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"Inside the Newport Mansions"
Gilded Age Conversations





With Trudy Coxe, CEO and Executive Director of The Preservation Society of Newport County

Trudy Coxe Julian Fellowes

Julian Fellowes

On July 26, 2022, The Preservation Society of Newport County hosted “An Evening with Julian Fellowes,” the creator of “Downton Abbey” and “The Gilded Age” and the recipient of the Society’s 2022 Antiquarian Award. The highlight of the evening at The Breakers was this wide-ranging interview of Lord Fellowes conducted by Preservation Society CEO and Executive Director Trudy Coxe.

Thomas Ruys Smith

Thomas Ruys Smith

(December 2024) Author and historian Thomas Ruys Smith discusses his book, “Christmas Past: An Anthology of Seasonal Stories from Nineteenth-Century America,” explaining how the stories in this collection reflect the origins and evolution of Christmas as a holiday, and how that growth impacted American literature during the Gilded Age.

Annie Reed

Annie Reed

(November 2024) Learn about the incredible exploits of Cassie Chadwick, a memorable Gilded Age con artist profiled by author Annie Reed in her book “The Imposter Heiress.” One of history’s most successful con artists, Chadwick was dubbed the “Queen of Swindlers,” the “Duchess of Diamonds” and the “High Priestess of Fraudulent Finance” by newspapers of her time.

Arthur-Conan-Doyle-Spiritualism-Occult

Kathryn Sheehan

(October 2024) Spiritualism was a religious movement claiming spirits of the dead are able and willing to communicate with the living. Kathryn Sheehan, Executive Director of the Hart Cluett Museum, discusses the 19th-century origins of this movement in upstate New York, and how it attracted prominent supporters like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Cornelius Vanderbilt.

Jacques Pepin 2560x1672

Jacques Pépin

(September 2024) Join us for an exclusive conversation with world-renowned chef Jacques Pépin before his appearance in the 2024 Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival. In this episode, Pépin shares stories from his culinary journey, insights into his French roots, and his thoughts on the art of cooking. Discover what inspires this legendary chef and his connection to Newport. Bon appétit!

Great Elephant Migration DSC_1070

Ruth Ganesh & Nicole Williams

(July 2024) Preservation Society CEO Trudy Coxe discusses “The Great Elephant Migration” exhibition with Ruth Ganesh, a principal trustee of Elephant Family – a UK-based NGO dedicated to protecting Asian elephants. Later, Trudy is joined by Preservation Society Curator of Collections Dr. Nicole Williams, who discusses the exhibition “Wild Imagination: Art and Animals in the Gilded Age” at Rosecliff.

Myra Armstead

Dr. Myra Armstead

(May 2024) Bard College Professor Dr. Myra Armstead, author of “‘Lord, Please Don’t Take Me in August’: African Americans in Newport and Saratoga Springs,” discusses conventional narratives of Black politics in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and how the political outlook of African heritage communities in resort towns like Newport and Saratoga was less easily categorized.

Jonathan Michael Square

Dr. Jonathan Michael Square

(March 2024) Dr. Jonathan Michael Square of Parsons School of Design delves into the life of W.E.B. Du Bois through the lens of fashion. He traces Du Bois’ evolving fashion sense across nearly a century of life, spanning from the era of Reconstruction to the Civil Rights movement’s dawn, shedding light on the significance of how Du Bois presented himself.

Theresa Stokes Colored Women's league

Theresa Guzmán Stokes

(February 2024) Theresa “Soni” Guzmán Stokes, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, previews the exhibition “Gilded Age Newport in Color” at Rosecliff and discusses significant historical figures of the African heritage community in Newport, including doctors, dentists, teachers, hoteliers and other entrepreneurs who laid the foundation for the later 20th-century civil rights movements.

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