Winter Sunset Boy

Orange tights. Bluish plum colored velveteen waist and long tabs.

Orange satin sleeve flounces. Cloth of gold upper waist piece.

Long gold fringe round neck. Cloth of gold cap with gold rays. Short yellow veil with long ends caught at the waist behind.

Laura Coombs Hills (1859-1952) American artist of pastels, watercolors, and miniatures

In the 1880s, Laura Hills was an illustrator for Louis Prang and Company, designing cards. After the turn of the century, she illustrated children's books and designed costumes. Her fairy-like figures with their diaphanous outfits evoked an enchanted kingdom.

Museum of Old Newbury collection

Upcoming Museum Events

"True British Valor": Celebrating General Wolfe in Newbury(port)

Thursday, January 25, 7 p.m.

"Mad, is he? Then I hope he will bite some of my other generals."

King George II on James Wolfe - 1759

James Wolfe was a bold, young British officer who led Newbury men (and others) into battle on Quebec's Plains of Abraham on September 13, 1759. His death at the moment of victory became legend, and Wolfe a martyr to the cause of British supremacy in North America.

How Wolfe's name and reputation survived Newburyport's patriot fervor during the Revolutionary War, emblazoned proudly on the tavern and hotel that were local institutions, is a story of loyalty, courage, and grief told through images, documents, and artifacts in the collection of the Museum of Old Newbury.

James Wolfe was born in January, 1727. We will explore his legacy with a brief illustrated history and celebrate with cake, punch, and a performance of the haunting lament General Wolfe on the fife.

This event is $5 for museum members and $15 for non-members. 

Community Collaboration: Ben Franklin Brings Two Museums Together

...by Bethany Groff Dorau, Executive Director

One of my favorite tasks as executive director of the Museum of Old Newbury is to keep an eye on items related to Newbury(port) that come up at auctions across the country, and, theoretically, the world. Generally, when my phone pings to tell me that an item has been identified, it is either silverware, fascinating but well-represented in the collection, or something from the fashion world with “Newbury” as its catchy name. Purses are a particular problem. Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Dooney & Burke, Kate Spade, all have made a Newbury bag, and they all apparently have excellent resale value. But I digress. 

Having sifted through handbags and silverware, every so often an item is revealed that really, really wants to come home to Newburyport. For me, the most compelling finds are objects that tell a rich human story, connect with other items in the collection, and are not currently well represented in our community. And then, since we have a wonderfully impulse-controlling process for spending our precious funds on the acquisition of objects, the item is sent to the panel of experts who make up our collections committee. The object runs the gauntlet, critiqued for provenance, condition, relevance, and more. Committee members advocate, dismiss, cajole, and then vote. If the item passes muster, the delicate process of determining our maximum bid, convincing the treasurer to approve the expenditure, and setting up the bidding strategy, generally via phone and/or internet, begins. This is not, nor should it be, a simple process. Accepting an item into the collection is like agreeing to adopt a puppy. We are responsible for its care and feeding for the rest of its life, and we are careful stewards of our finances.

A typical auction search of "Newbury" turns up a whole lot of silverware.

And so, when a mezzotint of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) came up for auction at Christies with a solid Newbury(port) connection and an auction estimate of between $8000 and $12,000, it was a long shot, to say the least. I added it to a list of other interesting items to send to the collections committee, and gazed at it longingly and moved on, and then, in a moment of extraordinary synergy, Ben’s face popped up during a Sunday talk about whaling, of all things, at the Custom House Maritime Museum. James Russell, the new executive director of the CHMM, who was giving the talk, noted the connection between Ben Franklin and the Folgers of Nantucket, and mentioned his connection to Newburyport as well. And then a well-timed joke – “If any of you have an extra couple grand laying around, we would love to get this back to Newburyport,” and then he looked at me. “And I’m sure the MOON would be interested as well.” I parried with a joke about how I would see what I have in my piggy bank, and we all moved on. 

CHMM executive director James Russell makes a joke during an event that lands beyond any of our expectations!

“Ask and ye shall receive,” as the Bible verse says. A donor stepped up, then another, then two more. The collections committee of the Museum of Old Newbury agreed to expend museum funds to cover the remainder of the costs over our very healthy maximum bid. We registered for the auction, consulted the experts, researched the family connection, looked in our collection at the other items that would compliment it, and fantasized about how cool it would be to bring it back to Newbury, where it had been sent as a token of affection all those centuries ago. 

