The Flagler Museum continues to provide the community with unique experiences and learning opportunities during the 2016 – 2017 Season. Please include the following events and dates in your calendars.
Fall Exhibition:
Edward S. Curtis: One Hundred Masterworks
October 11 – December 31, 2016
Included with Museum admission
Edward S. Curtis: One Hundred Masterworks features extraordinary vintage photographs of the North American Indian by Edward S. Curtis. Curtis, born in 1868, first encountered intact Native American culture on a trip to Montana in 1900, sparking a monumental quest to safeguard and preserve the sacred legacy of the North American Indian for future generations. Financed by J.P. Morgan and his heirs, the project took thirty years, culminating in Curtis’ magnum opus, The North American Indian, a twenty-volume, twenty-portfolio set of handmade books. By his death in 1952, however, Curtis had faded into oblivion. Only recently has his work been rediscovered and treasured as it was more than 100 years ago. Today, this work stands as a landmark in the history of photography, book publishing, ethnography, and the history of the American West.
This exhibition has been organized by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography, Minneapolis/New York City/Paris/Lausanne, in collaboration with the Flagler Museum. The exhibition was curated by Christopher Cardozo, author of nine monographs on Curtis and curator of Curtis exhibitions seen on six continents.
The Fall Exhibition is sponsored by the Eliasberg Family Foundation, Hilton West Palm Beach, the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the Tourist Development Council, the Board of County Commissioners, Palm Beach County, and the State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs.
Whitehall Society – Mixing It Up Cocktail Party
Saturday, November 5, 2016
6:30 p.m.
$40 for Whitehall Society Members
$50 for non-members
Tickets may be purchased online or by telephone: (561) 655-2833
The Whitehall Society presents a cocktail party celebrating the history and tradition of cocktails in America. While enjoying hors d’oeuvres in the Cocoanut Grove, guests will be able to taste featured cocktails that were inspired by America’s Gilded Age. Mixing It Up is sponsored by St. Augustine Distillery Co.
A Gilded Age style lunch in the Café des Beaux-Arts
November 25, 2016 – April 16, 2017
Tuesday – Saturday, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
$22 for Members
$40 for non-members includes Museum admission
All prices include tax and gratuity
Advance purchase recommended
Each afternoon the Flagler Museum offers a Gilded Age style lunch that features an array of delicacies and refreshments reminiscent of the elegance of entertaining during the Gilded Age. Visitors may enjoy a selection of gourmet tea sandwiches, traditional scones, and sweets complemented by the Flagler Museum’s own Whitehall Special Blend™ tea, and served on exquisite Whitehall Collection™ china. Café des Beaux-Arts is located in the beautiful Flagler Kenan Pavilion, and provides guests with spectacular panoramic views of scenic Lake Worth and the West Palm Beach skyline. Henry Flagler’s private Railcar No. 91 completes the sophisticated Gilded Age ambiance.
Member Appreciation Days
November 25 – December 4, 2016
The Flagler Museum appreciates the continued support from its many Members, and would like to say “Thank you” by hosting Member Appreciation Days. Members will receive an additional 10% discount in the Museum Store on top of the current 10% Member discount, for a total of 20% off all Museum Store purchases. Members can also enjoy a Gilded Age style lunch in the Cafe des Beaux-Arts for a reduced rate of $20.
Special Holiday Lecture:
The Santa Claus Man: The Rise and Fall of a Jazz Age Con Man and the Invention of Christmas in New York
by Alex Palmer, Author and Journalist
Sunday, December 4, 2016
2:00pm
Free for Members at the Sustaining level and above
$10 for Individual, Family & Life Members
$28 for non-members; includes Museum admission and Tree Lighting festivities
The 2016 Christmas at Whitehall program will feature a lecture on the endearing and sometimes controversial history of sending wish lists and letters to Santa Claus. For almost 200 years, Americans have been writing to St. Nick, at first asking for simple gifts of fruit or books, and later requesting necessities, advice, and increasingly elaborate toys. As long as kids have written to Santa, adults have struggled to answer their letters, with inspiring, funny, and sometimes scandalous results. In this lecture, author and journalist Alex Palmer will discuss this history and the most famous of these efforts: New York City’s Santa Claus Association, which for 15 years answered tens of thousands of Santa letters before being exposed as fraudulent. The lecture draws on Palmer’s findings in his nonfiction book The Santa Claus Man, and offers a lens into the funny and fascinating history of Santa letters and the evolution of America’s celebration of Christmas. Between December 6th and 17th, Whitehall will be a drop-off location for letters to Santa.
