The 1215 Magna Carta

Fraunces Tavern® Museum to Display 1215 Magna Carta

Magna Carta and the Foundations of Freedom
“Our American Inheritance”

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The Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York, today announced that one of the four original copies of the 1215 Magna Carta, called the “birth certificate of human liberty,” will be displayed for three months at historic Fraunces Tavern® Museum in New York City as part of the exhibit Magna Carta and the Foundations of Freedom.

New Exhibits:

Revolution and the City: New York’s Place in America’s Fight for Independence
Through July 31, 2009
While the cities of Boston and Philadelphia are most traditionally recognized for their vital roles in the American Revolution, New York City was a major center of wartime activity.  This exhibit, located in the Louise Messick Gallery, explores the Revolutionary War’s timeline from New York’s point of view: a story not nearly as romanticized as others, but one that is equally as gripping and important in the story of America’s fight for independence.

Heroes
Through July 31, 2009

This exhibit in the Museum's Adeline Moses Loeb Gallery, looks at just a few of the many people from diverse backgrounds who joined together to win America's independence. Paintings on exhibit include Henry Hintermeister The Drill Master, John Ward Dunsmore's The Message from Lexington, and Dennis Mallone Carter's Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth.

Ongoing Exhibitions:

Keeping the Revolution Alive: The John Ward Dunsmore Collection
John Ward Dunsmore (1856-1945) was best known for his realistic and accurate genre paintings of the events surrounding the American Revolution and Early Republic. He not only painted the Revolution, but kept the spirit of that struggle alive for the nation in the early 20th Century.  His attention to research and detail created vivid paintings that became a part of the nation’s historical imagery.  Dunsmore’s works have been reproduced on items ranging from school children’s textbooks to the Library of Congress’s website, to a special coin produced by the U.S. Mint.  This exhibition of the newly restored John Ward Dunsmore collection in the museum’s new Dunsmore Gallery returns these images to their rightful place in the iconography of American culture.

Bunker Hill-Fight at the Rail Fence
John Ward Dunsmore
Gift of George A. Zabriskie Memorial, 1936; 2007 conservation sponsored by Lawrence K. Casey, Jr.

George Washington Portrait Gallery
honoring Elizabeth and Stanley DeForest Scott

Few individuals have been as honored and revered in history as George Washington. With his appointment in 1775 as commander of the Continental Army, and later as the nation's first president, Washington has long embodied the spirit of the American people. His military prowess and impressive physical stature inspired numerous artists to issue portraits during his lifetime. The Elizabeth and Stanley DeForest Scott Collection represents the rich diversity of these likenesses. Most of the prints in this collection were created during the last quarter of the 18th century and, when viewed together, they give a rare glimpse into the attitudes and perspectives of that period.

Commemoration of Washington
John James Barralet
Stipple engraving with etching, published by Simon Chaudron, Philadelphia, 1802
Gift of Stanley DeForest Scott

The Long Room

The Long Room is the site of General George Washington's famous farewell to his officers at the end of the Revolution. Based on extensive research of inventories and estates of tavern keepers of this period, the Long Room is a re-creation of an 18th century public dining room.

In his handwritten memoirs, now on display, Col. Benjamin Tallmadge, recorded Washington's farewell,"With a heart full of love and gratitude I now take leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable."

The Clinton Room is named for George Clinton, New York State's first American governor. He hosted a dinner party for General George Washington at Fraunces Tavern to celebrate the British evacuation of British troops from New York on November 25, 1783.

This exhibit explains the history of the organization and its founders, and displays items from the Museum's permanent collection of Revolutionary War objects and documents. Highlights of the exhibit include: a miniature statue of Nathan Hale, which the Sons commissioned for City Hall Park in 1893, historic relics (such as a lock of Washington's hair and one of his false teeth!), and Benjamin Tallmadge's diary, the only first-hand account of Washington's Farewell. Of note are the display cases which were built for the Museum's opening in 1907 by Tiffany & Company.