Exhibit showcases African American life on Lafayette Square in sight of the White House from 1795-1965
Washington, D.C. - Decatur House on Lafayette Square will offer special Curator's Tours of the special exhibition, The Half Had Not Been Told Me: African Americans on Lafayette Square (1795-1965) and the historic house designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the Father of American Architecture. Visitors will be treated to behind-the-scenes curator's tour of the historic site located just steps from the White House.
This special 1 hour experience will be offered by reservation from January - March, 2009 and includes:
- A private tour of the historic Decatur House
- A Curator's Tour of the special exhibition, The Half Had Not Been Told Me:
African Americans on Lafayette Square (1795-1965)
- Special discount that day in the popular Decatur House Museum Shop
This unique opportunity costs $300 for up to 10 people and additional guests can be added for $20 per person.
The African American history of Lafayette Square is a treasure, but it is one that has not had significant public exposure in the past. The exhibition breaks new ground in the interpretation of the Square's history, and features some items never publicly exhibited before. Examples of items in the exhibit include:
• A quilt, late 19th century, attributed to Elizabeth Keckly, the seamstress and confidant of Mary Todd Lincoln, said to contain scraps from some of Mrs. Lincoln's dresses - on loan from KentStateUniversity
• The bill of sale, 1846, of the enslaved Paul Jennings, signed by former First Lady, Dolley Madison - on loan from private collector
• A painting, 1940, by Lois Mailou of Lillian Evanti, one of the earliest African-American opera singers who performed before desegregated audiences in the Square's Belasco Theater - on loan from the National Portrait Gallery
• Photograph, ca. 1870, of Frederick Douglass, on loan from the Chris Webber Collection
The Half Had Not Been Told Me encompasses both the interior and exterior architecture of Decatur House and its slave quarters as evocative of the experience of urban enslavement. Today, this building is one of a few examples of urban slave quarters in the United States, and is entirely unique as the only remaining physical evidence that African Americans were held in bondage in sight of the ExecutiveMansion.
Decatur House (1818), a historic site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is one of three residences remaining in the country designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the Father of American Architecture. Built in the neoclassical style for naval hero Stephen Decatur, the home's prominent location on Lafayette Square across from the White House made it one of the capital's most desirable addresses, including when it served as the unofficial residence of the Secretary of State. Today, visitors can see a restoration in progress and hear the compelling stories of this unique place, from elite socializing to a fatal duel, to an enslaved woman's campaign for freedom.