Presenting my son as a Texan Cowboy who became one of Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, my daughter as Anne of Green Gables, and my dual roles: one as a French dancer who had stepped out of one of Renoir’s paintings and as Hawaii’s last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani.
Steakhouse Dinner 1890s San Francisco Style
While living in San Antonio, my plan for this Becoming History presentation included a special treat: take the kids to The Old San Francisco Steakhouse.
Evoking the spirit of California’s Gilded Age, the excellent food amidst velvet furnishings while an 1890s bargal swings high above the bar to ring the bell is a unique San Antonio icon.
Apparently its history began with a Texas Ranger of the 1890s.
Since we now live in Northern Virginia, we brought the steakhouse to us!
Presenting the Old Northern Virginia Steakhouse, serving grilled sirloin steak, baked potatoes, salad with ranch dressing, and sourdough bread.
Dinner conversation in character
Often asked about how we stay in character, here’s a scenario that occured while enjoying our steakhouse dinner.
Texas Cowboy Discussion
I suggested to the cowboy that the delicious steak we were eating came from one of the cattle he had recently driven in.
The cowboy clarified that the meat arrived from a meat packing plant in Chicago.
I asked which Texas ranch he was from.
Hmmmm, he wasn’t sure.
Which city? Brownsville.
Wow, all the way down there? He must be from the King Ranch,
“What’s that?” he asked.
I told him it was one of the largest ranches in Texas in the 19th century.
(As the largest ranch in Texas today, it occupies nearly the entire southern part of Texas, between Corpus Christi and Brownsville. Whenever we drove to South Padre Island, we drove through the ranch, which takes an hour or two.)
Yep, he decided that’s who he worked for, the King Ranch.
French Dancer stepping out of a Renoir discussion
btw, who are you, he asked me.
I replied it all depended on the moment, as sometimes I am a French dancer who stepped out of a painting and other times I am a Hawaiian queen.
We had the most fun with my French character and I wish I could remember everything.
My family was asking lots of questions, trying to figure out which painting I had stepped out of.
I kept everything lighthearted and fun, staying in character.
The looks on their faces were absolutely priceless as they were in amazed disbelief the entire time.
I do remember my son asking me what I thought of Pointillism, but my character had no idea what that was.
That clued my son that my persona was before the time of Pointillism.
My daughter successfully guessed which painting I had stepped out of. My son might be the most artistic, but she’s got the art history down best.
What do I do, my son asked.
“I dance! I love to dance. Do you dance, monsieur?”
He replied that it depends. He liked to square dance.
“Square dance?” I asked, as I wrinkled my nose. “Oh, that’s that country dancing they do in America, is it not?”
Yes!
“Oh we have much more refined dancing in Paree.”
(They were all looking at me with incredulous smiles on their faces!)
Musical Entertainments of the Gilded Age
After a delicious dinner, we went to the piano to sing some familiar cowboy tunes, to get in the mood for my son’s presentation.
Cowboy Power Point Presentation
All year my son anticipated portraying a Texan cowboy.
Since cattle drives reached their peak after 1875, and lasted until the invention of the barbed wire and automobiles, the Gilded Era is the best fit for this presentation.
Designing his own power point presentation, he used it as a visual aid to share the history of the cowboys.
After this we gathered around the piano again to sing Strawberry Roan then in honor of our new home state of Virginia, we also sang Shenandoah.
Rough Rider Interpretation
Then my son transitioned into his first person interpretation as a Texas cowboy who was recruited by Theodore Roosevelt to train as a Rough Rider in San Antonio.
After this we gathered around the piano to sing goodbye to cattle drives with I’m Going to Leave Old Texas and Red River Valley.
Then my son played a famous march from the era on his fife, Stars and Stripes Forever.
Then the cowboy played Git Along Little Dogie on the piano.
Anne of Green Gables recites The Lady of Shallot
My daughter’s turn was next as Anne of Green Gables. After sharing the story of Anne Shirley, she recited The Lady of Shallot.
Then she played a period hymn on the piano: Take My Life and Let it Be, most likely prompted by Murilla.
Renoir Painting Comes to Life
For my first interpretation, I portrayed a dancer from a Renoir painting: Bal du moulin de la Galette housed in the Musee d’Orsay.
Through pantomime I stepped out of the painting, acted surprised to see everyone.
Showing them a book of Renoir’s painting, I explained that I had stepped out of that lovely scene, (while using my best French accent and vocabulary).
My son took the book to look for me. “You must be right here!” he gleefully said.
“On no Monsieur, I have stepped out of the painting!”
Everyone was laughing…exactly the mood I wanted for my playful presentation.
Renoir and Limoges, France
Renoir was born in Limoges, France and grew up in Paris, developing his skills at drawing.
Eventually he was hired to paint the beautiful ceramics of Limoges, France.”
I held a Limoge out for them to see in my hand.
These ceramics take their name from the town and these are authentic pieces.
This Limoge, shaped like a purse, opens up. (They were eating out of my hand. This was fun!)
Renoir and Napoleon III
Incidentally in his early years, Renoir trained calvary horses for Napoleon III.
Seeking to win the favor of the people, Napoleon III threw his support behind the unconventionally new art technique rising in Paris, Impressionism.
