FIRST SUNDAY GALLERY TALKS
The First Sunday of every month, tour the museum at your own pace from 12 pm until closing, then join an interpreter for a Gallery Talk at 1 pm. Talks (informal) are held in the period rooms and last approximately 30 minutes. Free to members; included with museum admission.

SEASONAL EVENING THEME TOURS Evening theme tours provide a way for the public to spend time in the Pope Riddle House after hours and get a taste of life Pope-family style. Themes change seasonally. The Fall theme is Spiritualism; Winter is Holidays at Hill-Stead; in Spring the theme is Women of Theodate's Circle. Hour-long tours begin every half-hour starting at 5 pm. The final tour concludes at 7:30 with a glass of champagne. Admission is $6 members, $12 members-to-be; final tour with champagne, $10 members, $16 members-to-be. By reservation only: 860.677.4787 ext 140 or stotzs@hillstead.org. Read more about each theme tour in the calendar below.

2012 FIRST SUNDAY GALLERY TALKS

January 1 – CLOSED

Illustrated Books In Hill-Stead's Collection
February 5, 1 pm
View rarely seen books, including the oldest book in the collection, America, published in England in 1671, containing 122 fold-out maps. Also shown will be Noteworthy Paintings in American Private Collections, published in 1907, which includes Hill-Stead's Impressionist painting collection. Free to members or with museum admission.

Magnificent Mezzotints
March 4, 1 pm
Hear about Alfred Pope's collection of mezzotint portrait prints engraved by some of the top 18th-century engravers, after portraits done by the best artists of the day of the most illustrious people of the times.

400 Years of Printmaking
April 1, 1 pm
Learn more about Alfred Pope's print collection spanning 400 years, from Albrecht Dürer's work of the late 1400s, to Giovanni Battista Piranesi's of the 1700s, all the way to pieces from the Etching Revival of the mid–late 1800s.

Behind Cabinet Doors
May 6, 1 pm
See wonderful pieces from Hill-Stead's collection behind glass cabinet doors, from the Gorham silver candy dish in the shape of a bat in the dining room, to snuff bottles in the cabinet in the drawing room, to a miniature writing set in the Green room secretary.

Juan de Arellano
June 3, 1 pm
Take a closer look at Hill-Stead's two floral still life paintings by Juan de Arellano, the pre-eminent painter of flower pieces in 17th century Spain. In his thirties, he abandoned figures and devoted himself to floral still life "because with them he worked less and earned more."

The Sunken Garden
July 1, 1 pm
Enjoy the beauty of Sunken Garden while learning more about its history and designer, Beatrix Farrand.

The Secrets of Hill-Stead's Cellar
August 5
Hill-Stead's vast, 9,000 square foot basement no longer contains the wine collection and food storage of 100 years ago. Today its contents tell a contemporary story of equal interest. See the recently restored wine cellar and the 1901 heating and ventilation systems, as well as a state-of-the-art heating, air conditioning and cooling system essential to the preservation of the museum's priceless collection.

A Clean House
September 2
The Pope family's servants have been replaced by trained curators, and the Parlor Queen vacuum and ostrich feather dusters have disappeared. Join former Curatorial Assistant Rebecca Guernsey in a discussion of historic and modern house cleaning at Hill-Stead. Find out how the objects in Hill-Stead's collection are maintained, cleaned and conserved on a daily basis.

Corynthian Pyxis
October 7
This talk will give you a chance to get closer to the oldest man-made piece at Hill-Stead. The Corynthian "head-pyxis" was made ca. 590-570 BC. It is one of only 77 "head pyxides" existing in museums and private collections around the world. Hill-Stead's is the second-largest and one of the best-preserved.

The Servants' Wing
November 4
Enjoy a rare chance to explore the first and second floor of Hill-Stead's Servants' Wing, and see the original Ktchen, Scullery, Butler's and Maids' Rooms.

Meet the Family
December 2
Travel back in time to the holiday season of 1908, when the Pope family welcomed such illustrious visitors as artist Mary Cassatt. Tour the decorated house at your own pace and chat with museum interpreters in vintage attire portraying members of the Pope family, their household staff and guests.

2012 EVENING THEME TOURS

Spring Theme: The Women of Theodate's Circle
May 18, Friday, 5–7:30 pm
Tour Hill-Stead after hours and meet some of Theodate's colleagues and friends — inspiring women such as artist Mary Cassatt, photographer Gertrude Käsebier, landscape architect Beatrix Farrand (at right) and others. Hour-long tours begin every half hour, starting at 5 pm. The final tour at 6:30 pm includes a glass of champagne. Admission is $6 members, $12 members-to-be. Final tour with champagne is $10 members, $16 members-to-be. Reservations required: 860.677.4787 ext 140. or stotzs@hillstead.org.

Fall Theme: Spiritualism
October 19, Friday, 5–7:30 pm
Theodate met and corresponded with several important figures in the field of Psychical Research, including William James, Sir Oliver Lodge and others. Tour-goers will see letters and other primary documents from the museum's archives, hear about séances Theodate attended, meet costumed interpreters portraying such central characters as the celebrated early 20th-century medium Leonora Piper, and much more. Hour-long tours begin every half hour, starting at 5 pm. The final tour at 6:30 pm includes a glass of champagne. Admission is $6 members, $12 members-to-be. Final tour with champagne is $10 members, $16 members-to-be. Reservations required: 860.677.4787 ext 140. or stotzs@hillstead.org.

Winter Theme: Home for the Holidays at Hill-Stead
December 14, Friday, 5–7:30 pm
Enjoy the warm twinkle of the festively decorated Pope Riddle House at night, and hear stories of the holidays at Hill-Stead at the turn of the 20th century from costumed interpreters portraying visiting family and friends. Hour-long tours begin every half hour, starting at 5 pm. The final tour at 6:30 pm includes a glass of champagne. Admission is $6 members, $12 members-to-be. Final tour with champagne is $10 members, $16 members-to-be. Reservations required: 860.677.4787 ext 140. or stotzs@hillstead.org.