The Holiday Lecture is sponsored by BMO Private Bank, Hilton West Palm Beach, the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the Tourist Development Council, the Board of County Commissioners, Palm Beach County, and the State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs.
Christmas Tree Lighting
Sunday, December 4, 2016
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Free with Museum admission
The 16-foot tall Grand Hall Christmas Tree, with its historically accurate trimmings, is the center of Whitehall’s holiday celebrations. The Tree Lighting festivities include holiday music played on Whitehall’s original 1,249-pipe Odell organ and the 1902 Steinway art-case grand piano. This annual performance is the only opportunity visitors have to hear both of Whitehall’s majestic instruments. Special choir performances, refreshments and a visit from Santa Claus complete the afternoon’s activities. The event culminates with Henry Flagler’s youngest descendants lighting the Grand Hall Christmas Tree. Each visitor will receive a box of Animal Crackers, a treat invented in the Gilded Age. The iconic circus box with a string was originally designed as a Christmas Tree ornament.
The Christmas Tree Lighting is sponsored by the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the Tourist Development Council, the Board of County Commissioners, Palm Beach County, and the State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs.
Gallery Talk for Edward S. Curtis: One Hundred Masterworks
Friday, December 9, 2016
12:15 p.m.
Free with Museum admission
Reservations recommended
Christopher Cardozo, exhibition curator and exhibit catalogue co-author, will present a gallery talk about Edward S. Curtis: One Hundred Masterworks on December 9, 2016, at 12:15 pm. Mr. Cardozo will discuss Edward Curtis’ fascinating career and the importance of his work preserving a record of Native American life. Advance reservations are highly recommended. A catalogue signing will follow the gallery talk.
The Fall Exhibition is sponsored by the Eliasberg Family Foundation, Hilton West Palm Beach, the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the Tourist Development Council, the Board of County Commissioners, Palm Beach County, and the State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs.
Holiday Evening Tours
December 18 and 19: Tours begin at 7:05 p.m., 7:15 p.m. and 7:25 p.m.
December 20 through 23: Tours begin at 6:50 p.m., 7:05 p.m., 7:15 p.m. and 7:25 p.m.
$25 for adults
$15 for children ages 17 and under
Advance purchase required
During this beloved annual event, families tour Whitehall after hours and discover the origins of American Christmas traditions. Guests will have a rare opportunity to see Whitehall by the glow of the original 1902 light fixtures. Every visitor will receive a traditional Christmas cracker following the tour. A choral group will sing carols and holiday refreshments will be served. The Museum Store will remain open for holiday shopping.
Holiday Evening Tours are sponsored by the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the Tourist Development Council, the Board of County Commissioners, Palm Beach County, and the State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs.
Flagler Museum Music Series
All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $70 per concert
$300 for the five-concert Series
Regularly featured on National Public Radio, the Flagler Museum Music Series continues to bring acclaimed musicians to the finest chamber music venue in South Florida. Experience chamber music, as it was intended, in a gracious and intimate setting typical of Gilded Age performances. Patrons enjoy a special champagne and dessert reception with the musicians following the concert.
Tuesday, January 10, 2017 – Dover Quartet
Tuesday, January 24, 2017 – Telegraph Quartet
Tuesday, February 7, 2017 – Jolente De Maeyer & Nikolaas Kende
Tuesday, February 21, 2017 – Trio Céleste
Tuesday, March 7, 2017 – St. Petersburg Piano Quartet
The Flagler Museum Music Series is sponsored by Roe Green, PNC, the Palm Beach Daily News, the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the Tourist Development Council, the Board of County Commissioners, Palm Beach County.
