The Object of History

On this episode, learn more about abolitionist Jonathan Walker, known as the "Branded Hand", because of a punishment he received for attempting to rescue 7 enslaved laborers in 1844. Hannah Elder, the Associate Reference Librarian for Rights and Reproductions at the MHS, and Katherine Fein, a PhD candidate in the Department of Art History & Archaeology at Columbia University, join us as we discuss...

In this episode, we discuss the field of Disability History and how it relates to several items at the MHS. Jenny Reiss, a Ph. D. candidate at University of Pennsylvania, introduces us to Gouverneur Morris, a founding father of the United States who lived with disabilities. We then take a look at several 19th and 20th century objects in the collection that relate to the history of disability. Lear...

In this episode of The Object of History, we closely examine a portrait of George Washington in which he does not resemble the familiar face on the one-dollar bill. We discuss how this might be related to President Washington's longtime struggle with his dental health and the cultural significance of teeth in the 18 th  century. Episode transcript Learn more about episode object here:  https://www...

In 1860, a historically-minded donor presented the MHS with tree roots, which he claimed belonged to Boston's famous Liberty Tree. The tree, an American elm, served as a rallying point and important symbol for protesters and rebels in the years leading up to the American Revolution. Were the roots actually from that hallowed tree? Are they even from an American elm? In this episode, we set out to...

In this episode, we are taking a close look at some of the oldest items in the Society's collection. W. Dean Eastman Undergraduate Resident, Erin Olding, takes us along as she examines manuscripts from the Middle Ages that are illuminated with gold and silver.  Learn more about episode objects here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/season-2-episode-8-illuminated-manuscripts Email us at  podcast@ma...

In this episode, we find out what it takes to live like a historical figure and how collections like the Adams Papers can help us rethink daily life in both the past and the present. We sit down with Gwen Fries, the Production Editor of the Adams Papers at the Massachusetts Historical Society, to discuss an experiment she conducted during the lockdown of 2020. Gwen spent a week of her life living...

In this episode, Danny Bottino, a Ph. D. candidate at Rutgers University, explains the importance of studying wax seals, objects that accompany but are often overlooked when historians focus on the text of historical documents. As key components of deeds, letters, and other types of papers, wax seals tell important stories that we are just beginning to understand. Dr. Sara Georgini, the Series Edi...

In this episode, we are taking a close look at some of the smallest objects in the MHS collection. Inspired by a visit from Dr. Madeline Zehnder, a postdoctoral fellow in the Literary and Epistemic History of Small Forms Research Training Group at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, we first examine small copies of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. In addition, Curator of Art & Artifacts Anne...

 In this episode, we examine an object from the first diplomatic mission between the United States and India. We learn more about an unassuming but truly marvelous piece of furniture that once accompanied the United States's first consul, Benjamin Joy, back from India. MHS Reading Room Supervisor, Rakashi Chand, joins the conversation to discuss Joy's role and this unique item. Learn more about ep...

In this episode, we explore the story of Thunderbolt, a dog who served as a companion to an American bomber pilot and POW, Lieutenant Robert Payne, during World War II. Research Department Intern Ian Morrison guides us through this story by highlighting the letters and photos that he discovered in the MHS collection. Learn more about episode objects here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/season-2-...

In this episode, we closely examine one of the most noteworthy items in the MHS collection: the Bucks of America flag. The flag is one of the only remaining artifacts of the Bucks of America, an African American militia based in Boston during the Revolutionary era. There is very little known about the unit with no official military record of their service. We discuss the few pieces of evidence tha...

In this episode, we examine the career of Daniel Webster, a 19th century political figure and nationalist from New England. We look at objects that give a glimpse into the rural and political life of this legendary individual. We shall also learn about Webster's connection to the MHS, his understanding of the term "Union," and consider why some view him as a controversial figure. Learn more about...

In this episode, we are exploring the life of Margaret Fuller, the extraordinary 19th century intellectual who played a central role in the transcendentalist movement. We'll learn about a recovered parcel of Fuller's letters to her close friend, James Freeman Clarke. The letters had been lost for more than a hundred years before they were discovered carefully preserved in an ornate folio in the ho...

In this episode, we are examining a group of letters written by the poet Phillis Wheatley to her friend Obour Tanner. These documents provide a window into a relationship between two young Black women during the age of the American Revolution. In Phillis' letters to Obour, we catch a glimpse of their spiritual lives, their joint efforts to publish Wheatley's books of poems, and the support they pr...

In this episode, we are examining several medals produced when a German U-boat torpedoed a civilian British ocean liner during the First World War. The medals became the center of a propaganda campaign that spanned the Atlantic. Originally created by a German artist, the medals quickly became tools for the Allied propaganda machine and a nightmare for the German government.  Learn more about episo...

In this episode, we are taking a close look at an artifact known as the casket of hair. Join us as we speak with MHS president Catherine Allgor about this little wooden box displaying the hair of First Lady Dolley Madison and Presidents George Washington, James Madison, and John Quincy Adams. We'll also learn about the larger collection of hair held at the MHS and explore what is like to encounter...

In today's bonus episode, we are introducing you to another object in our collections related to the Salem Witch Trials – the so called Witch's Bureau. You'll hear from Chief Historian Peter Drummey and MHS Curator Anne Bentley as they explain how the bureau came to the MHS, the documents that link the furniture to the 1692 trials, and the clue that led them to unravel the bureau's mysterious orig...

In this episode, we are looking at the documentary record of the Salem Witch Trials. This disturbing tale of early America has fascinated generations and become a familiar story to many. But what it was like to witness this history firsthand? We'll take a close look at the story of Rebecca Nurse, a respected woman in her 70s who was accused of witchcraft. Through original petition documents and pr...

Welcome to The Object of History – a podcast where we unravel the stories behind historical objects held at the Massachusetts Historical Society. Join us as we take a close look at a letter written by Paul Revere, the revolutionary patriot famous for his "midnight ride." We'll learn how Revere authored his account of that pivotal night at the request of MHS founder, Jeremy Belknap. We'll explore h...

In this episode, we're exploring a set of items related to the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first African American regiment raised in the North during the American Civil War. We'll learn about the once lost sword of Robert Gould Shaw – the young white colonel who died leading the 54th into battle. We'll also look beyond this famous artifact at the ordinary men who served in the 54th....

In this episode, we're looking at the papers and artifacts of Nora Saltonstall, an adventurous young American who volunteered with the Red Cross in France during the First World War.  As a driver for a mobile hospital unit, Nora transported supplies and taxied wounded soldiers across the war front. For her services she received the Croix de Guerre – the highest honor given by the French government...

In this episode, we are looking at the story of Elizabeth Freeman, a woman born into slavery in the 18th century who successfully sued for her freedom and helped bring about the end of slavery in Massachusetts. Leaving the house of her enslavers John and Hannah Ashley, Freeman took up paid work within the household of the lawyer who represented her in court, Theodore Sedgewick. We'll take a close...

In this episode, we are examining a few 20th century political campaign objects from the remarkable, but little known career of Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. Chances are that if you have heard of Lodge, Jr., you likely remember his involvement in the Vietnam War. But in today's episode, we're exploring Lodge's earlier political career. We'll look at an undelivered speech drafted for Senator Joseph McCart...

Join us Oct 4 for The Object of History - a podcast produced by the Massachusetts Historical Society. The extraordinary collections of the MHS tell the story of America through millions of rare and unique documents, artifacts, and irreplaceable national treasures. Each episode of the podcast takes you on a behind the scenes tour of that vast collection.