In the late 1790s, John Bernard, a London stage actor, toured the new United States and wrote down his experiences which went on to be published posthumously as Retrospections of America. Bernard recorded a story about a Yankee Peddler who hoodwinked a town into believing crockery carried the infection during the Yellow Fever outbreak. However, his wooden wares were known to be safe from spreading the infection. Told in the traditional ballad opera form as used in The Beggar’s Opera, the Peddler’s Opera serves as a hilarious morality play to show the downfalls of profiting off a tragedy.
Other Experiences
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Pictures of West Africa
Join Harold Caldwell, apprentice carpenter, as he shares a pictorial of the connected 18th-century African and Virginian history, while tying it to a modern understanding.
Art Museums Admission
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Witchcraft in Colonial Virginia
Historian Carson Hudson discusses how colonial Virginians shared a common belief in the supernatural and the existence of witches with their northern neighbors.
Art Museums Admission
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Holiday Season Preview for Art Museums Members
Art Museums Members are invited to preview the 2022 holiday schedule of programs and activities at the museums. Stop by and see the Christmas Tree and get in the holiday spirit.
Art Museums Admission