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Exhibits

Current

Pictures for Victorian America: Prints by Hartford’s Kellogg Brothers

January 26, 2010 - July 17, 2010

This exhibition highlights the colorful images printed in Hartford by the Kellogg Brothers. These prints showcase daily life in the mid-19th century, from businesses and taverns to homes and schools. The Connecticut Historical Society has the world’s largest collection of prints by this enterprising and productive firm that once rivaled Currier & Ives. The exhibit is organized in conjunction with the publication Picturing Victorian America: Prints by the Kellogg Brothers of Hartford, Connecticut, 1830 – 1880, edited by the CHS’s Curator of Graphics, Nancy Finlay, with contributions by Executive Director, Kate Steinway, and Head of Collections, Rich Malley. The book is available on-site and online through our museum store.

Amistad: A True Story of Freedom

Last chance!  Closes March 25, 2010

This highly sensory, award-winning, multi-media exhibition explores the Africans’ struggle for freedom following the 1839 revolt on the ship Amistad and the Connecticut people in New London, New Haven, Hartford, and Farmington who helped them achieve it.

Ongoing

Tours & Detours through Early Connecticut

This award-winning exploration of life in Connecticut more than 200 years ago follows the trails of the English settlers and Native Americans, revolutionaries and loyalists.  Unique colonial period objects combine with hands-on activities and the “try a life” house, giving visitors of all ages something to enjoy.  Hear the words of the day brought to life and experience the American Revolution through a dramatic sound and light presentation.  

Inn & Tavern Signs

Between 1750 and 1850, there were more than 50,000 inn and tavern signs produced by American painters, creating a distinct visual language and offering a glimpse into tavern life, travel, and patriotic ideals in early America.  Only a fraction of these signs survive.  The Connecticut Historical Society’s collection—numbering more than 60 signs—is by far the largest and most spectacular in the country. A book about our inn and tavern sign collection is available on-site and online through our museum store. 

Hands-On History Gallery
Chance, Choice & Change: Coming to Connecticut

Why have people moved to Connecticut over time? This hands-on gallery explores some of the reasons through activities geared to families with children age 2-13.  Even adults may want to time themselves on the thread machine, sew tobacco leaves and set them to dry, or build a brick wall. Dress up, try out a musical instrument brought by immigrants, and relax with your family. It all starts by spinning a giant wheel of chance. Will you decide to stay or go?