Supporting scholarship and promoting popular understanding of the American Revolution is central to the work of the American Revolution Institute. The Institute welcomes distinguished scholars and authors to share their insights and discuss their latest research with the public at Anderson House through lectures, author's talks and panel discussions. The Institute also hosts a variety of other historical programs throughout the year, including our Lunch Bite object talks, battlefield tours, special Anderson House tour programs and other events. Many of the events we offer are free.
August 2019
Lunch Bite – A Collection of Images Illustrating the Art of War in the 18th Century
Bénédicte Miyamoto, associate professor at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle and a fellow in the Institute's library, will present highlights of manuscript maps, fortification drawings and artillery diagrams in the Institute's collections that illustrate the art of the war in the eighteenth century. Military engineers, draftsmen and topographers received artistic training that was used to produce these documents, which were vital tools in eighteenth-century warfare. Artistic skills were not only needed for in-situ sketching, but were also required to produce a wealth of…
Find out more »September 2019
Lunch Bite – Isabel Anderson’s Overseas Service in World War I
Sabine Fisher, museum collections manager, presents a scrapbook and medals from Isabel Anderson's overseas service with the American Red Cross during World War I. Isabel—already an active Red Cross member when the Great War broke out—was one of nearly thirty thousand American women who volunteered to serve with the organization on the Western Front. Her work in canteens and military hospitals in France and Belgium earned her honors from both nations, including the Croix de Guerre and Médaille de la…
Find out more »October 2019
Lunch Bite – A New Method of Macarony Making, as Practiced at Boston in North America
Join Executive Director Jack Warren for a discussion of a print depicting the practice of tarring and feathering, A New Method of Macarony Making, as Practiced at Boston in North America, published in London in 1774, along with a practical demonstration of the revolutionary art of tarring and feathering your opponents. The presentation will last approximately 30 minutes with time afterwards for up-close viewing of the print.
Find out more »November 2019
Lunch Bite – A Pensioner of the Revolution
Join Deputy Director and Curator Emily Schulz Parsons for a discussion of the oil portrait A Pensioner of the Revolution, painted in 1830 by John Neagle (1796-1865), and its role in the struggle for federal pensions for Revolutionary War veterans. This somber and arresting view of a poor, elderly man hints at the financial struggles many soldiers of the Revolution faced after the war. According to the artist, the portrait depicts Joseph Winter, a German-born veteran who was living on the…
Find out more »December 2019
Lunch Bite – Nisbet Balfour’s Letter Book of 1781
Join Kathleen Higgins, historical programs associate, for a discussion of Nisbet Balfour's letter book recording his correspondence in early 1781. The British commander at Charleston, South Carolina, communicated with notable figures from the war, including Sir Henry Clinton, Benedict Arnold and Sir James Wright. The presentation will last approximately 30 minutes with time afterwards for up-close viewing of the letters.
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