NRF promotes and invests in the architectural heritage of the Newport community, the traditional building trades, and Doris Duke’s fine and decorative arts collections, for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of all.
As a leader in the preservation of early American architecture, NRF supports research and education in areas directly related to its collections and issues of critical concern to the field of historic preservation.
Visit Doris Duke’s art-filled mansion and enjoy panoramic ocean views from the extensive grounds. Open late March to November.
The Vernon House is a site for expansive story-telling, contemporary dialogue, and preservation trades skill-building.
Newport Restoration Foundation holds one of the largest collections of period architecture owned by a single organization anywhere in the United States.
Celebrate excellence in historic preservation efforts within the City of Newport, Rhode Island.
Live amidst history by renting one of our many historic properties.
September brings with it a new season and the last of our Whitehorne Days and Second Sundays programming for 2022. We hope you will join us for these fun upcoming events! Advance registration is encouraged.
Whitehorne Day: Port City
Whitehorne House Museum (416 Thames St.)
Saturday, September 10
12 – 3 p.m.: Drop in for crafts, activities, and more
3-4:30 p.m.: Discussion with Silver Moon of the Tomaquag Museum
Free admission to the event and museum
Discover the role of the ocean in Newport life in the 18th and 21st centuries! From 12 to 3 p.m., drop into the garden to take part in crafts, activities, and conversations with craftspeople, experts, and shop owners. Uncover the secrets of the ocean with the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project, learn all about sailing with the crew of the Oliver Hazard Perry, and meet team members from The Sailing Museum and the Tomaquag Museum. From 3 to 4:30 p.m., join us in the back garden for a discussion with Silver Moon from the Tomaquag Museum.
Whitehorne Days programming is made possible through major funding support from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, an independent state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Council seeds, supports and strengthens public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement by and for all Rhode Islanders.
Second Sundays
Prescott Farm (2009 West Main Rd., Middletown)
Sunday, September 11
12-3 p.m.
Free admission
Climb inside the historic Robert Sherman Windmill, explore the gardens with URI’s Master Gardeners, and enjoy the beauty of this open space. This month, the Boys and Girls Club of Newport County invites you to try your hand at rock painting!
Roam Around Rough Point Seasonal Celebration
Rough Point Museum (680 Bellevue Ave.)
Saturday, September 24
5-7 p.m.
Join us for a very special Roam Around event to celebrate the end of summer! In celebration, admission is free for all attendees. Enjoy complimentary refreshments including Del’s Lemonade, listen to live music by local blues band Cee Cee and the Riders, and challenge your friends to lawn games overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
About The Museum Properties:
Active duty military and their families receive free admission to Rough Point and Whitehorne House Museums through Monday, September 5. Rough Point is open on Monday, September 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. To plan your visit, please visit newportrestoration.org/tickets.
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Newport Restoration Foundation is thrilled to welcome you to our museum properties this August for a variety of free and ticketed programs. Mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
Summer Stories Whitehorne House Museum (416 Thames Street, Newport) Fridays / 10– 11 a.m. Free admission
Listen to storybook readings in the garden and put together a themed craft to take home. This program is recommended for kids aged Pre-K to first grade. Admission to the museum is also free for families with children under the age of 12 on Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon through August 26.
TGIF Performance with the Rhode Island Black Storytellers Rough Point Museum (680 Bellevue Avenue, Newport) Friday, August 5 / 6:30-7:30 p.m. $15
Join the Rhode Island Black Storytellers and Funda Story Camp students for emancipation-themed stories in the Formal Garden. Attendees can bring blankets, chairs, and picnics for the performance. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the program begins at 6:30 p.m.
Funding is provided in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and private funders.
Whitehorne Day: Makers Past and Present Whitehorne House Museum Saturday, August 13 12 – 3 p.m.: Drop in for crafts, activities and more 3-4:30 p.m.: Panel discussion Free admission to the event and museum (advance registration is encouraged)
Drop into the garden at Whitehorne House Museum for an afternoon of free hands-on activities for the whole family including weaving, soap making and printmaking on textiles! From 12 to 3 p.m., the garden will be open for visitors to take part in crafts, activities, and conversations with Newport artists and craftspeople including the Timber Framers Guild, Newport Sea Foam Trading Co., the Saunderstown Weaving School, and Niko Merritt of Sankofa Community Connection.
