DAR Museum

10/20/2026

Our museum team had a great time today touring “Routed West: Twentieth Century African American Quilts in California” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. What a beautiful presentation, and the perfect inspiration as we prepare for our own quilts exhibition!

“Stitched Together: Quilts Across an Expanding Nation” opens May 2027. 🧵

10/14/2026

🏛️ Love history and sharing it with others? Become a DAR Museum docent!

We’re now accepting applications for our Museum Docent Program, and all are welcome to apply. Docents volunteer twice a month, leading visitors through our period rooms and galleries, and can also help with special events like Girl Scout programs and public programming. Monthly Continuing Education sessions offer the chance to build your skills in museum best practices and dig deeper into our collections.

📝 Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. You do not need to be a DAR member to volunteer! Find the application at the link below and in our bio and email it to [email protected].



https://www.dar.org/museum/volunteer-opportunities #:~:text=We%20are%20now%20accepting%20applications%20on%20a%20rolling%20basis

10/05/2026

🖋️ When a handwritten letter could carry the weight of history, penmanship mattered!

Learn the elegant art of Copperplate calligraphy in our five-week workshop led by calligrapher Jenny Nicholson. Using a pointed dip pen and ink, you’ll master the basic strokes of upper and lowercase letterforms, then put them to use writing a letter, addressing an envelope, and creating place cards. By the final session, you’ll complete a finished piece of your own.

Along the way, we’ll trace the history of penmanship through the work of the masters, inspired by our current exhibition, “Revolution in Their Words.”

📅 Saturdays, Oct 17 – Nov 21 (no session Oct 31) | 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
📍 Onsite at the DAR Museum
💵 $50, all supplies included
🎟️ Space is limited. Register now, link below and in bio!

https://book.peek.com/s/fbcdddf9-827e-482c-a5d6-22ba01fedbde/xj3JA—ec1cf503-417e-41d5-aa33-41d0713d84dc?gaClientId=1895534901.1778702661&gaSessionId=1790341236&gaClientId=1895534901.1778702661&gaSessionId=1790341236

10/01/2026

Join us VIRTUALLY on October 13 for our Tuesday Talk:
📜 Memoir of an 18th-Century Rogue: The Life and Writings of Marc-Antoine Caillot

In 2004, an unpublished 18th-century French memoir surfaced at auction. Its author, Marc-Antoine Caillot, was a young clerk for the Company of the Indies who sailed from Paris to Lorient, across the Atlantic to Saint-Domingue, and up the Mississippi to New Orleans. Historian Erin Greenwald spent six years researching the manuscript and will share what it took to bring this rogue’s story to English-speaking readers today.

Dr. Erin Greenwald serves as Deputy Director at the Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC). She was previously Vice President of Public Programs at the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH). Prior to her work at the LEH, Greenwald was senior curator and historian at HNOC. She earned her PhD in history from Ohio State University.

📅 Tuesday, October 13 | 12:00 PM ET | Virtual
🎟️ Register now, link below and in our bio!

https://book.peek.com/s/fbcdddf9-827e-482c-a5d6-22ba01fedbde/2abm—c90f1d84-d3ce-433f-8164-412c60e2eb1b?gaClientId=1895534901.1778702661&gaSessionId=1790341236&gaClientId=1895534901.1778702661&gaSessionId=1790341236

09/23/2026

Last week we welcomed Sarah Jones Weicksel, Executive Director of the American Historical Association, to DAR Museum for a fascinating talk on her new book, “A Nation Unraveled: Clothing, Culture, and Violence in the American Civil War Era.” Sarah walked us through how something as everyday as clothing became a powerful lens for understanding how Americans experienced, waged, and survived the Civil War.

Thank you to Sarah for such a rich presentation, and to everyone who joined us for the evening!

Missed the event? “A Nation Unraveled” is still available through our Museum shop, online and in person! Pick up your copy to dive deeper into this compelling history.

