study of the Victorian heritage through schools, symposia, tours, lectures and other media. D. To serve as a reservoir of expertise on matters pertaining to Victorian culture, including but not limited to the maintenance of archives, records and reference works concerning Victorian material culture. From the bylaws of The Victorian Society in America, Inc
Nothing to wear..? And finally, your staff of one here at the email newsletter is engaged in some home Spring cleaning. I would report the assault on the spousal closet but discretion persuades me to opt for a literary description of the traditional theme: “Actually I have nothing to wear,” began Fan, impressively; “I’ve been too busy to think or care till now, but here it is nearly May, and I have hardly a decent rag to my back. Usually, you know, I just go to Mrs. O’Grady and tell her what I want; she makes my spring wardrobe, papa pays the bill, and there I am. Now I’ve looked into the matter, and I declare to you, Polly, I’m frightened to see how much it costs to dress me.” “Not so much as some girls I know,” said Polly, encouragingly. “Perhaps not, for I have a conscience, and taste is economy sometimes; but really, Polly, I haven’t the heart to ask papa for a cent just now, and yet I must have clothes. You are such a genius for planning and working wonders, that I throw myself upon you, and ask, ‘How shall I make a spring wardrobe out of nothing?’ ” “Let me see the ‘nothing’ before I advise. Bring out every rag you’ve got, and we’ll see what can be done,” said Polly, looking as if she enjoyed the prospect, for she had a great deal of that feminine faculty which we call “knack”, and much practice had increased it. Fanny brought out her “rags”, and was astonished to see how many she had; for chair, sofa, bed, and bureau were covered, and still Maud, who was burrowing in the closets, kept crying, “Here’s another.” An Old Fashioned Girl, Louisa May Alcott. First serialized in the "Merry's Museum" magazine July-December 1869. Cheerio!
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Let us know what you think of the e-newsletter and what you like to see in it. UNTIL NEXT TIME visit us on the web at www.victoriansociety.org The Victorian Society in America 205 S. Camac Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 info@victoriansociety.org Copyright 2005. Victorian Society in America. All rights reserved. Third party material used for scholarly purposes only.