From 3 to 4:30 p.m., join us in the back garden for a discussion on crafts and makers in Newport from the 18th century to today with historians Keith Stokes and Steve Marino.
Second Sundays Prescott Farm (2009 West Main Rd., Middletown) Sunday, August 14 / 12-3 p.m. Free admission
Each month, NRF joins with a non-profit partner to highlight the expansive history and horticulture of Prescott Farm. In August, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island teaches us everything they know about birds! Visitors can also explore the interior of the historic Robert Sherman Windmill, Guard House, and Hicks House, and see what’s in bloom in the gardens, maintained by the University of Rhode Island’s Master Gardeners.
Yoga in the Yard Rough Point Museum Wednesday, August 17 / 6 – 7 p.m. $15- Advance registration recommended
Exhale your stress with a relaxing and re-energizing all-levels yoga class led by Middletown’s Innerlight Center for Yoga & Meditation, set against our expansive ocean backdrop. Attendees must bring their own yoga mat.
Roam Around Rough Point Rough Point Museum Saturday, August 27 / 5-7 p.m. $20, free for Newport County residents
Roam around the house and grounds of Rough Point Museum during this special after-hours event! Explore the Formal and Kitchen Gardens, snap a #camelgram, and see the 2022 exhibition, Inspired by Asia: Highlights from the Duke Family Collection. Complete a different family-friendly craft or activity each month. In August, make camel art in honor of Doris Duke’s camels Princess and Baby!
Tickets are free for Newport County residents. Free round-trip shuttle transportation will be provided from certain locations in Newport; advance sign-ups for the shuttle are required. For more information on free transportation, please contact visit@newportrestoration.org.
Tickets for these events are available at the door and in advance at newportrestoration.org/events.
Newport Restoration Foundation is excited to welcome you for events at our museums this July. Rough Point Museum, Whitehorne House Museum, and Prescott Farm will offer a variety of free and ticketed programs for all ages and interests. Please mark your calendars for upcoming special events including:
TGIF Performance with Yoruba 2 Rough Point Museum (680 Bellevue Avenue, Newport) Friday, July 1 / 6:30 – 7:30 PM $15
Join us for our monthly outdoor art performance series on the grounds of Rough Point. In July, Lydia Perez and Yoruba 2, an award-winning and nationally recognized traditional music and dance group will perform Puerto Rican folk music and other Caribbean rhythms in the Formal Garden. Visitors can bring blankets, chairs, and snacks to enjoy during the performance. Grounds open at 6 p.m., and the performance begins at 6:30 p.m.
Whitehorne Day: Restoration and Conservation Whitehorne House Museum Saturday, July 9 12 – 3 p.m. : Drop in for crafts, activities and more 3-4:30 p.m.: Collective Perspectives panel discussion Free admission to the event and museum (advance registration is encouraged)
From 12-3 p.m., visitors of all ages are invited to drop in for a fun afternoon celebrating restoration and conservation. Explore how NRF carpenters perfectly match centuries-old carvings during the restoration process and try your hand at cleaning historic objects with our museum staff. Visitors can also meet craftspeople, experts, and shop owners who work in the restoration and conservation fields.
From 3-4:30 p.m., join us in the back garden for a Collective Perspectives panel discussion featuring Director of Museums, Erik Greenberg; Director of Preservation, Alyssa Lozupone, NRF Mill Supervisor, Peter Raposa; and Tom Newbold from the Landmark Facilities Group. The panel will discuss the day-to-day work of historic preservation at NRF and also share findings of our recent, National Endowment for the Humanities-funded study of the Whitehorne House Museum.
Whitehorne Days programming is made possible through major funding support from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, an independent state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Council seeds, supports, and strengthens public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement by and for all Rhode Islanders.
