RI Historical Society -- Upcoming Events

Friday, May 29
Evenings of full WaterFire lightings, 5:30 p.m.
Tour departs from the
John Brown House Museum
52 Power Street, Providence
$10 per person
Reservations requested: Dalila Goulart
(401) 331-8575 x45 or programs@rihs.org
 
RiverWalk: Before the Fires are Lit
The 2009 WaterFire schedule has officially been announced! For the full schedule, check www.waterfire.org <http://www.waterfire.org/> .
 
Discover the winding history and continued importance of Providence’s rivers! Urban outdoor sculpture and beautiful civic and commercial buildings of varied architectural styles provide the setting for stories of Providence’s fabled past and dynamic present. This walk shares the history of Rhode Island’s capital city and the history of WaterFire. $10 per person. Reservations requested for this tour. For schedule of WaterFire lightings: www.waterfire.org <http://www.waterfire.org/> , or (401) 272-3111. This walk is offered in collaboration with WaterFire.

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Saturday, May 30, 10:00 a.m.
Tour departs from the
John Brown House Museum
52 Power Street, Providence
To R.S.V.P.: Dalila Goulart
(401) 331-8575 x45 or programs@rihs.org
 
African-American History Walking Tours
These walking tours celebrate the history of African Americans who lived on College Hill from 1701 to the present. Ray Rickman, a well known community leader, will lead a lively discussion and offer his perspective on the people and historic buildings of Providence's oldest neighborhood. Tickets are $10 per person; tour lasts about ninety minutes. Reservations are required.

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At the Providence Public Library …

A fragile memory: Turn of the century glass negatives
Monday, June 1st - Saturday, June 27th 2009
Opening Reception June 1st, 6-8pm
Providence Public Library
Special Collections Exhibition Hall
150 Empire Street
Providence RI 02903

For more information:
Richard J. Ring
Special Collections Librarian
401-455-8021
rring@provlib.org

Over one thousand glass plate negatives have long lain forgotten in the Special Collections of the Providence Public Library. Now a select handful of them will be hand printed and revealed to the public eye, possibly for the very first time. The project was conceived and curated by Agata Michalowska and was brought to bear through a close collaboration with local photographers working out of the AS220 Paul Krot Community Darkrooms. Around two dozen plates will be printed and exhibited along with a selection of glass negatives. The plates represent a wide range of topics including portraits of wealthy Rhode Island families, interiors of textile factories, and landscapes of New England. These glass negatives constitute a cabinet of wonders and a glimpse of a world long past.

During the opening reception, on June 1st, James DaMico and Richard Ring will lend their expertise to help us further imagine the stories these photographs quietly suggest. DaMico, the Rhode Island Historical Society's Graphics Archivist, will talk about the technical development of photography with his presentation "Glass plate negatives: A Look at a 19th Century Photographic Innovation".  Richard Ring, Providence's Special Collections Librarian, will offer us an informed historical perspective on the city at the dawn of the twentieth century with his presentation, "The Beehive of Industry: Providence in the Late Victorian Era, 1890-1910”.