EUROPEAN ART FAMILY GALLERY GUIDE
Welcome to the European Galleries! European
P 23
Sculpture Hall Kirkwood Hall
Here you will learn what daily life was like for some in Europe thoughout the 1700s. Start your tour in the NelsonAtkins Building, Plaza Level, Gallery P23.
P 20 European
P18
P 22
P23
How do you spend your time?
Do you go to school? Do chores? Play outside? Watch television and play video games? Do you take lessons or play sports? Children living in Europe in the 1700s were in many ways like kids today, but their lives could also be very different from ours. Let’s compare our daily routines to what life was like for some European thoughout the 1700s.
pean
Keeping Time Kirkwood Hall
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you ďŹ nd one 23of the sparkling gold clocks in P Gallery P23? Do you have a 20 or school? clock at home
Can Sculpture Hall
European
P18 nelson-atkins.org/BaudinClock
What time does this clock say?
Draw what time it is NOW on these clocks.
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P 22
nelson-atkins.org/ChateauDeMarly
P23
Recreation
Find a painting called The Terrace at the Ch창teau de Marly (detail to left). Look closely at the women in the painting. What do you think they are doing and talking about? These women are wearing fashionable dresses and hats as they take a walk outdoors. What do you wear when you play outside?
nelson-atkins.org/DianeVaupaliere
P20
In this period, some families played music to entertain themselves. Can you find a painting of someone spending time indoors with a big instrument? Hint: look for the harp (detail to left). What do you like to do when you spend time indoors? Next stop, Gallery P20, to your left.
Games & Activities
Look for the big painting The Arts: Drawing (detail shown below). How many people can you see? Did you find a little girl in the painting? What is she doing? In the 1700s, people like the ones in this painting entertained themselves by talking, drawing and playing music together. During this time, there was no electricity; meaning no TV, iPods or radios, video games or phones! Imagine what your life would be like without the electronics you use. nelson-atkins.org/TheArtsDrawing
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Animals & Pets As you walk through the European galleries, you will see many animals. Do you have a pet at home? In the 1700s, animals weren’t only pets; they were needed for transportation and for work as well. Tally the animals you see! CAT
HORSE
DOG
Next stop, Gallery P22, around corner to the right.
P22
nelson-atkins.org/ FrenchWritingDesk
Staying in Touch
Find the writing desk (pictured above). In the 1700s they did not have phones and computers to communicate, so they wrote letters! Do you like to contact your friends when you are not with them? Do you have a desk at home? Think about: Without phones, e-mails and texts in the 1700s, letters were the best way to tell someone something if they did not live close by. What if you had big news to share with a family member or friend who did not live in your town? It could take several weeks for a letter to reach its destination. How would that change what you wrote in a letter?
European
nelson-atkins.org/ MiniatureCoffeePot DONKEY
P 23
Sculpture Hall KirkwoodBIRD Hall
OTHER
P 20 European
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P 22
P22 Transportation Look for the painting called View of the Piazza del Popolo (detail above). Look closely at all the people doing so many things! Can you guess who they are and where they are going? In the 1700s, cars and trains were not invented yet. Can you identify different modes of transportation in this painting?
nelson-atkins.org/PiazzadelPopoloRome
made. The artist may have depicted people in this painting discussing an important new discovery! Can you ďŹ nd: (*Animal tally!) Students in uniforms Laundry hanging out to dry Fancy stage coaches & horses*
Learning & Discovery
Statues on buildings
Did you notice some scholarly looking men in the painting? This time in history was called the Age of Enlightenment because there were many changes in the way people looked at the world, and many new scientific discoveries were
Children playing on a seesaw Dogs* A donkey drinking water* Birds in the sky* Two men bowing & holding their hats
Next stop is around the corner from P22.
In the Home Stop by The Folgers Coffee Silver Collection and find the miniature coffee pots that were made as samples, or children could play with them. Do you have any toy dishes at home? Having special pots coffee and tea was very important to wealthy families throughout the 1700s. Do you like to drink from a special cup?
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Don’t forget to look for more animals in this gallery to add to your tally!
Our last stops are two doors down in Gallery P18.
P18
Washing Up
Look for a painting with two figures. This picture shows a woman and servant preparing to wash up at a sink. Take a close look at the shoes on the people in the painting. Can you guess why they are wearing those? Hint: Wet floors! nelson-atkins.org/FrankishWomanAndServant
P18
Taking Pictures
Look for a portrait of a lady holding her dog (animal tally!). In the 1700s, people did not take selfies with a smart phone camera, but they did have artists paint their portraits. Snap a picture or draw your own portrait. Would you like to dress in fancy clothes and hold a pet like Madame Freret DĂŠricour did for her portrait? Feel free to add your photo to Instagram and tag @nelsonatkins!
nelson-atkins.org/MadameFreretDericour
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Learn more about the art in this guide online by following the URLs provided with each image.
nelson-atkins.org/SeaportMorning
nelson-atkins.org/CoastalHarborEvening
P18 A Full Day Can you find two paintings side by side that show morning and evening? Hint: look for some boats (details above).
nelson-atkins.org/ CressentCartelClock
Do you see the differences in the sky at different times of day? What colors did the artist use in these paintings to help show what time of day it is?
P18
Tick Tock
We started our tour looking at a gold clock. Can you find the clock pictured to the right? Notice the French writing on the clock. Shall we say goodbye to the European galleries in French?
Au Revoir! “oh ruh-VWAHR”
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45th & Oak, Kansas City, Missouri nelson-atkins.org 816.751.1ART
Spend a little more time learning about European art throughout the 1700s with these books recommended by the Kansas City Public Library.
EUROPE DURING THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT
READ TO BECOME MORE ENLIGHTENED
For Younger Readers
The Meaning of Life…and Other Stuff by Jimmy Gownley
Mozart Finds a Melody by Stephen Costanza
Peace by Wendy Anderson Halperin
Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride by Majorie Priceman
Heads Up Philosophy by Marcus Weeks
Starry Messenger by Peter Sis
For Younger Readers
For Older Readers
The Age of Wonder: The Romantic Generation and the Discovery of the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes Rider in the Dark by Victoria Holmes
UNITED STATES IN THE 1700S Homespun Sarah by Verla Kay In the Time of Drums by Kim L. Siegelson and Brian Pinkney For Older Readers
Fever 1703 by Laura Halse Anderson Johnny Tremain by Esther Hoskins Forbes
Jepp who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh
Au Revoir!
Connect to the Mobile Guide for more family fun! Check out a FREE mobile device at the Bloch Lobby Info Desk or use your own. Start your mobile tour at naguide.org. Visit nelson-atkins.org for updates about art classes, festivals and hands-on activities for families and children.
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