Second Sundays Prescott Farm (2009 West Main Road, Middletown) Sunday, July 10 / 12 – 3 p.m. Free admission
Each month, NRF joins with a non-profit partner to highlight the expansive history and horticulture of Prescott Farm. In July, the team from West Place Animal Sanctuary visits the farm.
Yoga in the Yard Rough Point Museum Wednesday, July 13 / 6 – 7 p.m. $15- Advance registration recommended
Bring your yoga gear and join us for a relaxing and re-energizing vinyasa yoga class led by Middletown’s Innerlight Center for Yoga & Meditation, set against our expansive ocean backdrop.
Jazz on the Lawn Rough Point Museum Thursday, July 14 / 6 to 8 p.m. $20 – Advance registration recommended
Celebrate Doris Duke’s affinity for jazz music and Newport’s special connection to the art form! Settle in on the grounds of Rough Point and listen while the Mar Fayos Project jams on the terrace. Mar Fayos, a vocalist from Barcelona, and her band will perform an exciting mix of traditional jazz and jazz fusion. Complete your evening with a curated charcuterie box from locally-owned Bellevue Boards! Add a box (or more than one) to your ticket order and pick it up at check-in.
Roam Around Rough Point Rough Point Museum Saturday, July 30 / 5 – 7 p.m. $20, Newport County residents are free!
On the last Saturday of every month, explore the house and gardens after hours. Newport County residents receive FREE admission! This July, make a sand castle just like Doris Duke did as a kid! Free transportation will be provided from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center and Florence Gray Center in Newport; advance sign-ups for the shuttle are required. For more information on free transportation, please contact visit@newportrestoration.org.
For more information, visit newportrestoration.org/events.
Newport Restoration Foundation is excited to be able to continue in-person programs and events at our museums this season. Rough Point Museum, Whitehorne House Museum, and Prescott Farm will offer a variety of free and ticketed programs for all ages and interests. Please mark your calendars for upcoming special events including:
Picnic Performances at Rough Point: String Poets Rough Point Museum (680 Bellevue Avenue, Newport) September 3 / 6:00 – 7:30 PM $15 – Advance registration recommended
In the intimate Formal Garden at Rough Point, the String Poets will perform string versions of hit pop songs through the decades. Visitors can lounge on the grass amongst the blooms in the Formal Garden, or bring blankets, chairs, or pillows to relax. Grounds open at 6:00pm, performance begins at 6:30pm.
Yoga in the Yard at Rough Point Rough Point Museum (680 Bellevue Avenue, Newport) September 9 / 6:00 – 7:00 PM $15 – Advance registration required
Join us for a Slow Flow session led by Patti Doyle from Middletown’s Innerlight Yoga, set against our expansive ocean backdrop.
Wood Identification Workshop Whitehorne House Museum (416 Thames Street, Newport) September 10 / 6:00 – 7:00 PM $15 – Advance registration recommended
Join us in the pocket garden as furniture conservator Randy S. Wilkinson of Fallon & Wilkinson, LLC guides you through the very basics of wood identification.
Second Sundays Prescott Farm (2009 West Main Road, Middletown) September 12 / 12:00 – 3:00 PM Free admission
Each month, NRF joins with a non-profit partner to highlight the expansive history and horticulture of Prescott Farm. Climb inside the historic windmill, explore our varied gardens with URI’s Master Gardeners, and enjoy themed activities and crafts.
A Taste of Newport Tea Whitehorne House Museum (416 Thames Street, Newport) September 18 / 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM $30 – Advance registration required
Get a taste of 18th century Newport in the garden at Whitehorne House Museum! This tea tasting features historic teas of Revolutionary and Early America and a talk by Merrill Kohlhofer.
Roam Around Rough Point Rough Point Museum (680 Bellevue Avenue, Newport) September 25 / 5:00 – 7:00 PM $0-$20; Newport County Residents are free!
On the last Saturday of every month, explore the house and gardens after hours. Newport County residents receive FREE admission! For more info visit newportrestoration.org/events.
Summer Stories Whitehorne House Museum (416 Thames Street, Newport) Fridays: July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 / 10:00 – 11:00 AM Free admission
Listen to storybook readings in the garden and put together a themed craft to take home. Recommended for kids aged Pre-K to 1st grade.
