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| Please consider joining us at Dumbarton House for the following entertaining, scholarly, fun, or festive public programs, all of which support our educational mission to inform the public about life in Washington during the early days of the Republic (circa 1800) and about Federal Period decorative arts and architecture. For more information about any of our programs please contact info@DumbartonHouse.org or 202-337-2288 Scroll down to see all program descriptions, or click on the title to go to a specific listing:
If you are ready to register for any Dumbarton House programs, or if you have questions, there are three options:
Programs with payment require registration. Free programs request reservations for groups of 5 or more. UPCOMING EVENTS
Join a curatorial expert for this special 60-minute after-hours tour of some highlights of the current collection. Non-members: $5.00. Members and Students-with-ID: free. Reservations requested, rsvp@DumbartonHouse.org, Paypal purchase or registration:
Collections Conversations at Historic Dumbarton House, a series of Brown Bag Briefings
Please join us for future next Collections Conversations, all Wednesdays: Admission to all Collections Conversations is free. Brown bag lunches are welcome. All A Collections Conversation programs are held in the Belle Vue Room, on the lower level. Reservations for groups of five or more are requested. Rsvp@DumbartonHouse.org. For past A Collection Conversations topics, click here for Dumbarton House's Featured Object.
Remaining 2009-2010 Season Dates All Concerts Held on Tuesdays Click here for a pdf of the 2009-2010 Season's listing of individual programs and performers. All concerts are held in the Belle Vue Room, on the lower level. Dumbarton House is fully handicapped accessible. Groups are welcome! Reservations for groups of five or more are requested. Please click here for information on how to register.
AND First Day of Spring Ball! We don't know for certain if Maria Bull Nourse used this pair of lovely silk slippers* to dance at her 1784 wedding to Joseph Nourse (first resident of Dumbarton House), but it's fun to consider! Your dancing slippers need not be so dainty, but your hearty enthusiasm will be welcomed at a new three-class series at Dumbarton House -- all planned to prepare you for our "First Day of Spring Ball!" Featured dances will be English Country, Waltz, and Cotillion. About the Instructor: Mrs. Pat Sowers is an accomplished historic dance mistress, having taught or performed historic dance at the Department of State, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Colonial Williamsburg, George Washington's Mount Vernon, Gadsby's Tavern Museum, and Tudor Place, to name only a handful. A former parochial school teacher, Mrs. Sowers has also taught Cotillion Classes for pre-teens at The Dumbarton House, and to young adults at risk for the City of Alexandria, VA. Regularly appearing around the Washington area as a past President's Lady, "Dolley Madison," known as the preeminent hostess of her times, Mrs. Sowers is well-qualified for that role having received honors as a Grand Master of Living History Interpretation in the Order of Cleo from the well-respected Living History Foundation. Mrs. Sowers has created several history camps for young people including those at The Dumbarton House, the Headquarters of The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Tudor Place , Gunston Hall, and at the Lyceum, Alexandria 's History Museum. After learning a few featured dances at our "Dancing & Diversion for Adults" classes, show off at the Dumbarton House first-ever First Day of Spring Ball. The delightful evening will include live music, dessert, touring of the museum's dining exhibition, and a party favor for each attendee. Federal-era attired encouraged; festive evening wear welcomed; comfy shoes a must! Reservations and pre-payment required. Space is limited, and priority reservations will go to dance class registrants, however class attendance is not required for Ball attendance. $10 per class or $25 for all three classes; Spring Ball: $50 per person. Reservations and pre-payment required. Space is limited. *Slipper shown (one of a pair) is on display in the Dumbarton House Visitors Center, in the permanent collection at Dumbarton House, a Gift of Mrs. John W. Stenhouse, District of Columbia Society.
