Madame Eliza B. Jumel died at the age of 90 on July 16, 1865. In this anniversary year of her death, celebrate her life and legacy with Margaret Oppenheimer, author of The Remarkable Rise of Eliza Jumel.
Upcoming events
William Redmore Bigg, The Good Child, 1797. Courtesy New York Public Library.
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April 4, 2016
New York Society Library Members' Room 53 East 79th Street (just east of Madison Ave.) Admission $10 Open to the public, but reservations required; e-mail events@nysoclib.org or call 212-288-6900, ext 230. 6:30 PM |
Although Eliza Jumel was the child of an illiterate mother, reading became her favorite pastime. This talk focuses on Jumel as a reader and writer. Margaret Oppenheimer will discuss how the future Madame Jumel would have learned to read during the Revolutionary era, her subscriptions to books as a young matron, and her reading habits as a member of the New York Society Library. She will also touch on Jumel's activity as a letter writer.
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Past events
Royal muscadine grapes, by George Brookshaw. Courtesy New York Public Library.
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March 7, 2016
HI New York City 891 Amsterdam Ave. (enter using the ramp at the corner of 103rd St.) 6:30 PM FREE ADMISSION |
Eliza and Stephen Jumel had strong ties to Uptown Manhattan. In this talk, you will learn what their country seat looked like in the nineteenth century, from their flock of merino sheep to their vineyard. You will also get the scoop on a property that they owned on the Upper West Side that became the site of New York's first (long-forgotten) Catholic convent. The talk, free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group.
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The Jumel Mansion in 1854. Morris-Jumel Mansion.
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February 17, 2016
Grinnell Community Room The Grinnell 800 Riverside Dr. at 158th St. (1 train to 157th St.) 7:30 PM FREE ADMISSION |
In their heyday, up-and-coming New Yorkers Eliza and Stephen Jumel owned a hefty chunk of what is now Washington Heights. Margaret Oppenheimer will talk about what their property looked like in the nineteenth century. Conjuring up an era when rural landowners could go clamming and oystering on the banks of the Harlem River, she will tell you about the couple's vineyard of French grapes and the agricultural products grown on their lands. She will also discuss the difficulties they faced in maintaining a country estate—wood thieves, for example, and tramps with a taste for poultry—especially as the area grew more populated during Eliza's later years. This talk, free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Grinnell and the Riverside Oval Association.
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Aaron Burr in 1834. New-York Historical Society.
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January 26, 2016 Museum of American Finance 48 Wall Street, NYC 12:30–1:30 PM |
Eliza Jumel's second husband was the notorious Aaron Burr. In this talk, Margaret Oppenheimer will focus on the clash between Jumel and Burr—each determined to achieve financial security and willing to do anything to attain it. Their marriage soon became a battleground, culminating in a legal duel that Eliza won. The program, featuring previously unknown details about Jumel’s life, Burr's finances, and the marriage of the wily pair, will be followed by a Q&A period and book signing. $5 tickets include museum admission; members and students free. Feel free to bring your lunch.
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New York's former almshouse, located behind City Hall, was turned into a cultural center in 1816. Eliza Jumel's art collection was exhibited there a year later.
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November 12, 2015 Mid-Manhattan Library 455 5th Ave. (at 40th St.) 6:30 PM |
The amazing Eliza Jumel—raised in a brothel, indentured as a servant, and confined to a workhouse while her mother was in jail—rose to become one of the richest women in New York. Along the way, she turned herself into an art connoisseur, acquiring more than 240 paintings while living in Paris between 1815 and 1817. The largest assemblage of European art to reach these shores up to that time, the collection, soon dispersed, remains virtually unknown today. In this richly illustrated lecture, Margaret Oppenheimer will bring Jumel’s pioneering collection back to life, discussing the paintings, their owner, and the early nineteenth-century art scene in New York and Paris. The talk is free and open to the public.
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Saratoga Springs, New York, c. 1828–29
Laurent Deroy after Jacques-Gérard Milbert
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
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October 18, 2015 Saratoga Public Library 2 PM |
Madame Eliza Jumel summered in Saratoga Springs, New York, for twenty-seven years. Get the scoop about her life in the village during this illustrated talk by Margaret A. Oppenheimer, author of a new biography of Jumel. Oppenheimer will share juicy, Saratoga-specific details that supplement material included in her book, The Remarkable Rise of Eliza Jumel: A Story of Marriage and Money in the Early Republic. Plus, attendees will be able to purchase signed copies of the biography on-site during this pre-launch event, courtesy of Northshire Bookstore. The talk is free and open to the public.
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The Jumel crypt.
Photo: Trish Mayo
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July 18, 2015 Morris-Jumel Mansion 2–4 PM |
The Morris-Jumel Mansion salutes rags-to-riches New Yorker Eliza Jumel with a triple-barreled program honoring the 150th anniversary of her death. The celebration will begin with a richly illustrated talk about her historic home, highlighting images from a new book by MJM executive director Carol Ward. The second part of the program features a sneak-peek reading from The Remarkable Rise of Eliza Jumel: A Story of Marriage and Money in the Early Republic, Margaret Oppenheimer's forthcoming biography. The day will end with a 15-minute walk to Trinity Church’s uptown cemetery, where attendees will discover from Oppenheimer just who is buried in the Jumel crypt (surprises to come!). The program is free with admission to the Morris-Jumel Mansion ($10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, free for members and children under 12), but reservations are required (tel. 212-923-8008).
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May 16, 2015
Morris-Jumel Mansion 1 PM |
The amazing Eliza Jumel rose from poverty to become one of New York's richest women with the help of a fortune acquired from her first husband, Stephen Jumel. His own origins, until now shrouded in mystery, will be revealed in this illustrated lecture. Margaret A. Oppenheimer, author of a forthcoming, myth-busting biography of Eliza, will disclose the details of Stephen's parentage and youth.
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