Picnic Performances at Rough Point: The Rhode Island Black Storytellers Rough Point Museum (680 Bellevue Avenue, Newport) July 2 / 6:00 – 7:30 PM
$15 – Advance registration recommended
Join us for our monthly outdoor art performance series on the grounds of Rough Point. In July, the Rhode Island Black Storytellers take the stage at Rough Point for a series of independence-themed stories set to music. Visitors can lounge on the grass amongst the blooms in the Formal Garden, or bring blankets, chairs, or pillows to relax. Grounds open at 6:00pm, performance begins at 6:30pm.
Woodcarving Demonstration
Whitehorne House Museum (416 Thames Street, Newport) July 10 / 2:00 – 3:00 PM $30 – Advance registration recommended
Mary May, founder of Mary May’s School of Traditional Woodcarving, leads a woodworking demonstration in the garden at Whitehorne House Museum. Discover how Newport’s distinct block-and-shell patterns are carved, seen on a number of 18th-century furniture pieces inside the museum.
Second Sundays Prescott Farm (2009 West Main Road, Middletown) July 11 / 12:00 – 3:00 PM Free admission
Each month, NRF joins with a non-profit partner to highlight the expansive history and horticulture of Prescott Farm. In July, the crew of the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry visits to demonstrate the surprising connections between ships and windmills (hint: it’s all in the sails!).
Jazz on the Lawn
Rough Point Museum July 15 / 6:30 – 8:00 PM $20 – Advance registration recommended
Grab a picnic basket and blanket, and take in the ocean breezes while the Leon Lee Dorsey Quartet jams on the Rough Point terrace.
Historical Makerspace Workshop: Paint Making
Whitehorne House Museum (416 Thames Street, Newport) July 25 / 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM $20 – Advance registration recommended
Kids from 10-100 are welcome at this fun paint making workshop outside of Whitehorne House. Discover how people have made paint throughout history using a variety of sources to create different colors and textures, then make your own painted masterpiece in this hands-on program.
Roam Around Rough Point
Rough Point Museum (680 Bellevue Avenue, Newport)
July 31 / 5:00 – 7:00 PM
$0-$20; Newport County Residents are free!
Join the Newport Restoration Foundation and its Whitehorne House Museum for a series of online discussions that explore why Americans routinely seek inspiration from the material culture and personalities of British, colonial America. In other words, “Why do we return to the Colonial Revival?”
Beginning at 7:00 pm, every Wednesday night in July, we will host a variety of scholars, artisans, and museum professionals to discuss the profound impact 18th century aesthetics and history had and continue have on American culture.
July 7th 7:00 pm Discussion: Creating Antiques Briann Greenfield, Ph.D., the Director of Preservation and Access at the National Endowment for the Humanities and the author of Out of the Attic: Antiques in 20th Century New England, and Erica Lome, Ph.D., historian and the Peggy N. Gerry Curatorial Associate at the Concord Museum will discuss the ways in which a group of early 20th century immigrants helped create the American antique business, spurring interest in 18th-century American furniture and other material culture.
July 14th 7:00 pm Discussion: Reviving Colonial Furniture Steven Brown, a former member of the cabinet and furniture making faculty for 21 years at the North Bennet St. School in Boston, and Mickey Callahan, the co- founder and past president of the Society of American Period Furniture Makers will discuss why they find inspiration and excitement in recreating the forms and styles of 18th-century American furniture.
July 21st 7:00 pm Discussion: Comparative Revivals Dennis Carr, the Virginia Steele Scott Chief Curator of American Art at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, Elizabeth Humphrey, former Curatorial Assistant and Manager of Student Programs at Bowdoin College Museum of Art and PhD student, Art History, University of Delaware, and Lydia Mattice Brandt, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Art History at the University of South Carolina, will compare a variety of aesthetic revivals in American life, and consider their significance, from Southern California’s famed Mission Revival, to the Moorish Revival of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the 20th and 21st century revivals of Colonial Southern architecture and material culture.
