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Pasadena Museum of History E-Calendar
April 2011

In This Issue
Featured Object
Featured Event
Current Exhibitions
Upcoming Events
Featured Object

 Elmer Grey Architect sign
 

Click here to view larger image

 

Image: Elmer Grey's office sign.  Donated by Sandra Kulli.  (acc. # 2011.001.01) 

 

This painted and gilt concrete sign belonged to Elmer Grey, one of Pasadena's most renowned architects.  After Grey's partnership with fellow Pasadena architect Myron Hunt dissolved around 1910, he appears to have worked out of his home at 1938 El Molino, which he designed himself.  The family that later lived in the El Molino home discovered the sign and subsequently donated it to the Museum.   

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About the Museum

 

Founded in 1924 to preserve and share the rich history, art, and culture of Pasadena and neighboring communities, Pasadena Museum of History has developed into one of the country's premiere institutions of its size.  PMH is an independent nonprofit cultural institution funded by generous gifts from foundations, corporations, businesses, individuals, and our members.

The Mission of the Museum is to promote an appreciation of history, culture, arts, and sciences relevant to Pasadena and adjoining communities.

Our e-calendar, available to Members and Non-Members alike, is designed to keep our supporters informed about happenings and upcoming events at Pasadena Museum of History. 
Featured Event
   

Woman wearing feather hatA Fine Feather: The Cawston Ostrich Farm, Feathers, and the Millinery Industry in the Early 20th Century
Thursday, April 14, 7:30 pm

 

Millinery historian Barbara Troeller leads us on an entertaining historical overview of the Cawston Ostrich Farm in South Pasadena and the important role of feathers in woman's fashion from 1870 to 1920.  Supported by memorabilia, photos, and feathered accessories, the speaker will reveal little known facts (and more than a few secrets) of the feather trade, including the "Feather Fashion Frenzy" and the devastating "Feather Crash" of the Edwardian Era.  Guests will be treated to a dazzling display from Troeller's private collection of antique feathered hats and rare exotic millinery plumage.  Wearing a hat to this event is highly encouraged.  Doors open at 6:30 pm for viewing of the exhibitions Mad For Hats! and Pasadena Patron; wine and cheese reception following lecture.


Tickets: Textile Arts Council Members $5; General Museum Members $10; Non-Members $15.  Reservations suggested; please call 626.577.1660, ext. 10. 

Current Exhibitions
   

Woman wearing hat

Mad for Hats!

Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Gallery
Wed - Sun, Noon to 5:00 pm; Closes June 12


The popularity, size, and shape of hats has changed measurably over time.  In past decades, a respectable lady or gentleman would not have ventured outdoors without one.  The design of women's hats has been influenced by hairstyles, haute couture, new materials, even the popular use of the parasol.  The impact of men's hat designs - such as the top hat and the fedora - has also been remarkable.

 

The exhibition Mad for Hats! explores women's hats as social and fashion phenomena.  More than 100 hats and related photographs, selected from the Museum's collections, showcase the various materials, styles, and shapes of ladies' hats from the 1860s to the 1960s.

 

Image: Detail of Mrs. E.L. Cord, June 26, 1931 (call # People- Cord, E.L.).

  

Richard Miller's The Coral NecklacePasadena Patron:  The Life & Legacy of Eva Scott Fenyes
Willis B. Stork Gallery
Wed - Sun, Noon to 5:00 pm

In an era when well-to-do families took a special interest in creating significant and valuable collections, Pasadena's Eva Scott Fenyes devoted her discriminating tastes, vast knowledge, and ample funds to surround herself with furniture, textiles, china, silver, and art.  Eva and her second husband, Dr. Adalbert Fenyes, f
illed their home with art and antiques they assembled from their travels worldwide. 
 
Pasadena Patron offers an in-depth examination of the life and legacy of one of early Pasadena's most prominent and influential women.  Themes covered in this special exhibition include Fenyes family history, Eva as an art patron and watercolorist, the influence of Europe and the East Coast on her collection, and the social milieu she created here in Pasadena. Exhibition highlights include items from the Fenyes collection never before on public display.

 
Image:  Richard Emile Miller (1875 - 1943).  "The Coral Necklace," 1917.  Oil on canvas, 119 x 125 cm. (acc. # 2000.019.0028).  

Upcoming Events

Sunny and children
Sunny Tales from Around the World: Children's Storytime with Sunny Stevenson
Wednesday, April 13, 10:30 am at San Rafael Branch of the Pasadena Public Library, 1240 Nithsdale Rd., Pasadena 91105

 
PMH is pleased to present a monthly storytelling series in collaboration with the Pasadena Public Library, San Rafael branch.  Every month, the Museum's beloved storyteller, Sunny Stevenson, enthralls her listeners with stories from her vast repertoire of tales from around the world.  This month Sunny will feature tales about spring.  Please join us! 

Tickets: Free; no reservations required.

 

 

California Light coverLecture and Book Signing with Author Molly Siple
Saturday, April 16, 2:00 pm

 

A first-of-its-kind monograph,

California Light: A Century of Landscapes, by Jean Stern and Molly Siple, offers a comprehensive look at the plein air paintings created by members of the California Art Club over the past 100 years.  Divided into two main sections, the first half of the book addresses the beginnings of "Art in California, 1880-1925: A Perspective" and offers a historical narrative on the inception of painting the California landscape.  The second half of the book, "A New Chapter for Plein Air," picks up the narrative and offers a contemporary account of the club members' paintings to-date, as well as efforts to educate art enthusiasts about California's rich art heritage.

 

Tickets: Museum and California Art Club Members Free; Non-Members $5.  Reservations suggested; please call 626.577.1660, ext. 10.  



PMH Fundraiser at Kingston Cafe
333 S. Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena 91105
Wednesday, April 13
Restaurant Hours: 11:00 am to 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm

On April 13, Kingston Cafe Caribbean Fusion Restaurant will donate 20% of your regularly-priced meal purchases (dine-in and take-out) to PMH's Happy Birthday Pasadena fund.  Please note: Patrons must give our flier to the waiter for purchases to qualify. 

Funds raised from this event will help support Happy Birthday Pasadena 2011, which will commemorate the 125th anniversary of the City's incorporation.