2017 Whitehall Lecture Series:
Metaphysical America: Spirituality and Health Movements During the Gilded Age
All lectures begin at 3:00 p.m.
Free for Members at the Sustaining level and above
$10 for Individual, Family and Life Members
$28 per lecture for non-members
$125 for the five-lecture series
Includes Museum admission
The 32nd Annual Whitehall Lecture Series, Metaphysical America: Spirituality and Health Movements During the Gilded Age, will explore a variety of esoteric practices born from America’s Gilded Age fascination with all things exotic and mystical. Ranging from religious and spiritual to pseudo-scientific and physical, each lecture will provide clues to better understanding the people and personalities of 19th and 20th century occult beliefs and spiritual practices, and address changes in the cultural climate of the Gilded Age.
When possible, a book signing with the speaker follows each lecture. Online visitors can experience each lecture via a free webcast at www.flaglermuseum.us where visitors may listen live, see the presentation and ask the lecturer questions.
Sunday, February 5, 2017 – Mystic America: Occult, Metaphysics and Spirituality in the Gilded Age by Mitch Horowitz, Historian.
Sunday, February 12, 2017 – The Allure of Immortality: An American Cult, a Florida Swamp, and a Renegade Prophet by Lyn Millner, Professor and Journalist.
Sunday, February 19, 2017 – The Religion of Biologic Living: Dr. John Harvey Kellogg by Brian Wilson, Professor of American Religious History.
Sunday, February 26, 2017 – The Parliament of World Religions: Sprirituality and Health at the 1893 Columbian Exposition by Eric Ziolkowski, Professor and Historian.
Sunday, March 5, 2017 – The Mystical Brain: The Emergence of 20th Century Spirituality by John Modern, Associate Professor.
The Whitehall Lecture Series is sponsored by the Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Hilton West Palm Beach, The Palm Beach Post, the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the Tourist Development Council, the Board of County Commissioners, Palm Beach County, the State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs.
Winter Exhibition:
Harem: Unveiling the Mystery of Orientalist Art
January 24 – April 16, 2017
Free with Museum admission
For centuries the Muslim harem, a favorite subject of Orientalist artists, has evoked images of exotic beauty, sensuality, and wealth. This realm of wives, children, servants, and sometimes slaves was forbidden to nearly all westerners, but such restrictions only served to heighten curiosity and interest in harem life. Harem: Unveiling the Mystery of Orientalist Art features paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, rare books, and ephemera that explore the myths and realities of the harem, as well as the fascination that Gilded Age artists, collectors, and tourists from the West had with this exotic subject. This exhibition is organized by the Flagler Museum, and features six harem scenes once owned by Henry Flagler.
The Winter Exhibition is sponsored by Northern Trust, The Palm Beach Post, the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the Board of County Commissioners, Palm Beach County, the Tourist Development Council, and the State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs.
Special Lecture – Women of the Gilded Age
American Jennie: The Remarkable Life of Lady Randolph Churchill
Thursday, February 9, 2017, 6:00 p.m.
Free for Sustaining level Members and above
$10 for Individual and Family Members
$20 for Non-members
Reservations recommended
Jeanette (Jennie) Jerome was the daughter of a prosperous American financier and a socially ambitious mother. In 1867, she and her two sisters were taken to Paris by their mother and from there received an education and were introduced to European society. In 1873, she met and charmed young Lord Randolph Churchill, son of the Duke of Marlborough, and they were married in 1874 and had two sons, Winston and Jack.
Lady Randolph Churchill was known as an innovator and trendsetter. Though her reputation was often sullied by scandal and rumor, she remained respected among the aristocratic circles. She founded and edited the lavish but short-lived Anglo-Saxon Review and she raised money for the wartime hospital ship, the Maine, which did valuable work in South Africa.
Critically acclaimed author and journalist, Anne Sebba, celebrates Jennie Jerome as both a fearless influence and a mother with an indomitable spirit.