July 28th 7:00 pm Discussion: Revivals in Practice Ruth Taylor, the Executive Director of the Newport Historical Society, and Reginald Richard, an actor in the Washington, D.C. area and an interpreter at George Washington’s Mt. Vernon will join NRF staff to discuss the practical realities and challenges of interpreting 18th-century American life.
RSVP required – please respond to Dr. Erik Greenberg by Friday, July 2nd at erik@newportrestoration.org to receive free access to the online discussions.
On January 3rd, 2021, the museums of NRF completed their 2020 season, and the museum staff closed Rough Point to the public until our reopening in early spring of 2021. Because I am a tad superstitious, I have held off on writing about the success (and challenges) of the season. However, now that it is well and fully over, and thankfully with no reported cases of COVID-19 from any of our visitors or front-line staff during the season, I can finally take the rabbit’s foot out of my pocket, the horseshoe off my doorway, stop asking the Magic 8 Ball for predictions about the future, and share a little bit about how it all turned out.
As with so many industries, the challenges posed to the museum field by the spread of COVID-19 have proven daunting. For example, as some readers of NRF’s blogs may know, my previous position was at a museum in Los Angeles. I know from conversations with my former colleagues that, at the time that I am writing this piece, not a single museum in Los Angeles County has opened its doors to the public since the closures in Mid-March of 2020. This sad reality has resulted in countless layoffs, financial uncertainty for institutions and individuals alike, and numerous careers delayed or destroyed.
At the outset of the pandemic, there was no reason to think that what has happened in California’s museums wouldn’t happen in Newport as well. Thankfully, at Rhode Island’s museums in general, and Newport’s museums in particular, things progressed differently. Our state government has done a very fine job of trying to help businesses open safely and as soon as possible. Based on the guidance of the state, most of Newport’s cultural institutions were able to open to the public by July (sometimes sooner) provided they developed and adhered to a detailed safety plan that integrated reduced attendance based on a venue’s square footage, enforced social distancing and mask wearing, added additional cleanings of surfaces, created greater circulation of fresh air, and gathered attendee data in case the state needed it for contact tracing.
NRF’s museum staff began work on our plans well in advance of the Governor’s announcements. Shortly after the March shutdowns, we suspended all public programming and our staff began to create a wonderfully diverse, creative, and robust collection of online programs to share safely a piece of the museum experience with the broader public and to provide opportunities to virtually attend some of the events we had hoped to hold in person throughout our season. If you have not seen these programs yet, I encourage you to visit our YouTube channel by clicking here. There’s something for everyone, including yoga classes, community spotlights (our Second Sunday series), a two-part jazz concert in the Great Hall at Rough Point, a four part scholarly symposium, and some really wonderful educational pieces on the life of our founder Doris Duke as well as closer looks at our exceptional collection of 18th-century Newport furniture at the Whitehorne House Museum.
Our virtual presence notwithstanding, it was always our hope to reopen our museums to the public as safely and as soon as possible. By early April, members of my staff and I met weekly to create a COVID-19 plan long before the announcement of any state mandates. While our concerns were broad-ranging, one particular worry was how to protect our front-line staff, by which I mean the guides, greeters, and other visitor experience staff who typically interact with our visitors in ways that, today, most of us would find risky. Naturally, we shared similar concerns about our visitors, but our front-line staff, who spend hours at a time encountering the public, would undoubtedly face the most significant health risk if we got any of our planning wrong.
With those risks in mind, we created a wide-reaching COVID plan that included, among other things, required online ticketing, moving our registration process outside at Rough Point (until November when the weather proved too cold), and the suspension of guided tours, creating instead a singular path through our museums with guides stationed throughout. Once we had everything in place, and the state permitted us to do so, we opened our doors to the public. The Rough Point Grounds opened in late June, Rough Point itself in early July, and the Whitehorne House Museum ten days after that. On the whole the plan worked well, and its success and adherence to state guidelines was reconfirmed by a surprise visit to Rough Point from the Rhode Island Department of Health in August.
During the season we took feedback from staff and visitors to see if they felt safe and comfortable, and while we received the occasional visitor complaint about our necessary changes and our insistence on mask wearing, I am happy to say that on the whole our staff felt safe and most of our visitors enjoyed their time with us while also commenting positively on the ways in which we had worked to ensure their safety.
