Fashion historian and Adams vintage clothing shop owner Lynda Meyer will present a Tea and Talk: 1900 to 1925: Revolutionary Fashion, followed by a Victorian tea. .

Historians Cornelia Brooke Gilder and Ronald Epp will join together to present the story of the impact the Berkshires had on the development of the Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island led by George Bucknam Dorr, the legendary conservationist, landscape designer and founder of the Mount Desert Nurseries. He was also an advisor to gardening friends Beatrix Farrand in Maine and Edith Wharton at her Lenox estate. Reservations recommended.

Mabel Loomis Todd was the woman who brought to light the work of a reclusive but highly talented poet. Prof. Julie Dobrow will discuss After Emily: The Women Who Introduced Emily Dickinson, the subject of the presenter’s new book. The shadowy and scandal-laced Amherst, Massachusetts surroundings include Mabel’s lover, Emily’s brother, Austin, who was 30 years older, and Mabel’s daughter Millicent Todd Bingham – a complex tale indeed.  Reservations are recommended.

Considered on a par with John Singer Sargent and William Merritt Chase, the once acclaimed portrait painter John White Alexander is especially recognized for his figure paintings of women striking evocative poses and elaborately arranged in flowing gowns. Art historian and Alexander author Mary Anne Goley will introduce us to the artist’s career and his exceptional talent for movement and gesture. She fortunately had early access to the untouched Alexander estate for her book. Reservations are recommended.

Wadsworth Atheneum chief curator Robin Jaffee Frank will take us on a ride with Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland, 1861 – 2008. The lead author and editor of the groundbreaking book, Frank will cover “America’s playground,” the world-famous entertainment mecca for the masses and national cultural symbol that has inspired music, literature, paintings, photography and films. Her focus will be the site’s enduring status as inspiration for artists. Reservations are recommended.

There is a cast of fascinating characters in The Grandest Madison Square Garden: Art, Scandal and Architecture in Gilded Age New York by art historian and museum director Suzanne Hinman. Her remarkable story centers on the most beautiful of the Gardens (1890) and the controversial 18-foot nude sculpture of Diana, Virgin Goddess of the Hunt that crowned it. The prominent players are pals; architect Stanford White and sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens.  Reservations are recommended.

Writer/reporter Steve Crowe will focus on remembering a onetime dynamic Berkshire figure who created the celebrated Eastover Resort in Lenox when he presents “George Bisacca: His Life, His Way” at a Tea & Talk. As the writer of the authorized memoir, Crowe autograph copies of his book of the same title during an accompanying Victorian tea.

Award-winning architecture and interiors photographer Pieter Estersohn will take us on a pictorial journey with “Life Along the Hudson: The Historic Country Estates of the Livingston Family.” The tour will relate to many of the thirty-five sublime country homes along the Hudson River that he photographed for his large-scale book of the same title. Autographed copies of his book will be available for purchase during the Victorian tea following his presentation.

Berkshire historian Bernard Drew will put the petal to the subject of early automobiling here at the mansion. His presentation will be followed by a Victorian Tea. He will have copies of his new book on the subject available for autographing.