The Litchfield History Museum's new exhibition,
The Rules of Engagement: Courtship in the Early Republic,
opened to the public on Saturday, April 16th. The exhibition follows
the paths young people took as they experienced romance and entered
into courtship and, eventually, marriage.
Throughout the United States, young people of the period worked
hard to find a suitable mate. Litchfield residents witnessed particularly
high numbers of courtships. Each year of the early nineteenth century,
Litchfield became the temporary home to dozens of young men and
women from all corners of the new country who came here to study
at the Litchfield Law School and the Litchfield Female Academy.
Parents sent their sons and daughters to Litchfield knowing that
not only would their children receive a fine education, but that
they would meet a greater number of potential suitors than they
would at home. In Litchfield young people found an especially rich
and active social life, with many prospects for romance and courtship.
The great numbers of young people and flirtations also provided
opportunity for scandal, misunderstandings and heartbreak.
The Rules of Engagement showcases furniture, costumes, documents,
books, paintings, and household items from the Society's collection.
The exhibition was developed by both the Society's staff and guest
curator Kathleen Craughwell-Varda.
Craughwell-Varda is a museum consultant who has worked as both a
museum curator and a textile conservator. She graduated from the
New York University/Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum
of Art. The author of Looking for Jackie: American Fashion Icons,
she was a consultant for the Society's exhibition Inspiring Fashion.
Her other exhibition credits include work at the Historical Society
of the Town of Greenwich, the Scarsdale Historical Society, and
the Wilton Historical Society.
The Rules of Engagement was funded through generous grants
from the Seherr-Thoss Foundation and the Cultural Heritage Development
Fund of the Connecticut Humanities Council.
The exhibition was open from April 16,
2004 through November 27, 2004.
