Memorial Hall Museum |
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Old Deerfield, Massachusetts Museums of Deerfield Memorial Hall Museum / Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association / Deerfield Children's Museum |
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About Us Click Here for Our Reunion Page Become a Member Today! Make a Donation! 1799Asher Benjamin, Architect
2008 Exhibits
Don’t Smile for the
Camera: Another Angle on Early Photography Old Deerfield Craft Fair features tintype demonstrations and sittings
Tintype of an unidentified man, c. 1865, from Don’t Smile for the Camera, an exhibition at Memorial Hall Museum May 1 to November 2, 2008. John Bernaski, a practitioner of wet-plate collodion photography, will be featured in the Old Deerfield Craft Fair on June 21 and 22. Bernaski, of Oxford, NJ, often participates in Civil War re-enactments, and will be dressed for the part as a 19th century photographer with a photographer’s tent, backdrop, cameras, lenses and chemistry similar to what was used between 1850 to the 1880s. He will demonstrate a process that requires coating a sheet of tin with light-sensitized collodion, taking a portrait, and developing the collodion before it dries, hence the name wet-plate collodion. John Bernaski’s portraits on tin, known as tintypes, take about fifteen minutes to produce. He produces the popular quarter-plate size portraits, which are 4 ¼” x 3 ¼” for $40 each. Nineteenth-century tintypes often have the sitters holding items such as a book, a tool, or knitting needles. Visitors are encouraged to bring along a costume or hat or bring along an object which is meaningful to them. There will be a limited selection of costumes available at the show. John Bernaski’s demonstrations are offered in conjunction with the special exhibition “Don’t Smile for the Camera: Another Angle on Early Photography,” an exhibit of 75 photographs that explore expression. Memorial Hall Museum will be open free of charge during the Craft Fair from noon to four, and Curator Suzanne Flynt will be available to answer questions about the exhibition and early photographic processes. Read a review of the exhibit from The Berkshire Review.
Covered Bridges
Robert Strong Woodward, Charlemont, Ma, c. 1935 In the late-nineteenth century, photographers such as Clifton Johnson began documenting Franklin County’s covered bridges. Painters were also drawn to these local landmarks. Between about 1925 and 1935, four artists were inspired to paint these wooden structures. Although Marie Day Alexander, Clara Alquist, Kenneth Stinson, and Robert Strong Woodward looked to the same subject matter, each of these artists made distinct use of light, color, and texture to create their paintings. Little did the artists know that some of the bridges they painted would not survive more than a few years. See our Special Events page for a list of events. See our collections on-line, click here. |
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BRING your family and friends. Children are welcome! RESEARCH your family genealogy in the Museum Library. LIBRARY
Memorial Libraries open
Monday through Friday,
The new Children's Museum at Indian House Memorial in Old Deerfield, Massachusetts daily (during August and weekends Sept-Oct. 9) offers children a number of hands-on experiences of history. Ashley Storrow was one of the students in the museum's special summer school. For summer activities at the Children's Museum, see August listings on special events page. Many of the exhibitions are displayed in the same spirit as they were 100 years ago. When you step into Memorial Hall, you step back in time.
Museum is open daily May 1st through October 31st. Hours are 11:00 AM- 5:00 PM. Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for youth/students 6 to 21. The
Old Deerfield Children's Museum The first floor is open for viewing and hands-on activities. The door is kept locked. Please ring the bell for admission. Ongoing hands-on activities: Dress in 18th century clothing, try out a straw mattress, play with old-time toys, card and spin wool, read from a hornbook and write with a quill pen, make a tavern game, carry buckets with a yoke on you shoulders, find out what's for dinner in a 1700 kitchen, and mind your 18th century manners. ADMISSION: for Memorial Hall Museum is only $6.00 for adults; $3.00 for youth/students ages 6-21; free for members and children under 6. Children must be accompanied by an adult. A joint All of Deerfield Ticket is available to visit Memorial Hall and Historic Deerfield, Inc.'s 14 historic houses. Adults are $14.00 and youth/students ages 6-21 are $5.00. The ticket is valid for two consecutive days. GROUP TOURS and rates are available upon request. Programs, lectures, school groups and luncheons can be arranged for groups with a minimum of 15 people. HOURS: Daily, May 1 to November 2, 11:00 - 5:00.
Prisoner Halter, Kanien'kehaka Mohawk, Quebec, Canada, 1746
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To our Award Winning Old Deerfield Craft Fairs |
See our map and guide to African American sites. Historic Sites Guide |
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DIRECTIONS: Memorial Hall is located on the corner of Memorial Street and Rt. 5 & 10 in Deerfield, Massachusetts. From the south, take I-91 North to Exit 24, then drive 6 miles north on Rt. 5. From the north, take I-91 South to Exit 25, and follow signs for Rt. 5 North 5 miles to Deerfield.
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EXPLORE
nineteen exhibition rooms on three
floors at your own pace with self-guided tours.
VISIT
the Museum Gift Shop, featuring New England crafts and museum publications
or go to our on line 
ATTEND
concerts and special programs
offered regularly throughout the season.
