Winter 2006 Exhibit

It's the ultimate family reunion. Not just people, but Chippendale chairs, tricorn hats, vintage portraits and photographs and even a patriarch's patched shoes will be brought together by the latest exhibit at the Portsmouth Athenaeum.  "Coming Home" opens Jan. 31 in the Randall Room at the 6-8 Market Square historical library and museum. The free exhibit is the third in a series featuring the collections of the house museums of Portsmouth.

"We are celebrating the many objects that have been returned to the Warner House over the years," said curator Joyce Volk. "Some were gifts; some were purchases. Some were left in the house when the family moved out in 1930."

The Daniel Street home, built between 1716 and 1718, is described on its National Historic Landmark certificate as "perhaps the finest brick residence of the first quarter of the eighteenth century left in New England."

The families that lived in the house over 300 years included many notables who will be represented in the Athenaeum exhibit, which runs through April 29.   The exhibit includes a pair of shoes that belonged to John Nathaniel Sherburne that once had cut-outs for his bunions.   Family patriarch Jonathan Warner is represented by a pair of breeches, man's coat and waistcoat and walking stick. His daughter, Polly Warner, can be seen in a 1761 portrait by Joseph Blackburn. She is holding a bird and has flowers and pearls in her hair. "It's the best portrait Blackburn ever did," Volk said of the artist who painted six Warners; five of the portraits are still in the house.

The exhibit coincides with the publication of a book edited by Volk, "The Warner House: A Rich and Colorful History." The profusely illustrated collection of essays by several noted scholars will soon be published and available for $25 in paperback. (See our Shop page)