Write at the Museum 2024

Storytelling has held an important place in every culture throughout human history. Stories serve many purposes, from entertainment, to education, to recording histories and events. Many stories began as oral traditions, passed down through generations, while others were written down at their creation.

This photograph features a nineteenth-century lap desk (background), an inkwell (upper right), a pounce pot (upper left), and a mother-of-pearl dip pen (right). | Photo Credit: Sarah Jauris

Many fairytales, such as “Snow White,” began as oral traditions which were recorded. After

publication by the Brothers Grimm, “Snow White” and other fairytales have been adapted into countless forms through retellings and adaptations. Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is one such adaptation.

Cover of 1898 edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll | Photo Credit: Sarah Jauris

Other well-known works, such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, began as stories told to children, which were then written down and published. Carroll, whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, made up the story to tell to Alice Liddell and her siblings during a picnic in the 1862.  She loved the story so much that she asked him to write it down for her, and Carroll was later encouraged to publish it. By the end of Carroll’s life, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, had become the most popular children’s books in England. By the early 1930s, they were among the most popular in the world.

The Nashua Historical Society is celebrating writing by inviting writers to join us at the Florence H. Speare Memorial Museum for a day of writing on Saturday, November 2, 2024, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Whether staying for the day or stopping in for a paragraph, enjoy the historic ambiance with your current writing project. Join us for some quality writing time in a unique environment where the ancient art of storytelling is brought to life!

A temporary writing exhibit is on display for the month of November at the Florence H. Speare Memorial Museum. From the beautiful to the mundane, writing implements and books from the Nashua Historical Society's collection will be on display, including an 1898 copy of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and an original 1938 copy of the Disney’s book Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

Event Information:

Write at the Museum

When: Saturday, November 2, 2024, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm

Where: Florence H. Speare Memorial Museum

5 Abbott Street, Nashua, NH

Food and drink are allowed in the Library (Nashua Manufacturing Company and Writing exhibits) and Dining Room (Hat exhibit).

For more information, please see the Nashua Historical Society’s Events page.