A closer look at 18th century furniture styles at the John Brown House Museum! Queen Anne was the popular style for furniture when John and Sarah Brown bought furniture for their first house in the 1760s.  When they moved into their second house in 1788, the grandest house in town, they likely added pieces in the Chippendale style that had become popular and then later added pieces in the Hepplewhite style. On this special tour led by docent Michael Carroll, you will become familiar with some of the furniture that John and Sarah acquired in all these styles, and other fine furniture in Rhode Island homes during that period.  You will hear about and see the characteristics of Queen Anne, Chippendale, and Hepplewhite, and explore how furniture buying and construction was done during the late eighteenth century.

Tourists stream into shops and restaurants on Banister’s Wharf in Newport, purchasing products from Rhode Island and around the globe.  When merchant John Banister (1707-1767) owned this wharf in the 1740s, he imported luxury apparel, tools, household items, and foods from many places.  For nearly thirty years Banister’s ships traded goods from and to other American colonies, the West Indies, and Europe.  The Banister Account Books of September 1746 through December 1749, at the Rhode Island Historical Society and the Newport Historical Society, provide a focus on this golden era of trade. Lists of commodities provide information about the lives of consumers and producers in the public marketplace.  The transactions reveal a merchant’s family expenses and income.  Banister’s careful delineation of profit, loss, commissions, taxes, and ownership shares provides insight into his roles as merchant, retailer, ship owner, broker, and as a trade and industry leader of Newport.  These details of mid-eighteenth-century Rhode Island reveal how Banister, as an adventurous capitalist, influenced the economy of pre-Revolutionary America.

Presented by Dr. Marian Desrosiers, Adjunct Professor of History and Humanities at Salve Regina University, Newport, Rhode Island.  Dr. Desrosiers has a B.A. in history, M.A. in political science, and Ph.D. in Humanities.  She has received scholar research grants from the Rhode Island Foundation and Schlesinger Library, Harvard University.  Research for this presentation was partially funded by a scholar grant from the Rhode Island Council on the Humanities.

The American Band is a symphonic concert band comprised of over 50 adult musicians from Rhode Island and nearby Connecticut and Massachusetts. The band has a long and colorful history extending back to 1837, making the American Band one of the oldest continuously active bands in the United States. Their repertoire is both versatile and traditional with works ranging from classical to popular, marches and operatic overtures to modern works for band.

All concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. on the John Brown House Museum lawn, 52 Power Street, Providence. Concert goers can enjoy their own picnic, or purchase food and beverages on site.

2013: Faith & Freedom at the Rhode Island Historical Society
Three hundred and fifty years ago, Rhode Island was formed with a unique charter that spelled out more rights than any other document of its kind.  In 2013, as we mark the issuance of Rhode Island’s charter we ask: how has Rhode Island been shaped by its at once very religious population and its steadfast connection to tolerance?

The Atwater-Donnelly Band will present Traditional American Folk Music and Dance.

All concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. on the John Brown House Museum lawn, 52 Power Street, Providence. Concert goers can enjoy their own picnic, or purchase food and beverages on site.

Since 1989, Magnolia has been New England’s hometown Cajun band. Learning their music form Louisiana’s finest, has earned them a solid reputation at home and recognition in the Cajun heartland. Their dance lessons and music have helped build a strong sense of community at festivals and fais-do-dos all over Northeast. Playing high energy two steps and sultry waltzes, the band’s twin fiddles, accordion, guitar, bass and of course, rich vocals keep the audience on its feet long into the night.

All concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. on the John Brown House Museum lawn, 52 Power Street, Providence. Concert goers can enjoy their own picnic, or purchase food and beverages on site.