
"When the troubles began..." Dining and Politics in Colonial Annapolis
by Alexandra Deutsch
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Speaking of the dissolution of an Annapolis club in 1771, the Reverend Jonathan Boucher, a staunch and outspoken Loyalist remarked, “It was finally broken up only when the troubles began and put an end to everything that was pleasant and proper.”
Alexandra Deutsch's talk will imagine a dinner party in March 1773, a dramatic and tense time in Annapolis. Using the home of William and Mary Paca as a backdrop and casting the dinner guests to reflect a range of political and personal perspectives, this lecture metaphorically “sets a table” and looks beneath the opulent displays of wealth and gentility to uncover the rumblings of dissent among the elite guests. Social friends became political foes across the dining table.
Richly illustrated with examples of silver, ceramics, glass, furniture, and archival holdings from Winterthur's collections, this talk takes listeners through the courses of an eighteenth-century dinner and brings to life the reality that politics at the dinner table is never recommended.
The talk is based upon research conducted by Alexandra Deutsch and several plays she wrote during her time at Historic Annapolis.
Alexandra Deutsch is the John L. and Marjorie P. McGraw Director of Collections at the Winterthur Museum. Her previous roles have included that of Vice-President of Collections and Interpretation and Chief Curator at the Maryland Center for History and Culture, formerly the Maryland Historical Society, as well as Curator of Historic Annapolis Foundation. Her career has been distinguished by nationally recognized exhibitions and many publications. She is currently curating a reinstallation of Winterthur’s permanent collection for a new gallery in 2026.
There will be a private dinner after the lecture, if you wish to attend, please purchase a ticket below.