Outreach

What do Ragtime, the Ferris wheel and George Westinghouse have in common? They all helped to make the nation come alive during the grandest fair in the world. Through this dynamic presentation, the Frick looks back at the fair that defined the Gilded Age as well as set the stage for a new century—the World’s Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893. Learn what made the fair so significant and how it forever altered the nation. Along the way, discover its many surprising ties to Pittsburgh.

This program highlights Pittsburgh’s picturesque cemeteries and explores the history of burial grounds in the United States and how they transformed into revered and oft-visited park-like spaces. Colorful slides show the evolution of the art and design of tombstones and memorials, and equally colorful vignettes tell the stories of the notable and interesting Pittsburghers who lie beneath them.

Additional Programs

Clayton: Henry Clay Frick's Home on Millionaire's Row

Take an armchair tour of Clayton, the Gilded Age home of industrialist Henry Clay Frick and his family. Explore the home’s design and decoration, hear stories detailing how the family used it, and discover its place among other homes that once stood along what many called “Millionaire’s Row” in Pittsburgh’s East End.

From Horse and Carriage to Horseless Carriage

In the early years of the 20th century, carriages and cars shared the road in Pittsburgh. Images from the Frick’s Car and Carriage Museum provide a look at the transformation of travel during that era, while touchable historic objects offer participants firsthand examination of some of the trappings of transportation from long ago.

In Service: Domestics in the Gilded Age

What was it really like to be domestic worker during the Gilded Age? Viewers of Downtown Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs may enjoy this program, which takes a close look at the daily life of household staff during Pittsburgh’s Gilded Age. Using Clayton, the home of Henry Clay Frick, as a backdrop, this presentation offers a behind-the-scenes perspective of what it took to run the lavish mansions of wealthy American industrialists in Pittsburgh during the late 19th century.

Land of Abundance: Pittsburgh and the American Garden

Through this colorful presentation, learn about the history of gardening in America and in the region. From early explorers to our presidents to Pittsburghers like the Frick family, discover how, through our love of gardens, we quite literally have cultivated the American dream.

Victorian Holiday Traditions

Do you know when the first Christmas card was sent or why many people keep a bucket of water handy when they lit their Christmas trees? Explore the origins of these and many other Victorian holiday traditions.

A Well-Appointed Table: Dining at the Turn of the Century

It has been said that dining is the privilege of civilization. A person’s standing in turn-of-the-century society could be measured by the way they took their meals. This presentation takes a look at the ritual act of eating across cultures while paying special focus to America’s Gilded Age—a time when dining reached a pinnacle of refinement.