Seen by very few people for over a century, the monumental window will now be a permanent centerpiece welcoming thousands of visitors near the Michigan Avenue entrance of The Art Insitute of Chicago. The Art Institute of Chicago revealed in its galleries last week an extraordinary memorial window, attributed to Agnes F. Northrop and made by Tiffany Studios in 1917, that was acquired in 2018 and newly-restored. Originally commissioned for Rhode Island's Central Baptist Church (now known as .
La Partie Carrée (1870). Collection of the National Gallery of Canada.
As spring turns to summer, one can’t help but long for a good old-fashioned picnic. And by old-fashioned, we mean
really old-fashioned the picnic has been a perennial favorite for over 500 years.
While dining outdoors has (of course) been happening forever, the outdoor repast as an escape into nature dates back to the medieval era. Following hunting expeditions, the wealthy would enjoy outdoor feasts accompanied by heavy furniture, crystal glasses, and all manner of accouterment carried by servants.
The meaning of the word “picnic,” too, has shifted over time. It first surfaced in 18th-century France, and originally meant something more akin to a potluck. In the 19th century, the word gained the outdoor connotations we’re familiar with today.