This lecture is presented with generous support by Susan Stautberg.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Whitehall
Tuesday, February 14, 2017, 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
$80 per couple for Museum Members includes tax and gratuity
$120 per couple for Non-members includes Museum admission, tax and gratuity
Advance purchase required
‘Tea in the Cocoanut Grove’ was a popular vacationing pastime for those visiting Palm Beach and Henry Flagler’s lavish resort hotels during the Gilded Age. Join us in commemorating the return of this historic tradition with your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day. Each couple will indulge in a special ‘tea-for-two’ under the palms, while listening to the romantic sounds of a classical harp. A token Valentine’s keepsake is also included in the package price. (In case of inclement weather, the event will be moved indoors.)
Gallery Talk for Harem: Mystery and Desire in Orientalist Art
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
12:15 p.m.
Free with Museum admission
Space is limited, reservations are recommended
Join Tracy Kamerer, Flagler Museum chief curator, for a Gallery Talk on Harem: Unveiling the Mystery of Orientalist Art. While the Gallery Talk is free with Museum Admission, space is limited. Please call (561) 655- 2833 ext. 10, to make a complimentary reservation.
The Winter Exhibition is sponsored by Northern Trust, The Palm Beach Post, the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the Board of County Commissioners, Palm Beach County, the Tourist Development Council, and the State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs.
2017 Bal Poudré and Soirée Poudré
Presented by the Whitehall Society
Friday, February 17, 2017
6:00 – 7:00 Cocktail hour in the Grand Hall
7:00 – 9:00 p.m., Dinner in the Grand Ballroom
9:00 p.m., Soirée Poudré begins in the Flagler Kenan Pavilion
In honor of Henry Flagler’s extraordinary life and legacy, in Florida and Palm Beach, the Whitehall Society will host a Bal Poudré at the Flagler Museum on Friday, February 17, 2017.
Bal Poudrés are literally powdered wig balls, and were popular during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, both in America and in England. For example, in England, the Countess of Warwick loved to host Bal Poudrés. In America, Bal Poudrés were an interesting fusion of America’s fascination with Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI and America’s hero worship of George and Martha Washington. Bal Poudrés were typically hosted around the time of George Washington’s birthday, in late February or early March, which coincided perfectly with the end of the Season in Palm Beach. On March 3, 1903, the first Bal Poudré in Palm Beach was hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Flagler in Whitehall’s Grand Ballroom. It was described in a newspaper account of the time as, “One of the most sumptuous social affairs ever attempted south of Washington.” From that first Bal Poudré at Whitehall in 1903 sprang all of the galas hosted each year for which Palm Beach has become so well known.
Presented by the Flagler Museum’s Whitehall Society, the Soirée Poudré was added as a spectacular crowning event to the Bal Poudré for the first time in 2015.
Following the Bal Poudré dinner, guests are invited to join the Soireé Poudré in the Museum’s Flagler Kenan Pavilion. Hosted by the Whitehall Society, the Museum’s next generation of friends and supporters, guests will enjoy cocktails, entertainment and dancing. Proceeds from the entire evening benefit the Flagler Museum’s education programs.
The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
Saturday, March 11, 2017
10:00 a.m.
$30 for Members
$45 for non-Members
Includes Museum admission, tax, and gratuity.
Space is limited, advance purchase is required.
Families are invited to come dressed for tea on Saturday, March 11. The morning will begin with parents and children creating festive bonnets and top hats. Sporting their fashionable masterpieces, parents and children will then enjoy a story from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” and learn proper table etiquette. The morning will conclude with a Gilded Age Style Tea served in the Museum’s Café des Beaux-Arts.
The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is sponsored by the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the Board of County Commissioners, Palm Beach County, the Tourist Development Council, and the State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs.
Bluegrass in the Pavilion Concert
An Afternoon with Dailey and Vincent
Saturday, April 8, 2017
3:00 p.m.
