Event Calendar

From England’s first attempts to colonize America, artists and mapmakers created impressions of the New World that fueled European imagination. Maps served as powerful propaganda tools for colonial expansionists eager to convey the richness and abundance of the land and its inhabitants, often representing America as a latter-day Garden of Eden. Initially, mapmakers incorporated iconographic images of America’s flora, fauna, and native population within the decorative elements on their maps to promote the promise of a good and prosperous life in the New World. This exhibition will feature works that range from a 17th-century map depicting the “new World” as a literal Garden of Eden to maps celebrating the newly established United States of America.

9am - 6pm, daily

The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, one of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. The Art Museums are located at 301 South Nassau Street, Williamsburg, VA.

Online now, and the physical exhibit once we reopen May 14.

Ray Bradbury is perhaps best-known for writing Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, and The Illustrated Man. He was much more than those stories though: a screenplay writer, a friend to Walt Disney, and an amateur painter, just to name a few.

From a young age, Ray was obsessed with finding a way to live forever. He will certainly be remembered for his writing, but his influence elsewhere may surprise you.

May 14th - May 17th 10am – 5pm

After May 17th Thu – Mon 10am – 5pm

Adults $14
Seniors (ages 65+) $9
Students & Teachers (w/ valid ID) $9
Children (ages 12 & younger) Free

American Writers Museum
180 N. Michigan Avenue, 2nd Floor

Chicago, IL

A perennial Gaskell favourite is celebrated in this brilliant exhibition at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House.

The much-loved novel has never been out of print, and from its early serialised incarnation in Charles Dicken’s Household Words to the lovely BBC Television series starring Dame Judi Dench, the Cranford stories have been enjoyed by generations across the world. Despite its chocolate-box image, the stories of Cranford challenged the social constraints imposed on women of the Victorian era, whilst stories of cows in pyjamas and cats eating lace collars have kept readers giggling the world over.

This exhibition explores the enduring popularity of Cranford, the portrayal of the ‘Amazons’ who run the town, its worldwide reach from page to stage, and the many translated and illustrated editions that have been published since 1851. The exhibition will include rare editions of the book and one of the costumes worn in the BBC series by Elizabeth Gaskell’s House Patron, Dame Judi Dench.

Wed, Thu & Sun 11am - 4.30pm 

Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
84 Plymouth Grove

Manchester, UK

In the spring of 2019 Jayne Wrightsman bequeathed to the Morgan an exceptional collection of books bound for the highest echelons of 18th-century French society. Owned by kings, queens, dukes, and duchesses, the books are monuments of fine printing, elegant engraved illustration, and artistic binding by the most renowned craftspeople. Elaborately decorated bookbindings provided a canvas for an individual to signal their wealth and taste through bookbinders who reflected the trends and developments in contemporary artistic styles.

The books on display showcase the important role women, such as Madame Adélaïde, (daughter of King Louis XV) and Queen Marie-Antoinette, had as book owners and collectors. Book illustrations by François Boucher, Jean-Baptiste Oudry, and Charles Eisen capture the visual ethos of the 18th century, while the artisan binders (male and female) at the workshops of Luc-Antoine Boyet, Antoine-Michel Padeloup, Nicolas-Denis Derome, and others produced bindings worthy of the shelves at Versailles. This exhibition honors Mrs. Wrightsman’s gift and her collecting acumen in recognizing the important role bookbinding played in the decorative arts and the cultural life of the Ancien Régime.

Wed - Sun 10:30am - 5pm

The Morgan Library & Museum
225 Madison Avenue

New York, NY

Writing a new chapter

The impact of the typewriter has been much wider than simply speeding up the way we write. It helped revolutionise the world of work and change the lives of working women in particular. Typewriters helped them launch their own businesses at a time when female employers were rare and became a vital weapon in the fight for the vote. 

The typewriter's social and technological influence is revealed in this new exhibition and looks at its role in society, arts and popular culture. It traces the effect and evolution of typewriters across more than 100 years, from weighty early machines to modern style icons. And despite being erased from many offices by the rise of computers, the typewriter has remained a beloved design icon that is still in use today.

Tap into typewriters

Drawing on our outstanding typewriter collection, the exhibition features a range of machines, including an 1876 Sholes and Glidden typewriter which was the first to have a QWERTY keyboard; a 1950s electric machine used by Whisky Galore author Sir Compton Mackenzie; and the 1970s design icon, the Olivetti Valentine.

10:00 - 16:30

Free with pre-booked museum entry

Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3
National Museum of Scotland
Chambers Street

Edinburgh, UK