Our museums were a respite for our visitors during these difficult times. Anecdotally, I know that many of our visitors were deeply appreciative that we could provide a pleasant and safe distraction from the difficulties of our new normal and the never-ending stream of bad news. At the Whitehorne House Museum, we provided an opportunity for our visitors to get away from the crowds of people on lower Thames Street so that they could spend a quiet hour safely enjoying our exceptional furniture collection and learning about Newport’s past from our talented guides. At Rough Point, sales of our grounds passes grew exponentially, and many visitors would spend hours outside enjoying the boundless seascape, our exceptionally beautiful gardens, and the Fredrick Law Olmstead designed grounds. On my evening drive home, I would pass Prescott Farm, and see the parking lot filled with minivans and kids and parents feeding the ducks in the pond. I suppose that none of these activities can replace the concerts, weddings, trips to visit distant friends and relatives, and other plans that so many of us wound up cancelling in 2020. Still, I am extremely pleased to know that we offered a pleasant, if somewhat less hoped for, alternative form of entertainment. And I am most pleased to note that we achieved all of this without a single reported case of COVID-19 from any of our staff or visitors.
Indeed, that last point, the absence of a COVID case, is the thing that I am most pleased about this past season and, likely, the thing that we are least responsible for achieving. For while I would like to think that our success was the result of exceptional planning, skillfully executed by a devoted and brilliant staff (which in some sense it was), I still can’t help but think that part of our success was sheer luck. Nevertheless, the thing that I most want our readers to know is that the NRF museum staff took the COVID-19 threat seriously every day (we still do), and every day they brought their energy, creativity, and brilliance to our museums to ensure the best and safest museum experience possible for our visitors. They did so because we care about each other’s safety and about the health and safety of our potential visitors, something we will continue to do now and in the years to come.
We look forward to demonstrating that care and creativity to all of you in the 2021 season, which begins in late March and runs until just before Thanksgiving followed by weekend programming until the new year. We will continue to take everyone’s health and safety quite seriously while simultaneously planning to create new opportunities to reach people remotely and to engage people in person as the world becomes a little safer and we can all congregate together a little more. You have my promise that (as with the season just past) the entire NRF museum staff will do everything that they can to keep you safe, educated, and entertained, and if you just want to be left alone to spend a few hours on our the grounds at Rough Point, you can do that too. We’ll see you in Newport!
By Dr. Erik Greenberg, Director of Museums, Newport Restoration Foundation
This year, we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Rough Point Museum being open to the public, and this is the second year that the Whitehorne House Museum will be open to the public after a long period of rethinking and reinterpretation. This seemed like a good moment to reflect back on the work we’ve done and the work we aspire to do at both museums. The NRF interpretive team is responsible for the “who, what, where, when, and why” of the museum content guests encounter before, during, and after their visits. In other words, we are storytellers. Although we interpret the past, this work is not static, or frozen in time; it is an ongoing process of learning, reviewing, revising, and retelling.
We have been actively researching, learning, and listening (to our colleagues, to members of our community, and to people who have expertise beyond ours) in order to tell more inclusive, relevant, honest, and broader stories related to Rough Point, Doris Duke’s legacy, and colonial Newport.
At Whitehorne House Museum, we take a close look at the global systems of the 18th century and the role Newport furniture played in these systems. This is a complicated and sometimes painful history, but it allows us to tell a fuller story. By better understanding our past, we can better understand our present, and what to strive for in the future. Continued research—and the incorporation of different perspectives and voices—is part of the work we do to understand the process of making in cabinetmaking workshops, the division of labor in the production of furniture, the commissioning process, and the display and arrangement of furniture in domestic spaces.
One specific narrative concerns the African heritage men and women in Newport who—despite forced enslavement and systemic injustice—not only survived, but thrived and who made and continue to make significant contributions to the forming of Newport as a successful port city, and later a cultural tourist destination. Enslaved and free people of color were an integral part of many industries in 18th-century Newport, but more research needs to be done to learn about the role enslaved and free people of color had in the furniture industry.
