Years after gaining fame as the strong-willed survivor aboard the Titanic, Molly Brown established herself as a world traveler with strong affections for the fine arts.
A new exhibit at the Molly Brown House Museum in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood explores Brown’s eclectic taste in art, theater and home décor while also highlighting some of the artistic achievements of her family members.
“Culture Knows No Boundaries” occupies the regular space inside the Molly Brown House, but includes dozens of additional artifacts that help tell a backstory people don’t often hear.
“Really Mrs. Brown has all those components to her story and this is one we haven’t told in awhile," Museum Director Andrea Malcomb said. “We really wanted to highlight how all of that came together, between her love of performing, her love of raising money and philanthropy here in Denver, and how that was all sort of backed and financed by Mr. Brown’s huge gold strike up in Leadville."
With the help of History Colorado Center, the museum worked to unearth a different side of Molly and her family – giving people a better understanding of their life in years after World War I.
“That includes performing on stage, her son’s career in the film industry, her daughter’s dancing with Isadora Duncan, as well as all of the art and culture they brought back to Denver from their travels,” Malcomb said.
Later in life, Brown would travel and perform often, many times for charity benefits and fundraisers. In 1929, she was awarded the Palm of the Academy Award for dramatic arts – a high honor among French performers.
That, along with a copy of L'Aiglon (a play where she depicted one of her heroes, the famous French actress Sarah Bernhardt), a dress on loan from History Colorado Center, and a dress recreated by a volunteer at the museum make up one installation of the exhibit.
“Not only was she this amazing woman who helped so many people whether it was on the Titanic or the aftermath of the Ludlow Massacre but that she’s also a very accomplished singer, dancer and performer – and not just her but her entire family,” Malcomb said.
Also featured are 1920s photos of the marble sphinx statues from Egypt being installed outside of her home. Molly noted that at the time “people smirked,” but to her “fine arts are international.”
While you're there, be sure to check out the stained glass in the building's staircase that was recently restored at Watkins Stained Glass Studio in Englewood.
The exhibit is open through August 18, and is included with the regular cost of admission.
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