09/17/2026

On Constitution Day, we highlight Benjamin Franklin, one of only six men to have signed both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence!

Learn about Ben Franklin’s contributions to our nation’s independence in our current special exhibition, “Preserving Patriotism,” on view in the Study Gallery.

Snag one of these darling felt ornaments from the DAR Museum Shop, in-store and online! Link below and in our bio.

https://shop.dar.org/dar-museum-shop/christmas/ornaments/



Featuring “Benjamin Franklin” oil painting by J. F. De L’Hospital, 1779. Catalog number 2021.20 in the DAR Museum Collection and currently on display in the Ohio period room.

09/14/2026

📖 Join us this Friday in person at the DAR Museum

Author Talk: “A Nation Unraveled” with Sarah Jones Weicksel
Friday, September 18 | 5–7 PM | In Person

Join us in person for an evening with historian and AHA Executive Director Sarah Jones Weicksel, author of “A Nation Unraveled: Clothing, Culture, and Violence in the American Civil War Era.” Her book explores how clothing carried the weight of allegiance, loss, and survival during the Civil War.

The evening includes a talk, Q&A, and book signing, with refreshments before and after. Limited books available for purchase.

Register today!

09/10/2026

The next two months are packed with programming at the DAR Museum! This weekend we’re kicking things off with Community Crafting: Button-Making on Saturday, September 12, followed by an Author Talk with American Historical Association Executive Director Sarah Weicksel on Friday, September 18.
 
Looking ahead, you’ll also find curator-led tours through “Revolution in Their Words,” a new Calligraphy and Penmanship workshop series starting October 17, and our Halloween celebration on October 31.
 
Head to the Museum programs and events page on our website for more details and to register.
 

09/08/2026

Join us online in 1 hour! Register on our website: https://www.dar.org/collections/museum/programs-events

E.F. Caldwell & Company: Lighting the World
Tuesday Talk with Margaret Caldwell

Join guest speaker Margaret Caldwell, great-granddaughter of Edward F. Caldwell, for a look at the company that lit up homes, churches, and businesses from Canada to South America. Founded in 1895, E.F. Caldwell & Company set the standard for lighting and design excellence for over 50 years.

Tuesday, September 8, 12pm ET | Virtual Only!
Register: https://book.peek.com/s/fbcdddf9-827e-482c-a5d6-22ba01fedbde/2abm--0778e3e6-080d-428a-8bba-0767f0514188?gaClientId=1895534901.1778702661&gaSessionId=1787241888&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAdGRleAUD1CtwZG9mAmZkaWQWUNlxxEiwEqS93sE-hp6y4izpQoeEFWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABp49IAgjXRpEStIYGu8hwqzMEp76tbYDgulJc2rHUD4dMtUZbLe-7bvdbaUt-_aem_5GsQtEkTJuAFNZzz9sZHjQ

09/01/2026

E.F. Caldwell & Company: Lighting the World
Tuesday Talk with Margaret Caldwell

Join guest speaker Margaret Caldwell, great-granddaughter of Edward F. Caldwell, for a look at the company that lit up homes, churches, and businesses from Canada to South America. Founded in 1895, E.F. Caldwell & Company set the standard for lighting and design excellence for over 50 years.

Tuesday, September 8, 12pm ET | Virtual Only!
Register: https://book.peek.com/s/fbcdddf9-827e-482c-a5d6-22ba01fedbde/2abm--0778e3e6-080d-428a-8bba-0767f0514188?gaClientId=1895534901.1778702661&gaSessionId=1787241888&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAdGRleAUD1CtwZG9mAmZkaWQWUNlxxEiwEqS93sE-hp6y4izpQoeEFWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABp49IAgjXRpEStIYGu8hwqzMEp76tbYDgulJc2rHUD4dMtUZbLe-7bvdbaUt-_aem_5GsQtEkTJuAFNZzz9sZHjQ