The American Revolution at Sea
April – December 2012
This exhibition, drawn entirely from the Society's collections, traced the maritime dimensions of the conflict from the end of the Seven Years' War through the last naval battles of the Revolutionary War. Focusing on the French, British, and fledgling American navies, the exhibition examined how naval warfare was waged in the eighteenth century and explored several of the most significant conflicts at sea—battles fought on a scale dwarfing the largest land battles of the war. View highlights from the exhibition
France in the American Revolution
October 2011 – April 2012
Two hundred and thirty years after the joint French-American victory at Yorktown, this exhibition celebrated the French contribution to the fight for American independence. France was America's main ally during the Revolutionary War and sustained America's war effort with arms and equipment, soldiers, and its navy.
"Picturesque Effects"—Frances Benjamin Johnston's Photographs of Anderson House
May – October 2011
Selections from the Society's collection of photographs taken in 1910 by Frances Benjamin Johnston, one of the first American women to achieve distinction as a photographer, were the focus of this exhibition. These photographs had never before been exhibited together.
New Hampshire in the American Revolution
November 2010 – May 2011
Focusing on the fiercely independent colony of New Hampshire, this exhibition chronicled its participation in the Revolution, from the raids on Fort William and Mary in 1774 to the founding of New Hampshire's branch of the Society nine years later.
Once in Every Three Years: The Triennial Meetings of the Society of the Cincinnati, 1784-2010
March – October 2010
This exhibition presented the sweep of two centuries of Society history as marked by its Triennial Meetings, from the first one held in Philadelphia in 1784 to the most recent meeting held in New Haven, Connecticut, in 2010.
The Eagle Takes Flight—Symbol of a New Nation
January 2010
The loan exhibition of the 55th Washington Antiques Show, organized by the Society and installed at the Katzen Arts Center at American University, explored the artistic use of the bald eagle as the symbol of the nation and the Society of the Cincinnati in early America.
Virginia in the American Revolution
September 2009 – March 2010
This exhibition examined the participation in the Revolutionary War of Virginia—the oldest, largest, and most populous of Britain's American colonies that was rich in political and military talent.
George Washington & His Generals
February 2009 – January 2010
Through a look at nearly a quarter of the eighty-one generals who served under George Washington in the Continental Army, this exhibition explored the military leadership required to win the Revolutionary War. The exhibition was co-organized by the Society and the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association and displayed at Mount Vernon.
Maryland in the American Revolution
February – September 2009
The role of Maryland's citizens and soldiers in the Revolutionary War, which did not see a single battle fought on Maryland soil, was nonetheless significant and was commemorated in this exhibition.
The Enlightened Soldier: James Wolfe's Reading List on the Art of War
July 2008 – February 2009
Centered around a letter written by British officer James Wolfe in July 1756, this exhibition assembled contemporary editions of the twenty-six books Wolfe recommended to prepare for a career in the army. The exhibition celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the Society's Robert Charles Lawrence Fergusson Collection on the art of war in the eighteenth century.
The Secret History of The Society of the Cincinnati
January – July 2008
On the 225th anniversary of the Society's founding, this exhibition celebrated the Society's important legacy in post-Revolutionary War America—that citizen-soldiers who had left their homes to fight for their country were willing to abandon their swords and support the subordination of military power to civilian rule.
Inheriting the Revolution: Loyalty, Brotherhood and the Society of the Cincinnati during the Civil War
May 2007 – January 2008
Drawn exclusively from the Society's collections, this exhibition explored the impact of the people and ideology of the Society of the Cincinnati on the Civil War and the influence of earlier generations on this "Second American Revolution."
North Carolina in the American Revolution
October 2006 – April 2007
This exhibition highlighted North Carolina's contributions to the Revolution, which included one of the earliest actions by American women in support of the Revolution, the Edenton Tea Party; the first official recommendation for independence from Great Britain by an American colony, the Halifax Resolves; and one of the earliest battles of the war, the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge.
Roads to Yorktown
April – September 2006
Marking the 225th anniversary of the American and French victory at Yorktown, this exhibition analyzed the remarkable convergence of land and naval forces that led to the climactic struggle of the Revolutionary War.