To the Impressionist art style, Renoir became a leader.
(Incredulously everyone shook their heads in disbelief that I worked in Napoleon, albeit a relative) into the presentation. But even Napoleon III had a reputation to keep, of his famous uncle.)
Remaining in character with a French accent, I explained Renoir’s impressionistic techniques in the painting I had stepped out from.
Finally, remaining in character with my accent, I transitioned my discussion of Renoir to the next part of the presentation: Before I pop back into the painting, let’s go to the museum to enjoy other Impressionist works of art.
While I prepared to leave, the kids’ were incredulously asked: Mom, where did you learn all that French?
Laughing I led everyone into our art museum.
Impressionist Art Museum Presentations
Here are my kids’ projects from an Impressionist art book my kids studied from, that had several art activities. (read all about that book here and the art activities here)
Showing their Impressionist projects where they learned to use short, choppy, unblended strokes of color, like Monet, they each detailed a bit of background for the techniques used.
Here they showcased their paintings of a shimmering sky, like Monet.
In this set they painted reflections like Monet.
That’s all the art my non-artistic daughter had time to do in the midst of completing her high school studies for the year.
Because my younger artistic son finished his homeschool year weeks ago, he did four extra projects that were more complicated than the previous three.
This is my son’s study of a haystack in the snow as influenced by the sun, replicating another Monet piece.
My son recreated Monet’s water lilies in a 3D interpretation, which I set against leftover blue fabric from my Queen Liliuokalani costume.
Renoir taught my son how to proportionally draw a face.
Meanwhile Cezanne taught my son how to paint a still life. I think in this one he learned how to use color, instead of size, to show perspective, a post-impressionist technique.
Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii
Next I became Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii,which was special to me because I used to live in Hawaii. I based my entire costume around her famous portrait.
While reading Queen Liliuokalani’s autobiography, I discovered some common bonds to portray.
Interestingly, she wrote about some of the very things I have written about on my blog!
Queen Liliuokalani, Mount Vernon, Lafayette
For example she beautifully describes her visit to Alexandria located on the Potomac River near Washington DC, a town not far from my new home.
Boarding a boat at the nearby dock, she rode down the river to Mount Vernon, then docks to tour the famous home of our first president.
While traveling that beautiful spring morning in May, the beautifully aromatic flowers bloomed in abundance.
…as the edifices which mark the sacred spot came in sight, the American flag was lowered, the steamer’s bell tolled, the gentlemen removed their hats, and the air of the Star-Spangled Banner was rendered by impressive effect. -Queen Liliuokalani’s autobiography
She goes on to describe how she was emotionally moved by this event and the tour of the mansion, Mount Vernon where: the rooms occupied by General Washington, General Lafayette, and Martha Washington were opened to us; and we were permitted to enter, and further, to pause in the lady’s bedroom to listen to the story of her constancy to the memory of her husband, whose grave she watched, as she sat daily at her window, from the day of his internment to that of her own death. -Queen Liliuokalani’s autobiography
(My family couldn’t believe I worked in Lafayette!)
After a horseback ride on one of the islands and seeing some lovers bidding adieu, she wrote the beautiful song Aloha Oe, which I played on the piano.
Does anyone know how Hawaii became an American possession?
For years Americans set up businesses and missionary societies on the islands, becoming one with the people socially.
There was much intermarriage, in fact the queen married one of these American businessmen.
Over time, some of the Americans forced the king to write a new constitution giving them power and making the king their puppet.
Eventually the kings died out and Queen Liliuokalani assumed the monarchy.
Two years later, in 1893, she tried to write a new constitution giving more power to the monarch and returning the franchise (right to vote) to the Hawaiians.
The American businessmen overthrew her kingdom, with the help of American marines.
President Cleveland did not support this but was outvoted by the Congress, so Hawaii became a US territory.
Luau on the Deck
After we changed our attire, we began the luau!
Most everything was made with combinations of Hawaiian ingredients like coconut, banana, pineapple, papaya, macadamia nut.
We had pina coladas (non-alcoholic), crab dip, zucchini boats filled with crab and shrimp filling, shrimp cocktail, Hawaiian banana bread, and fruit salad.
Everyone helped themselves buffet-style to Hawaiian food…
…then sat at the table on the deck surrounded by tiki torches and red hibiscus flowers.
Third Year Favorite Classical Homeschool Studies
During the luau we talked about favorite/interesting things learned in history in our third year of classical education.
They said art!
I repeated…”Historical!”
Because it’s his history, my son said he most enjoyed learning about the Alamo, because that’s his history.
Finding Napoleon interesting, my daughter couldn’t believe that he appeared every week in one of her government or literature or history readings.
My son said he didn’t appear in his Dialectic literature selections, but we said he certainly did in the Rhetoric literature.
My daughter gave several examples of Napoleon and even Lafayette found in Classical literature.
We were going to play limbo but never got around to that.
Instead we settled down to a Hawaiian movie with chocolate macadamia nut coffee from Hawaii and coconut layer cake.
After dinner we crashed in the family room to enjoy an old Elvis Presley movie, Blue Hawaii, which features some of the Hawaiian concepts discussed in our history presentation.
For more photos check my Flickr set.