At Rough Point, Doris Duke’s Newport home, we tell the story of her life and legacy. Newport remained a special place for Doris, and one of her most important contributions was the shaping of its historic cityscape through the preservation and restoration of 18th century vernacular (or every day) colonial buildings, as well as her contributions to the cultural heritage sector today through her decision to leave her home and fine and decorative arts collection open and accessible for public enjoyment.
But Rough Point was also the home of other women and men who helped care for and maintain the estate and ensured the estate ran smoothly and efficiently—and their stories are important too. We incorporate the literal voices of former caretakers in our museum tours, exhibitions, and programs. For example, our recent research has enabled us to tell the story of Hulda Goudie (1884-1983), a cook who worked for nearly half a century in the Duke households.
This year’s exhibition, “Beyond Fortune: Myths & Truths of Doris Duke” is an example of listening to our visitors. In our 2019 exhibit we asked visitors what they wanted to know more about in regards to Doris, her family, and Rough Point. Answers are incorporated throughout the exhibition. In addition, we are routinely doing research on objects in the collection of Rough Point and Whitehorne as more scholarship becomes available. This includes doing archival research at Duke University and seeking out similar items in other museum and private collections that can help us learn more about the objects we have. Much of this research has centered on where and how Doris Duke collected and decorated at Rough Point, which has provided many insights into the layered, personal approach to her choices.
Lastly, this year we are also commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment to the U.S. constitution, which guaranteed women citizens the right to vote. A selection of objects at Rough Point and Whitehorne House Museum look closely at the stories of women: as craftspeople, artists, laborers, “keepers” and collectors—and how women have shaped our contemporary ideas of culture, history, and heritage.
As we move into the next decade, we will continue to research, explore, and collaborate with others to uncover more stories that are a part of the broader narrative we tell at Rough Point Museum and Whitehorne House Museum. We know that there is more thoughtful work that needs to be done to incorporate the histories and contributions of those whose stories are not as well-known but who should be, including voices of people of color (in particular African heritage, Rhode Island Indigenous, and Latinx voices), domestic workers, women, and LGTBQ+ histories. We will continue to revise and reshape the ways we think about objects, history, memory, and legacy, in order to create more meaningful, relevant, and accessible experiences. We hope you will join us, either onsite at the museums or virtually from your own home, as we continue to explore and share more stories.
By Gina Tangorra, Interpretation & Visitor Experience Manager, and Kristen Costa, Curator
We’re continuing our celebration of Women’s History Month by participating in the National Museum of Women in the Arts’ #5WomenArtists challenge! The origination of this challenge came from the question, “Can you name five women artists?” When NMWA posed the question, they found that “people struggled and many could not at all—even those who consider themselves well versed in the arts.” The challenge sought to increase awareness for women in the arts by sharing their contributions through social media during the month of March.
Newport Restoration Foundation is honored to have several pieces created by women in our fine and decorative art collections. We’ve spotlighted five of these women artists here, and invite you to see them for yourself when our museums open this spring!
Madame Gres
Madame Gres (1903-1993) was one of the leading French couture designers of her generation. Gres was known for her superior use of fabric and materials to create dramatic gowns like this silk and ostrich feather dress, made for DorisDuke circa 1966. This dress was featured in 2019’s exhibition, Beyond Fortune: The Life & Legacy of Doris Duke.
Margarete Heymann
German, ca. 1928 Earthenware, glaze
This glazed ceramic bowl is a striking example of the work of German-Jewish ceramic artist Margarete Heymann (1899-1990), who was one of the first female students of the innovative Weimar Bauhaus. She was the co-founder of the Hael-Werkstätten workshop and created bold, modern designs.
While we are not sure what drew Doris to this particular bowl (it is one of the few examples of modern art at Rough Point), she placed it alongside other mementos that held particular sentimental significance and against the backdrop of her purple-infused bedroom.
