Gallery 4 – Memory Intro

“I…have been thinking more about the past. All the lovely things in the house that have had their stories recorded. I hope someone outside our dear family circle enjoys learning about our family and who we’ve met and what we’ve read.” – Eliza Susan Quincy, July 1866 

Even before the War for Independence ended, New Englanders made and preserved objects that commemorated – and sometimes embellished – their memories of the American Revolution. Some of these 

objects related to family members who lost their lives, while others documented notable events. Meanwhile, the circulation of consumer goods with patriotic imagery enabled former colonists to demonstrate their new status as American citizens. 

Stories of revolution were etched, stitched, painted, and inscribed on objects, which transformed them into powerful artifacts of historical memory.  

The objects in this gallery reflect the many ways the American Revolution was crafted and interpreted by its survivors and later generations of Americans. As these objects joined the collection of Historic New England, so did their associated memories become part of the museum’s story.