MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE TIME CAPSULE EXHIBIT

BOSTON, MA (March 11, 2015)—Beginning today, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), is displaying the contents of the Massachusetts State House time capsule. Originally placed under the State House cornerstone by Governor Samuel Adams, patriot Paul Revere and Colonel William Scollay in 1795, the time capsule (which was unearthed this past December and opened in January) is on view to the public from March 11–April 22, 2015, at the MFA, before being reburied in June.

Inside the Box: Massachusetts State House Time Capsule Revealed features 35 objects, including coins, a medal depicting George Washington and a silver plaque believed to be engraved by Paul Revere, as well as the brass box which contained the objects. The exhibition takes place in the Art of the Americas Wing in the Museum’s Kristin and Roger Servison Gallery dedicated to Art of The New Nation (1800-1830). Previously unearthed in 1855, when its contents were documented, cleaned and additional objects were added, the capsule was rediscovered in December 2014. It was then brought to the MFA to be opened and conserved.

“This MFA exhibition of the State House time capsule contents is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Massachusetts citizens to witness what Revolutionary heroes Samuel Adams and Paul Revere thought significant to preserve when they placed this box in the State House cornerstone just 20 years after the Declaration of Independence. I urge people to visit the Museum to see this significant fragment of Massachusetts history,” said Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin.

The installation at the MFA explores the significance of the objects found in the capsule and the role of the prominent figures involved in both the original burial in 1795, and reburial in 1855. Surrounded by related works of art on view throughout the Art of the Americas Wing, visitors will also see iconic portraits of Samuel Adams (about 1772) and Paul Revere (1768) by John Singleton Copley, the Sons of Liberty Bowl (1768) made by silversmith Paul Revere, coins identical to those in the time capsule, and other historical objects in nearby galleries.

For information about the exhibition, see:
Inside the Box
Massachusetts State House Time Capsule Revealed (www.mfa.org/exhibitions/inside-the-box-massachusetts-state-house-time-capsule)

To read the complete press release, see:
Massachusetts State House Time Capsule and Contents On View for One Month Only at MFA Boston (www.mfa.org/news/inside-the-box-massachusetts-state-house-time-capsule)

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