Tickets $35
The 12th Annual Bluegrass in the Pavilion concert continues to bring the best Bluegrass musicians to South Florida. The 2017 concert will feature the spectacular duo, Dailey & Vincent. Dubbed by CMT as the “Rockstars of Bluegrass,” the Dailey & Vincent duo has been hailed throughout the music industry as one of the most exciting, reputable and elite Bluegrass bands in America. They have won numerous awards for their uniquely contagious and riveting music, including: three Grammy Award Nominations for the 2014 “Bluegrass Album of the Year;” 14 IBMA Awards (International Bluegrass Music Awards) as three-time “Entertainer of the Year,” three-time “Vocal Group of the Year” and “Album of the Year” and four Dove Awards with three “Bluegrass Album of the Year” awards and “Bluegrass Song of the Year.”
All proceeds benefit the Flagler Museum’s education programs.
Easter Egg Hunt
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Gates open 9:00 a.m. Hunt begins at 10:00 a.m.
$18 for adults
$15 for children
Free for Members (and their children or grandchildren) of the Whitehall Society and for those at the Sustaining level and above
Free for Adult, Individual, Family, and Life Members (children or grandchildren require a ticket)
Children are invited to hunt for more than 8,000 eggs on the Museum’s Lawn and in the Cocoanut Grove. The Museum grounds will be sectioned off into age-appropriate areas so everyone, including toddlers, will have an opportunity to participate. Museum gates open at 9:00 a.m. when children may have their picture taken with the Easter Bunny, engage in Easter-themed craft projects, have their faces painted, receive a balloon sculpture, and play the Bean Bag Toss game. The egg hunt begins promptly at 10:00 a.m.
Children are encouraged to bring their own Easter baskets. Every child will receive a Flagler Museum commemorative Easter Egg.
The Easter Egg Hunt is sponsored by the Palm Beach Daily News, the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the Board of County Commissioners, Palm Beach County the Tourist Development Council, and the State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs.
Mother’s Day Tea
Saturday, May 13, 2017 – 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 14, 2017 – 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
$30 Museum Members
$50 non-member
$20 Children under age 12
Includes Museum admission, tax and gratuity
Reservations are required
The celebration of Mother’s Day began during the Gilded Age, when in May of 1914 Congress established Mother’s Day as a National Holiday. In the spirit of this tradition, the Flagler Museum invites all Mothers and their families to enjoy an elegant Mother’s Day Tea at the Café des Beaux-Arts. In honor of Mother’s Day, each mother will receive a special flower corsage.
Founder’s Day
Monday, June 5, 2017
12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Free admission
On June 5th each year the Flagler Museum celebrates its anniversary by opening free of charge in honor of the Museum’s founder, and Henry Flagler’s granddaughter, Jean Flagler Matthews. Visitors may take a self-guided tour of Whitehall’s first floor, view the permanent collection of art and objects related to the Gilded Age, and climb aboard Henry Flagler’s Railcar No. 91.
Founder’s Day is sponsored by The Palm Beach Post, the Daphne Seybolt Culpeper Memorial Foundation, the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the Board of County Commissioners, Palm Beach County, the Tourist Development Council, and the State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs.
Grandparents Day
Sunday, September 10, 2017
12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Free with Museum admission
Families may tour Whitehall with a Tour and Activity Guide for Kids and then enjoy family-friendly activities in the Flagler Kenan Pavilion. Activities include creating a family tree, creating a scrapbook page to commemorate the day, being interviewed by your grandchild, writing a postcard to send to your family and having a family photo taken in front of Railcar No. 91.
Grandparents Day is sponsored by the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the Board of County Commissioners, Palm Beach County, the Tourist Development Council, and the State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs.
* * *
When it was completed in 1902, Whitehall, Henry Flagler’s Gilded Age estate in Palm Beach, was hailed by the New York Herald as “more wonderful than any palace in Europe, grander and more magnificent than any other private dwelling in the world.” Today, Whitehall is a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public as the Flagler Museum, featuring guided tours, changing exhibits, and special programs. The Museum is located at Cocoanut Row and Whitehall Way, Palm Beach.
The Museum is open from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and noon until 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $18 for adults, $10 for youth ages 13-17, $3 for children ages 6-12, and children under six are free.
For more information, please call the Flagler Museum at (561) 655-2833 or visit www.flaglermuseum.us.