Merchant's House Museum Events for June and July 2014


Merchant's House Museum
Happy 194th Anniversary, Seabury and Eliza Wedding registry, St. George's Episcopal Church On June 13, 1820, at the age of 40, hardware merchant Seabury Tredwell married 23-year-old Eliza Parker at St. George’s Episcopal Church on Chapel Street (now Beekman). The couple met when Seabury was a lodger in a boarding house run by Eliza’s mother. They lived on Dey Street until 1835, when they moved their family of seven children "uptown" to the exclusive Bond Street area. The house on East Fourth Street cost $18,000 and boasted "every modern convenience." Seabury and Eliza were married for 45 years, until Seabury's death in 1865. Eliza died in 1882. On display, through August 4: Eliza Tredwell’s 1820 Empire-style embroidered cotton wedding dress. In the last quarter of the 18th century, fashionable ladies adopted a simpler, lighter, and looser columnar style inspired by classical statues — often in fine, nearly transparent white cotton muslin that imitated marble. The style reflected the neoclassical movement that swept the Western world, beginning in the 18th century and continuing into the 19th century. The hem of this dress (above right) was most likely embroidered by a skilled artisan in India. The embroidered muslin would then be shipped to the west, sold in bolts, and joined to a hand-made cotton bodice (above left) by a dressmaker.
Coming Attractions coming attractions More information and reservations at www.merchantshouse.org/calendar TONIGHT, Friday, June 13, 7 p.m. 19th Century Lifeways Concert A Midsummer Serenade: Music to Greet the Solstice Sunday, June 15, tour at 2 p.m. A Father's Day Tribute to Seabury Tredwell Fathers visit FREE with accompanying child of any age. Tuesday, June 24, 6 to 8 p.m. Tea Tasting in the Garden with Harney Tea and Historic Royal Places, Inc. Saturday, July 12, 3:30 p.m. Special Interactive Tour for Families A Child’s View of Life in 19th Century New York *Thursdays in June and July, 5 to 8 p.m.* Summer Evenings in the Garden
19th Century Lifeways programs are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. “… without a doubt the most important historic house in this city, and unfortunately, now probably the most endangered.” Building construction next door threatens the structural integrity of the Merchant’s House. Learn more.

29 East Fourth Street, NYC 10003 212-777-1089 nyc1832@merchantshouse.org www.merchantshouse.org