RECORDED PRESENTATIONS

The Age of Undress: Art, Fashion, and the Classical Ideal in the 1790s

Dr. Amelia Rauser of Franklin & Marshall College at Historic Rock Ford, January 2022.

“The Age of Undress explores the emergence and meaning of neoclassical dress in the 1790s, tracing its evolution from Naples to London and Paris over the course of a single decade. The neoclassical style of clothing—often referred to as robe a la grecque, empire style, of ‘undress’—is marked by a sheer, white high-waisted muslin dress worn with minimal undergarments, often accessorized with a cashmere shawl… Amelia Rauser investigates this sudden transformation and argues that women styled themselves as living statues—artworks come to life—an aesthetic and philosophical choice intertwined with the experiments and innovations of artists working in other media during the same period.”

This book is available in our Museum Shop.

January Object Share featuring Bethany McGlyn

Historic Rock Ford is delighted to share this video funded by the Decorative Arts Trust. Filmed in the John J. Snyder, Jr. Gallery of Early Lancaster County Decorative Arts, Bethany McGlyn shares a portrait of Henry Bates Grubb from the Snyder Collection attributed to Thomas Sully as well as the research that she conducted into Henry’s life and the intricacies of his inheritance. In addition to his father’s thriving iron business, her research uncovered documentation that Henry’s inheritance included at least nine enslaved adults and children and intersected with Pennsylvania’s 1780 Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery.

Bethany McGlyn is a History PhD student and Jefferson Scholars Foundation Fellow at the University of Virginia, whose research at Historic Rock Ford was supported by a Dean F. Failey Grant from the Decorative Arts Trust.

The American Longrifle: Backbone of Frontier Culture

Dr. Mel Stewart Hankla of Carter County, Kentucky, presents his program “The American Long Rifle: Backbone of Frontier Culture.” Dr. Hankla showcased examples of early material culture, knitting high-quality detailed images together with the stories of early American frontiersmen. Hankla contends that the emergence of art, fine silverwork, elaborate furniture, and the dramatic architecture of early America was made possible by a culture that had, as its backbone, the iconic long rifle.

Winter Blitz 1799: The 12th Night

A Millersville University Music Business Technology Production, performed by Lilla Jul Rockeband.

The video was the winner of the Europe Music Video Award for “Best Production.”

The video was also screened at the Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival.