Salem Women's
History and
Business Community
History and
Business Community
Peabody Essex Museum
Associated Salem women:
• Sophia Peabody Hawthorne
• Lucy Hiller Lambert Cleveland
• Sarah W. Symonds
• Sarah Gooll Putnam
• Mary Holingworth
• Mary Saltonstall Parker
• Lucy Larcom
• Elizabeth Derby West
• Sarah Lockhart Allen
• Mary Spencer
• Louise du Pont Crowninshield
Historic house museums
Also:
• Phillips Library
• Sophia Peabody Hawthorne
• Lucy Hiller Lambert Cleveland
• Sarah W. Symonds
• Sarah Gooll Putnam
• Mary Holingworth
• Mary Saltonstall Parker
• Lucy Larcom
• Elizabeth Derby West
• Sarah Lockhart Allen
• Mary Spencer
• Louise du Pont Crowninshield
Historic house museums
Also:
• Phillips Library
East India Square (corner of Essex and New Liberty Streets) — Open to the public
The Peabody Essex Museum was formed in 1992 with the consolidation of the Peabody Museum of Salem (1799) and the Essex Institute (1821). As a result, it is the oldest museum in continuous operation in America. The museum invites you to explore art and culture from New England and around the world, including works of art created by or for women and girls. From paintings and decorative arts to textiles and personal items, there are hundreds of women’s stories to be told at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM).
The museum also owns and operates several historic houses that provide a window on daily life in colonial and Federal-era Salem. One of these properties, the John Ward House at 132 Essex Street, contained one of Salem’s Cent Shops, much like the one that may be seen at The House of the Seven Gables. Much later, the shop “ell” was the studio of artist Sarah W. Symonds. In the Ward House kitchen, visitors learn about the lives of the women who cooked, used herbal remedies, bore children, and more. Another PEM historic house belonged to the Ropes sisters whose family home, garden, and intact collection were assumed by PEM in the 1980s. At the grand Gardner-Pingree House, visitors learn about the lives of both the “upstairs” and “downstairs” women.
Among the many early women artists whose work is featured in the PEM’s collections are Lucy Hiller Lambert Cleveland (1780–1866), Sarah W. Symonds (1870–1965), and Sarah Gooll Putnam (1772–1864). The museum also owns the famous Holingworth/English chair once owned by Mary Holingworth (1652–94) who was accused of witchcraft in 1692.
Other women’s history-related items in the Museum’s collections include a sampler by Mary Holingworth; Colonial Revival samplers by Mary Saltonstall Parker; a sewing table once owned by North Shore author Lucy Larcom (1824–93); a dressing table belonging to Elizabeth Derby West (1762–1814), who was a leading patron of decorative arts and architecture during Salem’s federal period; portrait miniatures by Sarah Lockhart Allen; and the cart Mary Spencer used to sell her famous “Gibraltar” candy.
Among the PEM’s many women benefactors was Louise du Pont Crowninshield, who created a gallery to honor her husband’s leading Salem family, the Crowninshields.
Finally, the PEM's Phillips Library is one of the preeminent research libraries in the world, and is a "must-do" for anyone doing research on Salem women, women's organizations, or Salem history.
The Peabody Essex Museum was formed in 1992 with the consolidation of the Peabody Museum of Salem (1799) and the Essex Institute (1821). As a result, it is the oldest museum in continuous operation in America. The museum invites you to explore art and culture from New England and around the world, including works of art created by or for women and girls. From paintings and decorative arts to textiles and personal items, there are hundreds of women’s stories to be told at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM).
The museum also owns and operates several historic houses that provide a window on daily life in colonial and Federal-era Salem. One of these properties, the John Ward House at 132 Essex Street, contained one of Salem’s Cent Shops, much like the one that may be seen at The House of the Seven Gables. Much later, the shop “ell” was the studio of artist Sarah W. Symonds. In the Ward House kitchen, visitors learn about the lives of the women who cooked, used herbal remedies, bore children, and more. Another PEM historic house belonged to the Ropes sisters whose family home, garden, and intact collection were assumed by PEM in the 1980s. At the grand Gardner-Pingree House, visitors learn about the lives of both the “upstairs” and “downstairs” women.
Among the many early women artists whose work is featured in the PEM’s collections are Lucy Hiller Lambert Cleveland (1780–1866), Sarah W. Symonds (1870–1965), and Sarah Gooll Putnam (1772–1864). The museum also owns the famous Holingworth/English chair once owned by Mary Holingworth (1652–94) who was accused of witchcraft in 1692.
Other women’s history-related items in the Museum’s collections include a sampler by Mary Holingworth; Colonial Revival samplers by Mary Saltonstall Parker; a sewing table once owned by North Shore author Lucy Larcom (1824–93); a dressing table belonging to Elizabeth Derby West (1762–1814), who was a leading patron of decorative arts and architecture during Salem’s federal period; portrait miniatures by Sarah Lockhart Allen; and the cart Mary Spencer used to sell her famous “Gibraltar” candy.
Among the PEM’s many women benefactors was Louise du Pont Crowninshield, who created a gallery to honor her husband’s leading Salem family, the Crowninshields.
Finally, the PEM's Phillips Library is one of the preeminent research libraries in the world, and is a "must-do" for anyone doing research on Salem women, women's organizations, or Salem history.
