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About Jenny
At the CHS, Jenny plans and produces programs designed to provide members and new visitors with a way to engage and celebrate Connecticut history. From Behind-the-Scenes Tours to lectures with distinguished historians and even outdoor movies and fashion shows, Jenny’s curiosity inspires her to keep learning and she enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for the treasures of the CHS collection with anyone who will listen. Jennifer Bernhardt Steadman (Ph.D., Emory University), Adult Programs Manager at the Connecticut Historical Society, has taught at Emory University and Trinity College. Her research focuses on women’s history and women’s writing and she is the author of Traveling Economies: American Women’s Travel Writing (2007, Ohio State University Press).
Articles by Jenny:
Open Studio Hartford Comes Back to CHS
The CHS is proud to once again host Open Studio Hartford on November 15 &16, 11:00 am–5:00 pm, when we will welcome 17 local artists to display their work and offer it for sale.
(Re) Envisioning Hartford: Join the Conversations
We’re inviting CHS members, Hartford residents, and everyone from around Connecticut to join us thinking about Hartford from a variety of perspectives, from street level to neighborhood scope to bird’s eye view.
What if I lost this?!?
To make sure I have my bad pictures for all eternity, or at least until I send them to Awkward Family Photos, I’m going to pay attention to the experts at Save Your Photos Day on Saturday, September 27 10:00 am — 12:00 noon here at CHS.
What made Katharine Hepburn Nervous?
Not many things made Katharine Hepburn nervous, but the prospect of meeting French fashion icon Coco Chanel had her worried.
Got Style?
Katharine Hepburn was stunning wearing this grey silk marquisette gown in Stage Door (1937), but the beautiful draping of organza and chiffon of silk crepe de chine is just the start of the story this dress tells about how movies were made in the 1930s and how museums research and restore the items in their…
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He’s a Fixer Upper
Ron Tanner is a do-it-yourselfer, whether he’s fixing up his historic Baltimore row house or embarking on a book tour. We’re eagerly awaiting his arrival here at CHS in his camper van with his trusty sidekick, his Bassett hound Cleo.
Fancy Pants
Pants running. Pants standing. Best of all, pants doing a handstand. Pants are a perfect symbol of Katharine Hepburn’s unconventional approach to fashion and her exceptional Hollywood career. Decades before mainstream American women would dare to wear pants to work, Hepburn wore jeans on the studio lot in the early 1930s. The story goes that…
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Quiltmakers at Work, or Hey, There’s a Menagerie on my Petticoat
A mermaid, a lion, a griffin (or is it a leopard?), a fish, two stags, three rabbits, three different birds and what might be a dog. That’s the list of intricately stitched figures found around the border of Sarah Halsey’s amazing quilted petticoat.
Got Style?
My fashion-show debut was in the juniors department in Macy’s. It was the culmination of several weeks of classes in style and etiquette, and I strutted down the make-shift catwalk in a yellow polka-dot outfit. I don’t remember the details, except I think there was a vest and I know my collar was up (hey,…
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G. Fox Was Way Ahead of Amazon
Long before Jeff Bezos imagined drones delivering packages to your door, G. Fox & Co. built their business on world-class service and home delivery—and even air delivery. So many Hartford residents have warm memories of visits to the iconic downtown department store, but the truth was that you didn’t have to set foot in G….
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Open Studio Hartford Comes to CHS
For artist Vicente Garcia, form and scale are crucial elements of his artistic production. On the beautiful fall day when he installed his large outdoor sculptures on the CHS grounds, he also needed strength and dexterity and some really good climbing skills. For those of you strolling past the CHS along Elizabeth Street or Asylum…
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Forget the Futon, It’s Time for Grown-Up Furniture
Ok, I’ll admit that we still have a futon in our basement. But that’s not our greatest source of furniture shame. I remember vividly the hot afternoon we set out to get a new desk for my husband. I was a graduate student at the time and money was short, so we headed to a…
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Witches are Coming!
I’ll admit I was depressed when my local supermarket started putting Halloween candy out before my kids went back to school, but I’ve actually been thinking about the creepiest season of the year for months now. Thanks to CHS trustee Richard Tomlinson (author of Witchcraft Prosecution: Chasing the Devil in Connecticut), we’ll be hosting a…
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