Washington, DC History & Culture

Clara Barton' extraordinary life (1821-1912) was one of humanitarian service. She worked in the fields of teaching, the federal government, the battlefields of the Civil War, as an bureaucrat to locate and identify the missing and buried soldiers of the Civil War, as a humanitarian abroad during the Franco-Prussian War, as a diplomat to convince the US government to sign the Geneva Convention, as the founder and president of the American Red Cross. For a succinct biography, see the "Virtual Museum Exhibit at Clara Barton National Historic Site": https://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/clba/work.html

Officially, the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum is a National Historic Site, overseen by the National Park Service and managed by the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

Our schedule:

MEETUP TIME: 10:15am: At 10:15, we will meet outside the National Portrait Gallery (672 7th St NW, between F and G Streets) at 10:15am. See "Location" for detailed location.

Barton worked as a clerk there when the building housed the Patent Office Commission. The building now holds the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

After our meet-and-greet, we will hear about Barton's life in Washington DC at the time of and after the Civil War.

We will then walk down 7th Street to Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum for our tour.

10:45am-12pm: Tour of the Missing Soldiers Office Museum: We will have a private, docent-led tour of the museum where we will learn of Barton's efforts during the Civil War to provide support to the soldiers on the battlefields and her campaign to locate missing soldiers after the war. We will also hear the history of the preserved rooms--and how they were almost lost to history.

12pm-1pm: After the tour we will return to the National Portrait Gallery for a short interior introduction to the history of the building to see where Barton would have worked.

1pm: Optional lunch at The Courtyard Café.

HOW TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT: In addition to RSVP's on Meetup, you are required to pay a reservation fee. The reservation fee includes pre-payment of the required Missing Soldiers Office Museum admission fee that I must pay for the whole group when we arrive as well as covering operational costs. The National Portrait Gallery does not charge for admission.

You are welcome to bring 2 guests but must pay the additional fee(s) for each guest per the amounts below.

For Only Yourself: $15.50
Yourself and 1 guest: $31.00
Yourself and 2 guests: $46.50

Go to Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/us/home. Send the correct amount for your reservation to savemytourspot@gmail.com for each attendee. It is helpful to me for you to include which tour you are taking. If your name is different on Meetup, let me know that information as well.

Your fee is due within 48 hours of your RSVP. If not paid, you will be moved to "Not Going." If you have any issues with Paypal, please reach out to MaryBeth via Direct Message in Meetup or email at savemytourspot@gmail.com.

A full refund will be given if the event is cancelled by the event organizer or the museum. It is important to keep your RSVP current if your plans change. If you cancel within 48 hours of the event and a replacement cannot be made for your spot, you may not receive a refund. Please stay in touch if something happens.

GETTING THERE: We will be meeting outside the National Portrait Gallery. Taking Metro is recommended. To take Metro, check the WMATA site. If you want to drive and park, please research your options.

ACCESSIBILITY: The preserved rooms at the Missing Soldiers Office are accessible by stairs and elevator. They are lit by replicated faux-gas light and are dimly lit. The National Portrait Gallery is accessible through entrance and elevators.

Thank you! I hope you can join me for Part 2 of our tribute to Clara Barton!

MaryBeth

The blockbuster Impressionism Exhibit is now open at the National Gallery of Art: "Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment."

The exhibit is a remarkable presentation of 130 works that includes a rare reunion of many of the paintings first featured in the now-legendary radical exhibition of 1874 in Paris now considered the birth of modern painting. The exhibit includes beloved paintings by Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir and their lesser-known contemporaries.

To get as much as we can out of this once-in-a-lifetime exhibit, we will be going on a Thursday, in order to take advantage of two educational opportunities presented by the NGA.

To start our deep dive, we will attend the public lecture, "Exhibition Overview—Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment," presented by NGA educator Jennifer Riddell. The overview will orient us to the themes and highlights of the exhibit. We will then view the exhibit.

We'll come up for air and take a lunch break in the Cascades Cafe.

To continue our deep dive after lunch, we will tour the exhibit "In the Library: Life in the Impressionists’ Paris." This selection of approximately 40 photographs and prints from the National Gallery of Art Library, open only on the weekdays, shows us the world of the artists and artworks on view in Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment. These archival objects provide glimpses of a city and an art market on the cusp of modernity.

Before we see the exhibition, we will have an overview provided by one of the curators of the exhibit. She will be on hand as we go through the exhibit to answer any questions.

Here are the glorious details!

