The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum will open the 2025-2026 season with an exhibition highlighting the cultural revolution sparked by the creation of the department store.
It’s just one of the programs slated for the Gilded Era mansion located at 1 Whitehall. The museum’s season also will include its annual lecture series, annual music series, holiday celebrations and the always popular annual Bluegrass in the Pavilion Concert.
Running from Nov. 11 to Jan. 18, “May I Help You, Madame? The Making of the Modern Department Store” explores the rise and the cultural revolution sparked by the new commercial institution, said the museum in a release.
First taking form in 19th century Paris with establishments like Le Bon Marché, which still stands 187 years later,department stores quickly rose to popularity across Europe and the U.S., reshaping the era’s commerce architecture, public spaces and gender roles, the museum said.
At the center of this cultural shift was the new popular image of women that came with department stores.
“The ‘Shopgirl’ became a new symbol of working-class aspiration, navigating structured employment in elegant surroundings while carving out pathways towards economic independence,” the museum said.
The Flagler Museum’s second exhibition for the season, “Golden Hour — Charles Courtney Curran and the Romance of American Impressionism,” will run from Feb. 10 to May 24.
The exhibition centers on the work and life of Curran, a painter and a leading figure in New York’s Cragsmoor Art Colony during first half of the 20th century. The museum says the exhibition will trace Curran’s journey from his home state of Ohio to summer’s atop Cragsmoor’s mountains.
“Blending the elegance of the Gilded Age with the airy brushwork of American Impressionism, Curran’s paintings, filled with women in flowing white dresses, playful children, and lush floral landscapes, offer a luminous vision of summer at its most poetic,” the museum said.
The collection will include rarely seen works from Curran, early portraits of the painter and fashion pieces from his time.
Christmas tree lighting: The Flagler Museum’s always popular Christmas tree lighting celebrations is slated to run from noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 7. The event will feature music, treats, refreshments and an appearance from Santa Claus before everyone gathers together for the lighting of the 16-foot Christmas tree.
Holiday lecture: During the Christmas tree lighting celebrations, the museum will host celebrated window dresser and author Simon Doonan for a lecture on the evolution of department store window dressing. The lecture is only available to museum members by way of invitation.
Holiday evening tours: Groups can learn about Christmas traditions, see the Gilded Age mansion lit by its original 1902 light fixtures and enjoy the museum’s Christmas decorations in an afterhours tours. Tour times are 6, 6:15, 6:30, 6:45 and 7 p.m. Dec. 18-23.
Easter Egg Hunt: The Flagler Museum’s beloved Easter egg hunt returns, with more than 8,000 eggs hidden across the Museum’s lawns and its Cocoanut Grove. Gates open at 9 a.m. with the hunt starting at 10 a.m., April 4.
The Flagler Museum’s music series kicks off Feb. 10 with a performance by the Isidore String Quartet, followed by violinist Jolente De Maeyer and pianist Nicholaas Kende on Feb. 17, the Poulenc Trio on March 3, Trio Gaia on March 10 and guitarist Paul Galbraith on March 24.
This year’s lecture series begins in February and will include a Feb. 1 lecture by author and reporter Michael Grynbaum on American business magnate Condé Nast. On Feb. 15, the Newport Preservation Society’s Chief Curator Leslie Jones and Biltmore’s Chief Curator Lori Garst will give a lecture on Gilded Age “Smart Homes.” They’re followed by a Feb. 25 lecture on New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel by award-winning journalist and author Julie Satow.
Then on March 8, author David Owen delivers a lecture on the legacy of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Design historian Bryan Huffman, and philanthropist Thomas Lloyd take the stage for a lecture on the philanthropy of late horticulturalists Bunny Mellon. The lecture series wraps up March 22 with Meg Caldwell discussing the history of her forefather’s famed design shop, Edward F. Caldwell & Co.
Bluegrass in the Pavilion Concert: The Flagler Museum will bring in celebrated Bluegrass musicians in an event hosted by the Grand Ole Opry’s announcer, Kyle Cantrell. Tickets are $45.
Founder’s Day: Each year, the museum opens its doors June 5 for a free event celebrating the museum anniversary and its founder, Henry Flagler’s granddaughter Jean Flagler Matthews. Doors open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information, go to www.flaglermuseum.us or call 561-655-2833.
Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at dlasa@pbdailynews.com.
Flagler exhibits explore early department stores, Charles Courtney Curran for 2025-26 – Palm Beach Daily News
