Professor Robert J. Allison reviews the political and economic context surrounding the Boston Tea Party and the details of the event itself. The lecture occurs in the Old South Meeting House, where the meeting preceding the Tea Party took place.
Audio and video options are available. The video can be viewed with or without captions.
Curator Erica Hirshler introduces the Bostonians who collected and supported the work of French Impressionist painters including Jean-Francois Millet, Jean-Baptiste Corot, and Claude Monet. Hirshler examines the basis for this enthusiasm for Impressionism. Her presentation includes slides.
Audio and video options are available.
A panel of historians and political analysts discuss the experiences and history of Irish and Jewish immigrants and their descendants in Boston. The panelists look at the current population of these ethnic groups in Boston, as well.
The discussion's audio can be downloaded in mp3 format.
Historian Steve Puleo reviews his research into the history of Italian immigration to Boston and the lives of the Italian immigrants in Boston. He focuses on the years 1900 to 1918, when Italian immigration soared, while also looking at modern-day Italian Americans in Boston.
The lecture audio is available independently as an mp3 file.
Donald Cann of the Boston Harbor Islands and John Galluzzo of the Massachusetts Audubon Society show the multiple uses of Boston Harbor by displaying a series of historical postcard images, from the Boston docks and shipyards to the amusement parks and summer playgrounds of the early 20th century.
The lecture audio is available independently as an mp3 file.
Musicologist Steven Ledbetter talks about his research into Boston's music life between 1875 and 1925, focusing on individuals who are now buried in Boston's historic Mount Auburn Cemetery. His presentation includes some recorded performances of works by composers buried at Mount Auburn.
A downloadable mp3 version of this lecture is also available.
Author Mark Kurlansky reviews the history of New York City, using the perspective of the wildlife that once lived in the area as a framing device—particularly that of the eastern oyster.
The lecture audio is available separately for download.
Boston Public Library president Bernard Margolis and Athenaeum librarian and program director Richard Wendorf discuss ownership of cultural property and the question of whether the Boston Athenaeum should have become the Boston Public Library. The presentation outlines the early history of the Athenaeum and the history of the debate over whether the institution should become a public library.
An mp3 version of the lecture is also available for download.
As a part of a bicentennial series celebrating Boston Athenaeum writers, Marshall Moriarty presents orator and statesman Daniel Webster (17821852); Representative Martha M. Walz presents activist Lydia Maria Child (18021880); and Daniel R. Coquillette presents sixth President of the U.S. John Quincy Adams (17671848).
Mount Auburn Cemetery president William Clendaniel reviews the 175-year history of Boston's Mount Auburn Cemetery, the nation's first landscaped cemetery and a National Historic Landmark. This lecture includes visual aids.
The lecture's audio may be downloaded as an mp3.