How to Get There
Directions to the The National Gallery of Art

Schedule of our Deep Dive
10am: Enter the National Gallery of Art at 10am to allow yourself time to go through security and get to the West Building Lecture Hall located on the Ground Floor of the West building. The closest street entrance to the Lecture Hall is the 7th Street Entrance. The West Building Lecture Hall is located in G42, one of the furniture galleries in the Ground Floor.
10:15-10:30am: Please arrive outside the West Building Lecture Hall no later than 10:30am to meet the group. Since the lecture is no-reservation and open-seating, we want to get there early to get a place in line, and we can have a meet-and-greet.
11-11:30am: Exhibit overview lecture.
11:30am-1:15ishpm: We'll reconvene as a group outside the Lecture Hall and move to the Main Floor for the Exhibit. Time is allotted to allow ample time in case there are crowds or a line.
1:15ish-2:15pm: Lunch at the Cascades Cafe.
2:30-3:30pm: We will move to the East Building for the curator's overview of the exhibition and tour of "In the Library: Life in the Impressionists’ Paris."

HOW TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT(S): This is a limited attendee event. In addition to reserving on Meetup, a $8.00 reservation fee is due for you and your guest(s). When you RSVP, please pay your fee within 24 hours, as follows:

Yourself Only: $8.00
Yourself and 1 Guest: $16.00
Yourself and 2 Guests: $24.00

Paypal: Go to Paypal at
https://www.paypal.com/us/home
Send the correct amount to savemytourspot@gmail.com

Please be sure you are spelling "savemytourspot@gmail.com" correctly. :)

This fee reserves your spot for the limited attendee event and helps to cover administrative costs. The National Gallery of Art does not charge admission fees or fees for its educational events.

REFUNDS: Refunds will be given if the event is cancelled due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances, including cancellation by The National Gallery of Art.

I look forward to seeing you!

MaryBeth

Clara Barton' extraordinary life (1821-1912) was one of humanitarian service. She worked in the fields of teaching, the federal government, the battlefields of the Civil War, as an bureaucrat to locate and identify the missing and buried soldiers of the Civil War, as a humanitarian abroad during the Franco-Prussian War, as a diplomat to convince the US government to sign the Geneva Convention, as the founder and president of the American Red Cross. During her lifetime of service, Barton received gifts, honors, and accolades from royalty, world leaders,presidents, generals, soldiers, and ordinary people for this work. For a succinct biography, see the "Virtual Museum Exhibit at Clara Barton National Historic Site": https://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/clba/work.html and Clara's Story.

On this tour, we will learn more about Barton's legacy with the American Red Cross. Please note that this tour can only be on a weekday. Here's what we'll see and do at the American Red Cross Museum:

MEETUP TIME: 10:30am: We will meet at the bottom of the stairs outside the American Red Cross Building (frequently referred to as "Red Cross Square"). We will have a meet-and-greet. Since this is the final stop of our Clara Barton Legacy tour, MaryBeth will provide an overview of where we have been and what we will take away from this spot. Around 10:50, we will move inside the building to start our 11am tour.

11:00am-12pm: Tour of the Red Cross Square: We will have a private, docent-led tour of the museum where we will learn the history of the Red Cross and how Barton became involved with it during the Franco-Prussian War in Europe and then founded the organization in the United States after an incredible effort to first have the United States sign the Treaty of the Geneva Convention and the establish it not only as a organization to respond to the needs of wartime--but to national or local disasters. The tour includes a history of the building, some really remarkable features, artifacts and artwork. The tour usually includes a tour of the outside Memorial Garden. However, as of August, the garden is under renovation and may not be available at the time of our tour.

AFTERWARDS: If people would like to have a beverage or a lunch after the tour, we can go for lunch at the Met Cafe for a spot of refreshment.

HOW TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT: In addition to RSVP's on Meetup, you are required to pay a reservation fee for yourself and guest(s) if you are bringing them. You are welcome to bring 2 guests.

Yourself only: $7.00
Yourself and 1 Guest: $14.00
Yourself and 2 Guests: $21.00

Go to Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/us/home. Send the correct amount for your reservation to savemytourspot@gmail.com for each attendee. It is helpful to me for you to include which tour you are taking. If your name is different on Meetup, let me know that information as well.

Your fee is due within 48 hours of your RSVP. If not paid, you will be moved to "Not Going." If you have any issues with Paypal, please reach out to MaryBeth via Direct Message in Meetup or email at savemytourspot@gmail.com.

Note: The American Red Cross Museum does not charge for its tours; your reservation fee insures your spot on the tour and covers administrative and operational costs.

A full refund will be given if the event is cancelled by the event organizer or the museum. It is important to keep your RSVP current if your plans change.

GETTING THERE: Taking Metro is recommended. To take Metro, check the WMATA site. If you want to drive and park, please make your own accommodations.

ACCESSIBILITY: All areas of the tour are wheelchair and stroller accessible. No pets other than service dogs are allowed. Red Cross Square is a working facility. Due to meetings, some tour stops may not be available for viewing.

Thank you! I hope you can join me for this tribute to Clara Barton!

MaryBeth