NHS Virtual Lecture Series: The Gilded Household: Social Life and Servants in America, 1865-1914

In collaboration with the Connecticut League of History Organization, the Norwich Historical Society is sponsoring a free virtual winter lecture series based on topics from our Walk Norwich Trail system (walknorwich.org). The four-part lecture series is free and open to the public. The lectures will be recorded and available on our website and social media platforms for on-demand viewing.
Thank you to our lecture series sponsors Jackson Hewitt Tax Service located in Downtown Norwich and the Mohegan Tribe. We are grateful for their support!
Our final lecture will focus on topics from the Millionaires Triangle Trail, which features Norwich during the gilded age.
John Tschirch, former Director of Education and Director of Museum Affairs and Architectural Historian of the Preservation Society of Newport County, will give a lecture titled: The Gilded Household: Social Life and Servants in America, 1865-1914.
This illustrated lecture explores the intricate social customs of the Gilded Age. With expanding industrial wealth, American society evolved ever more elaborate rituals to entertain, requiring large domestic staffs. Receiving guests at home for tea, elaborate dinners and dances had their counterparts in the life of the servants who kept the house running at polished perfection. This is a story of society, fashion, immigration, labor, and technology affecting the organization and use of the American house at a transformational period of history.