The inscription on the reverse of the mezzotint, while obscured by a picture wire, is For Miss Sally Davenport in Newbury Port.

Benjamin Franklin, born in Boston, had complex family and friendship ties to Newbury(port). His older sister, Sarah, was the second wife of James Davenport. Davenport’s son William, from his first wife, was the proprietor of the legendary Wolfe Tavern. An aside: on Thursday, January 25, you can come meet William and explore his relationship to General Wolfe. William’s daughter, also named Sarah, was known as Sally, and it was to her that the mezzotint was sent, or perhaps delivered in person. Ben’s several visits are documented in 1754 and 1763, though more are likely, and his correspondence often refers to Newburyport friends and relations. It was, indeed, a small world. 

The auction was today at Christie’s in New York. I was assigned a floor bidder and was on the phone as the mezzotint went up and up and up…we had a determined opponent, and in the end, it sold for $12,000, and not to us. Alas. 

William Davenport, Sally's father, and Benjamin Franklin's step-nephew,, was the proprietor of the Wolfe Tavern, opened in 1762.

As I write this, we just lost the bidding war, and I was feeling a little deflated, if I’m honest. And then the phone rang, and it was one person after another consoling, encouraging, and thanking me for our collective efforts to bring this back to Newburyport. 

For me, this endeavor was a first, and the more I think about it, the happier I am to have been part of it, despite losing the item in the end. We forged a new kind of relationship with the Custom House Maritime Museum, worked with community members and donors to try to bring this piece back to Newburyport, and were heartened by the outpouring of support for our efforts. It matters far less where these items land than that they are held in this community, accessible to the public in some way, and cared for by the community that inspired them. We should all be working toward this common goal.  

For me, the mezzotint also introduced me to a member of my (very) extended family who I may not have encountered in any other way. Sally (Sarah) Davenport married Moses Parsons in 1774 and died on Valentine’s Day 1775, age 20, shortly after giving birth to her first child, a daughter, also named Sarah. She is my third cousin. Though we have other items related to Sally’s family, as far as I know, this mezzotint is the only artifact that we know belonged to her. Benjamin Franklin, who was her step-great-uncle, probably met her when she was a baby in 1754, and again as a ten-year-old in 1763, when he may have brought her the mezzotint. She clearly made an impression. I will never forget her, or the lessons learned from this experience. As Benjamin Franklin himself famously said, “we must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."     

Would you like to help return important items to Newburyport?

Join our list of angel donors, and we will contact you when significant financial support is needed to secure items offered for sale.

Community Event

Something Is Always Cooking...

Creamy Tomato Soup (Vegan)

Nothing warms the body and soul of a New Englander like a bowl of creamy tomato soup. No cream is used to achieve the delicious richness of this favorite soup, however, and if you're trying to reduce your intake of animal products, this fits the bill. Just make sure the bread used is vegan.  

This is a favorite in the Dorau household, and passes muster in a crowd of picky eaters. Serve with garlic toast for a hearty vegan meal.   

Ingredients:

¹⁄₄ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

3 medium garlic cloves, minced-pressed

1 pinch hot red pepper flakes

1 bay leaf

2 (28 ounce) cans whole San Marzano tomatoes with juice

1 tablespoon brown sugar

3 large slices hearty white bread, (Tuscan Pane or sourdough) crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces.

2 cups vegetable broth 

2 tablespoons brandy (optional)

salt and pepper

¹⁄₄ cup fresh chives, chopped

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Using a potato masher, mash until no pieces bigger than 2 inches remain. Stir in sugar and bread; bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf and discard.

Use an immersion blender, or transfer half of soup to a blender, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and process until soup is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Be extra careful when putting hot liquids in the blender. Never fill past 2/3 of the way full, and put a dish towel over the top just in case to protect your hands from getting burned by any hot liquid splashing up. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat with remaining soup and oil.

Rinse out Dutch oven and return soup to pot. Stir in veggie broth and brandy. Return soup to a boil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle each portion with pepper and chives and drizzle with olive oil.

Puzzle Me This...

Click the image to do the puzzle



This 1767 portrait of Benjamin Franklin by Scottish painter David Martin (1737–1797) hangs in the White House Green Room.