Albany Institute of History & Art (125 Washington Ave, Albany, NY 12210)
Colonial Dutch "She-Merchants" as Collectors - Lecture by Dr. Louisa Wood Ruby
Did you know that in the 17th and early 18th centuries in New Netherlands/New York, women of Dutch descent were able to buy, own, and sell property and goods on their own? Contemporary documents show that many of them accumulated all kinds of luxury goods in their lives, even after their husbands’ deaths. Join Dr. Louisa Wood Ruby as she traces the fortunes of the “she-merchants” of colonial New York, with a special focus on the women of the renowned Schuyler family of Albany.
Dr. Louisa Wood Ruby has a PhD in Art History from NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts with a specialization in Dutch and Flemish art of the 16th and 17th centuries. She has published 2 books and many articles in festschrifts, symposia proceedings and exhibition catalogs. After over 20 years as Head of Research at the Frick Collection, she retired to Gallatin where she is now the town historian.
The program is free with gallery admission.
Image: Ariantje Coeymans Verplanck (1672-1743), attributed to Nehemiah Partridge (1683-about 1737), oil on canvas, 1718 or 1722-1724 , AIHA 1938.5
