Portrayals
Estee Lauder
Beautician and cosmetics executive Estee Lauder (born Josephine Esther Menzer) launched her a beauty company using skin creams developed by her chemist uncle. She targeted beauty salons and high-end stores, eventually breaking into Saks Fifth Avenue. Her Youth-Dew beauty oil launched Estee Lauder, Inc., and her marketing innovations helped her company become a billion-dollar-a-year business. This program, set in 1972, introduces the woman whose extraordinary sales ability, inventive marketing and tireless pursuit of excellence made her America’s wealthiest self-made woman.
NOW AVAILABLE:Jane Austen and Her Women
Celebrate the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudicewith this charming portrayal of the sparkling, witty, and insightful women of Jane Austen. Austen has time-travelled to the current year and agreed to answer the most common questions about her and her life: what did she really think about marriage? And why did she never marry? she refers back to the women in her novels, bringing them to life in monologues from her books as they discuss romance, choice of a spouse and the position of women in British society. Beginning and ending with Elizabeth Bennet, this program introduces eight of Austen’s female characters – including Emma Woodhouse, Anne Elliott, Miss Bates, and others – using Austen’s own dry, humorous and sarcastic words. This delightful overview provides an excellent introduction to Austen’s women. It also reveals, ultimately, that although many details of her life remain obscure, Austen answered our questions about her views on marriage, through the words of her characters themselves.
NOW AVAILABLE:
Below Stairs: A Servant's Life in Early 20th-Century England
What was life really like for the servants who worked below stairs in the era of Downton Abbey? Who were the people who toiled around the clock to ensure the smooth running of these glamorous households? In this new first-person program, British domestic servant Margaret Powell introduces life below stairs in stately English homes in the early 1920s. Based on Powell's best-selling memoir Below Stairs, this program gives a lively look at the work it took to run a wealthy household in this era and the eccentricities often found among employers. Powell's 1968 book was among the inspirations for the popular television series Downtown Abbey and directly inspired the 1970s series Upstairs, Downstairs. Never out of print in Great Britian, Powell's book was published for the first time in the U.S. in 2012.
Civil War Diarist Mary Chesnut. Daughter of a wealthy planter
and wife of a top presidential aide, Mary Chesnut witnessed first-hand many key events in the
South during the Civil War, recording them in a diary considered one of the
most compelling personal accounts of the war. In this first-person portrayal,
Chesnut reads from her journal, sharing stories of the events unfolding around her and her often
surprising perspectives on race,
political power, and social status. Small wonder her journal has been called "the most famous war diary of a Southern woman" and
"one of the best windows we have into southern society during the
American Civil War."
Abigail Adams. More than just a celebrated wife (of second U.S. President John Adams) Abigail Adams was also a committed patriot and a true partner to her husband. In this first-person program, set in 1776, Adams recounts her life in a time of revolution including her famous call to John to “remember the Ladies” in the founding of the new nation. She shares her opinions of the founding fathers' plans for a new nations and offers us a glimpse at one of the great love stories of American history.
Bertha Palmer. Chicago
socialite, wife of real estate magnate Potter Palmer, and pace-setting arts
patron, Bertha Palmer is best remembered for her Impressionist collection, now
at the Art Institute of Chicago. But the glamorous Mrs. Palmer has her own
fascinating story. As shrewd as she was stylish, Palmer helped recoup her
husband's lost fortune after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. At the World's
Columbian Exposition of 1893, she served as hostess to the world. Intelligent
and witty, the intriguing Mrs. Palmer still compels attention.
Titanic Stewardess Violet Jessop. Stewardess Violet Jessop survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and then, several years later, the sinking of the Britannic (Titanic’s virtually identical sister ship) during World War I. Clever and articulate, she tells unforgettable stories of the tragedies from the striking viewpoint of a crew member and gives a fascinating glimpse at life behind-the-scenes on the most glamorous luxury liners of their day.
Jacqueline Kennedy. It is 1964, and former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy is besieged by sightseers around her house in Georgetown. As she deliberates what to do next, she shares the story of her life in the White House, including her struggle to retain her family’s privacy in the face of media onslaughts, her restoration work, and her attempts to showcase the arts. In a climactic revelation, she recounts her husband’s death and comes to heartfelt decision about how to begin a new life for herself and her children.
Civil War Nurse Clara Barton. Clara Barton earned fame as the first woman to
serve as a nurse on the front lines of a battlefield. This first-person program
introduces Barton as a tireless worker who faced remarkable challenges in her
quest to care for wounded soldiers. Learn about the medical conditions during
the American Civil War and about the courage required for a woman who dared to
brave the war’s front lines.
Amelia Earhart. American aviator Amelia Earhart’s courageous exploits and spirited personality made her an international celebrity. Her dazzling achievements include becoming the first woman to cross the Atlantic ocean by airplane (1928) and the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic (1932). She set numerous speed and altitude records before disappearing mysteriously in 1937 during an attempted around-the-world flight. This program reviews her upbringing, the records she broke, and her tireless work to promote opportunities for women.
Estée Lauder. Beautician and cosmetics executive Estée Lauder (born Josephine Esther Menzer) launched her company using skin creams developed by a chemist uncle. She targeted beauty salons and high-end stores, eventually breaking into Saks Fifth Avenue. Her Youth-Dew beauty oil and marketing innovations helped her company become a billion-dollar-a-year business. This program, set in 1972, introduces the woman whose extraordinary sales ability, inventive marketing and tireless pursuit of excellence made her America’s wealthiest self-made woman.
Requirements for any first-person program:
- Table for approx. 20-25 artifacts
- Microphone (lapel preferred), if desired by presenter
