Exhibition opens June 29, 2016 at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum
An 1802 broadside advertising for two runaway slaves from Frederick County, MD. The owners are brothers to Maryland’s first elected governor, Thomas Johnson.
A signed photograph of Frederick Douglass; an 1802 advertisement for two runaway slaves from Frederick County, Maryland; and a door from the former Baltimore NAACP headquarters, nicknamed the “Freedom House,” are just some of the new acquisitions that will be on display in the Reginald F. Lewis Museum’s exhibition, Now, That’s Cool!, June 29 - December 31, 2016. This is the museum’s first show that is comprised wholly of objects from the collection. The vast majority of the 40 plus objects in Now, That’s Cool! will be on display at the museum for the first time.
“This exhibition brings together recently acquired works that reaffirms the museum’s commitment to connecting people to Maryland’s past through the unparalleled journey of the African American experience,” says Charles Bethea, Director of Collections and Exhibitions.
For the past 10 years, a number of major donations have significantly enhanced the Reginald F. Lewis Museum’s collection. Other objects in the exhibit include a first edition of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, considered one the greatest accounts of slavery written by a former slave; and an 1818 letter from a Spanish merchant to a Baltimore insurance company requesting coverage of a third trip to Africa to receive another cargo of enslaved Africans headed to Cuba, dated well after the 1807 British Slave Trade Act that prohibited the international slave trade. After the exhibit closes, most of the objects will return to museum storage and will no longer be on public view.
About the Reginald F. Lewis Museum
The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture highlights the history and accomplishments of African Americans, with a special focus on Maryland. A Smithsonian affiliate, the museum engages visitors through its permanent and special exhibitions, resource center, as well as programs such as its film series, live music series, and family programming. For more information on the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, visit www.lewismuseum.org or call 443-263-1800.