Celebrate Washington's rich history of African-American life and contributions during an engaging lecture by best-selling author Breena Clarke at historic Dumbarton House. Ms. Clarke will share the results of her thoughtful and thorough research on the enslaved and free African-Americans who made their homes and businesses in the Georgetown community for generations. Coffee and cookies will be provided from 1:00pm. Ms. Clarke will discuss her novels Stand the Storm, set in Georgetown during the Civil War, and River, Cross My Heart (an Oprah’s Book Club selection). Ms. Clarke will share her research about the enslaved and free African-Americans who lived and worked in the Georgetown community. Sponsored by The DC Society of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America. Fee: Non member $10; Members free. Rsvp@DumbartonHouse.org or 202-337-2288, or via PayPal. Most recently, Ms. Clarke's "Stand the Storm" was nominated for the Hurston/Wright Foundation's 2009 Legacy Award. The novel, set during the Civil War, prompted Publishers Weekly to praise Clarke's "knowledge of the period and the novel's dense, deliberate narrative [that creates] a poignant story about the intricacies of human bondage and its dissolution, built around a family's unshakable faith in one another." Herring Hill, a historic African-American enclave in Georgetown that included the Mt. Zion and Female Union Band Cemeteries, is part of the story of "Stand the Storm," and is adjacent to Dumbarton House. A Washington, DC native, Ms. Clarke's personal knowledge of the city, its neighborhoods, and its environs makes her particularly qualified to speak about its history. The author describes herself at BreenaClarke.com, "I'm a writer and a talker, a listener and a watcher and a reader. I am sprung from a tradition of storytellers, people who enjoy relating anecdotes." Her thorough research and understanding of the place and time of her stories and characters, and her story-telling abilities make her an exciting and evocative speaker, as she returns to the Georgetown neighborhood and heritage that inspired her to create epic stories about historic Washington . The lecture is sponsored by The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the District of Columbia, at their national headquarters, Dumbarton House.
Enjoy the taste of history! Expand your taste by enjoying beverages offered during the Federal Period. Meet with experts who will share history, tasting advice, and comparisons to the present-day. The Museum will be open during the event for self-guided tours, along with stationed docents to explain the history, art, and decorative objects within the house and the Federal Period. Check back soon for details on upcoming programs! The cost is $20 per adult and advanced registration and payment are required. Please click here for information on how to register.
Cotillion Classes: From Etiquette to Netiquette The Fall 2009 Series was a great success! Check back for 2010 dates TBA "Oh, be-ha-v-e!" teased Mike Myers as 20th-century British spy Austen Powers calling mock attention to inappropriate conduct from his randy peers. It is, perhaps, still a point well made, albeit not one with a pointed finger. Young folks will experience the Museum and its collection as a backdrop to understanding the foundation of basic courtesies, from conduct on the dance floor to the dining table. Among the hot topics for review by budding 'tweens:
The "time traveling" instructors for the series are the veteran educator team, "The American Ladies," Jackie Geschickter and Pat Sowers who each have a collective history of working with young people spanning...decades (now, it wouldn't be polite to say how many, would it?). These ladies are dedicated to passing on the lessons of the past, such as that which our first president, George Washington, advised his nephew (in a handwritten note, we note), "...as the first impressions are generally the most lasting, your doings now may mark the leading traits of your character through life. It is therefore absolutely necessary if you mean to make any figure upon the stage, that you should take the first steps right." Local Washington, DC young folks aged 10-12 are invited to accept the challenge of Lord Alfred Tennyson, "The greater the man the greater the courtesy." For questions or to register, please contact: Rsvp@DumbartonHouse.org, or 202-337-2288 x450.
FAMILY FUN DAY SERIES: Hands-on activities for the whole family! $3 per activity per person. Space is limited. Reservations are requested but drop-ins are welcomed. Rsvp@DumbartonHouse.org or 202-337-2288 x227.
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Dumbarton at Dusk: After-Hours Tours
Discover Dumbarton House's Federal Period and decorative arts collection while enjoying your brown bag lunch! A bi-monthly series presented by Dumbarton House staff experts and guest scholars who share the stories of selected objects in an informal discussion about the history and use of the object.
Chamber Music Concert Series
Dancing & Diversion for Adults 
Black History Month Lecture by Best-Selling Author Breena Clarke
