A Luminous "Harvest" Night at Tudor Place

"Hard" cider -- easy to enjoy.

By Mandy Katz, Communications Officer

Nearly 100 guests meandered through our gardens this past balmy Thursday evening for “Hard Cider & the Harvest.”  The twilight romp was the latest in our Tudor Nights series for members and guests.  In the Administration Building, an 1867 Victorian house, guests snacked on tasty small bites including exotic dips, pates, pumpkin truffles, and fanciful “s’mores on sticks.” And of course, there was spiced and spiked cider!  Strolling through the garden to the main house, the focus was on a 20^th century object in the collection, a beautiful vase from the world-renowned Rookwood Pottery of Cincinnati.

A mix of neighbors, newcomers and friends were on hand, including members, who attend as our guests.

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This group from the Capital Striders club found
Tudor Nights perfect for socializing off the running trail.

Lively conversation filled the elegant reception rooms
of our 1867 townhouse.   

Some of our Georgetown neighbors have known us for years. For others,
Tudor Place and Tudor Nights are a new find.

There's always something to talk about at Tudor Nights, because the surroundings themselves are part of the conversation. 

This quartet enjoyed cider and touring the house as a
"first course," before their restaurant dinner. 

A few hundred feet away, along the gravel walkway lined with tealights and redolent of boxwood, the main house and its historic offerings beckoned.

Tudor Nights offers a rare
chance to see items from
our collection up close.

Director Leslie Buhler (left) chats witha Tudor Place member and 
Rookwood aficionado.

Inside, talk was informal yet informative, as Executive Director Leslie Buhler and Curator Erin Kuykendall chatted with guests and presented the evening's "star," a 1904 Rookwood Pottery vase, in the Saloon -- the central foyer, with views of the South Lawn through the famed Temple Portico.

You can see from the golden tones of the naturalistic maple leaves why this baluster-shaped vase was perfect for an autumn event. And its craftsmanship offers a glimpse into an important element of the American Arts and Crafts Movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Founded in 1880 by Maria Longworth Nichols, The Rookwood Pottery Company was the country's first female-owned pottery manufactory. Nichols hired gifted potters, decorators, and technicians, experimented with glazing techniques, and set high standards of quality. These assets led Rookwood to garner some of the first juried awards in Europe granted to American-made ceramics. The pottery closed in 1967, but has recently been revived under new ownership. 

Rookwood insignia.

Vases such as this one are typically stamped with Rookwood's insignia (a reverse R adjoining a P, shown at right), a Roman numeral for the date of creation, and the decorator's mark incised below. For more information on Rookwood ceramics, see Jeffrey B. Snyder's Rookwood Pottery (Schiffer, 2005) or Anita J. Elli's Rookwood Pottery: The Glaze Line (Schiffer, 1995). 


Hard Cider and the Harvest was a great way to usher summer out and welcome the brisker, festive seasons to come. We thank all who attended, and we enjoyed their company. (More photos can be viewed in our Facebook album.) To join us for another romantic and convivial evening, sign up now for the last Tudor Nights of 2011, "Punch Royal and Holiday Trimmings," on December 2.

Your blogger (center) posed with two good friends who
joined her at Tudor Nights. They were wowed!