Pennsylvania in the American Revolution
October 2005 – April 2006
Despite some of the most iconic events of the Revolution occurring in Pennsylvania, this exhibition examined the colony's more reluctant journey to fight for American independence.
Serving in Style: A Century of Art and Politics at Anderson House
April – October 2005
For the one hundredth anniversary of the completion of Anderson House, this exhibition celebrated Larz and Isabel Anderson's Washington home, which they used as a showplace for their art collection, a backdrop for society galas, and a home from which they explored what they considered "the most beautiful of American cities."
South Carolina in the American Revolution
October 2004 – April 2005
More engagements were fought in South Carolina during the Revolutionary War than in any other colony. This exhibition explored this colony's position at the center of activity in the South during the war.
Beyond the Battlefield: The Daily Life of the Revolutionary War Soldier
May – October 2004
This exhibition focused on the struggles of daily life for the tens of thousands of American soldiers of the Revolutionary War, including fatiguing marches, the danger of battle, food shortages, monotonous lulls in camp, and years away from home.
Georgia in the American Revolution
October 2003 – May 2004
The Revolution took on the character of a brutal civil war between patriots and loyalists in Georgia, which was the youngest and most remote of Britain's American colonies. This exhibition chronicled the evolution of Georgia from a loyal and dependent British colony to a full participant in the creation of the United States of America.
Manuscript Treasures from the Society of the Cincinnati Collections
May – October 2003
Organized to coincide with the annual meeting of the Manuscript Society, this exhibition featured a wide array of historical manuscripts from the Society's collection, including richly illustrated treatises on the art of war, letters of George Washington, and Pierre L'Enfant's original artwork for the Society's emblems of membership.
Delaware in the American Revolution
October 2002 – May 2003
This exhibition commemorated the citizen-soldiers of Delaware and their widely admired service in the Revolutionary War.
Worth a Thousand Words: Satirical Prints, Caricatures, and Political Incorrectness in the Age of Reason
May – September 2002
Through a selection of eighteenth-century satirical prints and engraved caricatures, this exhibition examined the international reactions and political tensions sparked by the American Revolution.
Connecticut in the American Revolution
October 2001 – May 2002
Led by men like Jonathan Trumbull, Jeremiah Wadsworth, and Israel Putnam, Connecticut was an early and enthusiastic participant in the American Revolution, as shown in this exhibition.
Rhode Island in the American Revolution
October 2000 – April 2001
This exhibition explored the Revolution in the smallest American colony, including the three-year British occupation, the arrival of the French fleet at Newport in 1780, and the founding of Rhode Island's branch of the Society of the Cincinnati in 1783.
Miniature Warriors of the American Revolution
May – September 2000
Using miniature soldier models from the Society's museum collections, this exhibition highlighted selected American, French, and British units during the Revolutionary War through a look at their uniforms and equipment.
New Jersey in the American Revolution
October 1999 – April 2000
This exhibition chronicled the Revolutionary War in New Jersey, where the Continental Army encamped for three hard winters and more than ninety military engagements were fought.
Objects of Admiration: Images and Objects Related to George Washington, First President General of the Society of the Cincinnati (1783-1799)
May – September 1999
Honoring George Washington for the two hundredth anniversary of his death, this exhibition displayed contemporary and commemorative artifacts and documents related to the Society's first president general.
New York in the American Revolution
October 1998 – April 1999
This exhibition honored New York's place in eighteenth-century American history as the strategic key to both the American and British campaigns during the Revolution and as the birthplace of the Society of the Cincinnati at the end of the war.
The Nineteenth-Century View of the American Revolution
May – September 1998
Drawn exclusively from the Society's library collections, the works on view in this exhibition included early histories, biographies, memoirs, children's literature, and fiction published about the Revolution between 1800 and 1899.
Massachusetts in the American Revolution: "Let It Begin Here"
October 1997 – May 1998
Beginning with the political crisis that led to the American Revolution, this exhibition examined the dramatic events in Massachusetts that resulted in war and the responses of its citizens, which inspired the rest of the colonies to follow it towards independence.