Susan Nichols
Ca. 1818 Silk, glass, wood, gilt
Doris Duke found this piece in a New York auction house and brought it to Newport, where Susan Nichols once lived with her family on Washington Street. This example of needlepoint is representative of the work of many women in the period who documented their lives, showed off their skill, and created artwork that often became a treasured heirloom passed from mother to daughter. The piece is inscribed in gilt lettering “Wrought by Susan Nichols 1818.” and can be found at the Whitehorne House Museum.
Abigail Whitehorne
“Abbey Whitehorne’s Sampler Work in Her Tenth Year of Age”, 1804 Linen, cotton, glass, wood, gilt
This sampler, completed by Abigail Whitehorne (about 1794-1875, sister of Samuel Whitehorne, the original owner of Whitehorne House) in 1804 allowed her to sew her way into the historical record. Samplers like these were kept and displayed, and sometimes have found their way into archives and museum collections where they are studied to gain a better understanding of domestic life, the role of girls in the household, and education practices of the time. This piece can also be found in the collection of the Whitehorne House Museum..
Mary McFadden
Mary McFadden (American, born 1938) was known for her use of pleats similar to Italian designer Mariano Fortuny. Doris Duke had several McFadden designed pieces in her fashion collection. This circa 1984, turquoise belted caftan is on view in this year’s exhibition, Beyond Fortune: Myths & Truths of Doris Duke.
Want to learn more about the collections at our museums? Click here for Rough Point Museum, Whitehorne House Museum, or find Newport Restoration Foundation at newportalri.org!
Newport Restoration Foundation is pleased to collaborate with Christie’s Auction House on a special lecture event for their upcoming Americana Week (January 17 – 24). On Wednesday, January 22 at 4:30 pm, NRF’s Director of Museums Dr. Erik Greenberg will present Furniture Forward: A New Approach to Interpreting Doris Duke’s Furniture Collection at the Whitehorne House Museum in Christie’s Boardroom at their headquarters in New York City. A reception will follow at Christie’s beginning at 5:30 pm.
During Americana Week, Christie’s will hold three auctions (as well as associated programming) that speak to themes of American beginnings, patriotism, diversity and influence. The series begins with the Outsider Art sale that highlights exceptional artists such as Bill Traylor, Henry Darger and William Edmondson. Chinese Export Art Featuring the Tibor Collection, Part II showcases Chinese Export porcelain, specifically famille rose soldier vases, covers, and court lady candleholders. And The Important American Furniture, Folk Art and Silver auction closes the week with an array of extraordinary artworks and objects, including pieces from the collection of the late Ralph E. Carpenter, the renowned collector, curator, and advocate for the restoration and preservation of Newport’s decorative arts and architecture.
The Whitehorne House Museum was NRF’s first museum, opening in 1974, and for many years it served as a domestic house museum. In 2017, the museum closed, as staff, outside scholars, and others reinterpreted the museum collection, focusing more closely on its exceptional collection of 18th-century furniture, much of it purchased by NRF’s founder, Doris Duke, and most of it from Newport in particular or Rhode Island in general. NRF uses the furniture on display to tell important stories of colonial Newport through one of its most prized creations. Staff have also developed a more engaging experience for visitors to the museum, including hands-on objects, a multimedia installation, and other opportunities for visitor engagement. It reopened on May 29th, 2019. Dr. Greenberg’s presentation will address the museum’s recent, interpretive changes while placing them in the broader context of Colonial era furniture exhibition across the country.
When asked about his upcoming talk, Greenberg noted that, “When I arrived at NRF a year ago, our interpretive staff shared with me their plans to reinterpret the Whitehorne House Museum and their desire to bring the ‘furniture forward’ from among the many utilitarian objects and decorative arts in the collection. I was taken with their vision, and have become fascinated by Newport furniture, the people who made it, purchased it, traded it, and the many stories these pieces can tell. I see my presentation at Christie’s as an announcement of our new direction, an appreciation for the work of our talented staff, and an assertion of our plan to evolve and grow into an important institution that celebrates 18th-century, Newport furniture and its stories in the city in which it was made.”
This free event is open to the public. RSVP to the lecture is required. If interested, please respond to Alicia Cipriano by Friday, January 17th 401.849.7300 ext. 117 or at acipriano@newportrestoration.org. Christie’s is located at 20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020.
