PHILADELPHIA THE CAPITAL CITY 1790-1800
EXHIBITION AND PROGRAMS
DURING PRESIDENTS' WEEK AT THE
ATWATER KENT MUSEUM OF PHILADELPHIA
February 9-10, 13-18
Philadelphia's tenure as the United States capital is the focus of a special display and public programs at the Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia timed to coincide with the Presidents' Day holiday. Portraits and memorabilia from the first president and programs reflecting the city's vitality bring to life the thrilling though apprehensive period when the dream of revolution became the national government.
On Exhibition
Philadelphia the Capital City 1790-1800 is anchored in a week-long display of iconic as well as personal objects and paintings of Washington, including the massive desk and two chairs he used at his home office at 6th and Market streets. There are four paintings of George and Martha Washington by renowned artists Charles Willson Peale, Rembrandt Peale, and Gilbert Stuart. Among the personal items on display are a tea caddy, a watch Thomas Jefferson brought Washington from Paris, camp knife and fork, an epaulette, a ring with Washington's hair, and a watch with key and seal. The earliest accurate image of the President's House at 6th and Market is also included. Curatorial presentations are offered daily at 2:00 p.m. for AKMP visitors.
Hours:
Saturday-Sunday, February 9-10, 1:00-5:00 p.m.
Wednesday-Monday, February 13-18, 1:00-5:00 p.m.
Group tours and school lessons available at other times.
Presidents' Week programs
Three programs illuminate the people, issues, and texture of the Philadelphia George Washington and John Adams experienced during their presidencies.
Sunday, February 10, 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Philadelphia's Caribbean Roots
An afternoon of music, conversation and refreshments capture the origins of Philadelphia's Caribbean connections in the 1790s.
1:30-2:30 p.m. Diane Turner, Ph.D., Curator of the Blockson Collection at Temple University and Michelle McDonald, Ph.D., assistant professor of history at Richard Stockton State College, discuss the little recognized but strong economic and cultural ties between Philadelphia and the Caribbean. Moderated by Cynthia Little, AKMP Historian, Turner and McDonald set the historical stage by highlighting people, products, and customs from the Caribbean that were a part of city life during the period.
2:30-3:15 p.m. Coffee and Caribbean refreshments from local bakeries.
3:15-4:30 p.m. AMLA (Latin American Musicians' Association) performs the Roots of Puerto Rican Culture presenting the convergence of three Caribbean cultures, Spanish, African and Taino Indians. The program includes samples of the musical styles and instruments such as congas, cuatro, guitar, keyboard, bongos, timbales and voices. Founded in 1982, AMLA is well-known for vibrant Latino music that keeps alive the Caribbean musical traditions in Philadelphia that can be traced to the late 1700s. Free for members or with AKMP admission
Wednesday, February 13, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Philadelphia Abolitionists and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
Positioned at the mid-point of the Atlantic coast, Philadelphia abolitionists played a pivotal role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. V. Chapman-Smith, Director of the National Archives and Records Administration, Mid-Atlantic Region, and Kenneth Finkel, Executive Director, Arts and Culture at WHYY, discuss Philadelphia's emerging anti-slave trade in the 1790s. In 1800, 8 years before the abolition of the slave trade and 39 years before the Amistad episode, the warship U.S.S. Ganges captured two American schooners carrying Africans destined for slavery. The program explores Philadelphia's emerging protest against the anti-slavery culture that made it a safe port to test the law regarding the fate of Africans captured on slave ships. The continuing legacy of the event is witnessed by descendents of those given the surname Ganges on arrival in Philadelphia. Free for members or with AKMP admission.
Saturday, February 16, 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Washington's Philadelphia Walking Tour
Walk the city and see it as George Washington may have seen it. In partnership with Independence National Historical Park (INHP), AKMP Historian Cynthia Little guides participants on a tour of Washington's Philadelphia. Starting at the Museum the tour proceeds to Independence Hall, Congress Hall, the Second Bank and the INHP archaeology laboratory where findings from the President's House excavation are presented and Michael Coard, member of the Presidents' House Committee and spokesperson for Avenging the Ancestors, discusses the meaning of the excavation and the revealed history for the city's African American community. Following a stop at Old St. Josephs Church the tour concludes at the Powel House on 3rd Street, the Georgian mansion of Samuel and Elizabeth Powel, often visited by the Washingtons. Refreshments are included at the Powel House. Reservations recommended; space is limited. Rain or shine. program fee: Adults, $15; under 18 years, $10. Members discount: Adults, $10; under 18 years, $8.
Philadelphia the Capital City 1790-1800 is sponsored by Fox Rothschild LLP and supported by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities' We the People initiative on American history.
