Behind the Scenes tour
an italian journey: a grand tour of cranbrook house and gardens
Thursday, June 27, 2024, 3:00pm, 4:30pm, 6:00pm, 7:30pm
$35 per person
Limited to 20 guests per tour
Tour begins at
Cranbrook House Greek Theatre
380 Lone Pine Road
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303
Presented by Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
Tour Curator and Leader:
Mariam Hale, Collections Fellow, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
Tour Host:
Gregory Wittkopp, Director, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
Join us to discover Cranbrook House and Gardens' Italianate side in a special summer tour featuring new discoveries, hitherto unseen artworks from the collection, and an assortment of Italian treats to savor. Our tour takes its inspiration from the tradition of the Grand Tour, a coming-of-age journey to Italy undertaken by young English gentlemen in the 18th and 19th centuries. On our own "Grand Tour" of Cranbrook House, we will explore both the house and grounds with eyes attuned to the Italian elements of the estate, discovering the surprisingly central role ancient Rome and the Italian Renaissance played in shaping the Booths' Arts and Crafts home.
This special Cranbrook Grand Tour will begin in the Greek Theatre, where we will explore the influence of Greek culture on Roman and Italian art and design, continue in the gardens around the Booths' manor home, stopping at important sculptures and fountains such as a 1st-century CE Hellenistic Venus, before moving inside Cranbrook House where a highlight will be the newly installed Pompeiian Fisherman sculpture, as well as the Still Room, with its Pompeii-inspired low relief ceiling painted by the Booths' oldest son James. The tour will conclude in the Oak Room where guests will sample Italian treats while watching clips from classic Italian movies.
From the early 18th to 19th century, the Grand Tour was undertaken by wealthy and aristocratic young Englishmen, who travelled throughout Europe, putting the final polish on their classical education. Though it was usual to pass through many nations in the course of a Grand Tour, the goal of these journeys was always Italy, with the aim of studying both Roman ruins and Renaissance art. The impact of the Tour on English culture was immense, evident in art, architecture, gardens, and literature of the period. From 18th century England to 20th century America, Italian culture, both ancient and modern, continued to shape the development of art and architecture.
As proud descendants of English immigrants, George and Ellen Booth naturally looked to England for inspiration when designing their country home. However, the Booths were also great travelers, Grand Tourists in their own right. They made many journeys through Europe, spending weeks at a time traversing the cities of Italy. George Booth's notebooks from his travels, the "Inspiration Book" scrapbook he assembled at home, and texts in the Cranbrook House library all show his fascination with Italian art, architecture, and garden design. The influence of Italy on Cranbrook made itself felt both through direct inspiration and through English interpretations of Italian conventions.
On our Grand Tour, the places, spaces, and objects that make up Cranbrook House and its grounds will tell a new story, of how the Booths, like generations of Grand Tourists before them, found a way to take Italy home with them.
Highlights of the Tour:
- Learn about the artistic legacy of ancient and Renaissance Italy
- View historic artworks from the collection never previously exhibited for tours
- Enjoy an array of Italian treats in the Oak Room at Cranbrook House
Treats provided by Cantoro Italian Market
ABOUT MARIAM HALE
As Collections Fellow, Mariam Hale is engaged in investigating the history and significance of the Founders Collection at Cranbrook House. She completed her PhD in Art History at the University of York, where her research explored the role of fantasy in Victorian painting, with a focus on the interplay between literature and the visual arts. Her MLitt thesis at the University of St. Andrews delved into the comical and surprisingly affecting world of late nineteenth-century domestic interior design manuals. A graduate of Williams College, Mariam has previously served as an intern at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, as Assistant Curator at the Ralph T. Coe Foundation for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and as a staff writer and editor for Cultural Property News. She is a contributing author in The Cambridge History of Arthurian Literature and Culture, forthcoming from Cambridge University Press in 2024.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
PARKING AND ARRIVAL
There is free parking at the Cranbrook House parking lot, located at 380 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI, 48303. Overflow parking is located along the Lone Pine Road service drive, directly across from Cranbrook House and St. Dunstan's Theatre on the south side of Lone Pine Road. Guest check-in will take place in the Greek Theatre where your tour will begin. The tour will conclude in Cranbrook House.
To reach the Greek Theatre from Cranbrook House, take the gravel path at the northwest/upper left corner of the parking lot, which will lead you gently uphill through a grove of trees to the Greek Theatre. A Center staff member will be available to point the way.
EVENT LENGTH
Each tour will last approximately one hour. Guests are welcome to remain in Cranbrook House to enjoy refreshments after their tour.
RESTROOMS
Restroom facilities are available at the Cranbrook House Gate House and within Cranbrook House.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography is permitted for personal use only. No special equipment or tripods may be brought on the tour.
ACCESSIBILITY
Cranbrook House and Gardens is a historic facility preserved and maintained as closely as possible to its original design. The tour route will include uneven outdoor paths, some graveled, as well as multiple points where visitors will need to climb stairs. Light levels within Cranbrook House are kept low to preserve artworks. Any guests who have questions or concerns about accessibility are encouraged to call the Center in advance of their tour at 248-645-3307.
CHILDREN
For the safety and comfort of all visitors, children younger than eight years old, including infants and toddlers, are discouraged on this tour.
COATS AND BAGS
Only small wallets and handheld cameras are permitted on the tours. Please leave all backpacks, purses, camera bags, camera equipment, and other cumbersome items in vehicles.
REFUND POLICY
Tickets are non-refundable. Your ticket may be transferred to another participant for the tour on the same day and time as the original ticket.
SERVICE ANIMAL POLICY
Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research is glad to accommodate visitors accompanied by service animals, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), on tours of Cranbrook House, Saarinen House, Smith House, and the Cranbrook campus. Under the ADA, a "service animal" is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be related to the person's disability. Regretfully, we cannot accommodate visitors accompanied by emotional support animals or pets.
Visitors who will be accompanied by service animals are welcome to call the Center at 248-645-3307 in advance of their scheduled tour so that we may address any questions or concerns
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RISK
An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. COVID-19 is a contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, guests with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable. By visiting a Center-managed site, you voluntarily assume all risks related to COVID-19 exposure.
Italian treats provided by Cantoro Italian Market of Plymouth
PHOTO CREDITS
Header Image: Still Room ceiling at Cranbrook House, 2016. Photography by Colton Graub, Courtesy of Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
Sculpture of Fra Angelico by Jean Boucher, at Cranbrook House, 2023. Photography by Eric Perry, Courtesy of Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
Fountain of the Tritons, 2016. Photography by P.D. Rearick, Courtesy of Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
The Greek Theatre, 2016. Photography by P.D. Rearick, Courtesy of Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
Menelaus, 2016. Photography by P.D. Rearick, Courtesy of Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
Detail of print of Raphael's Battle of Milvian Bridge, in Cranbrook House, 2024. Courtesy of Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
Photo of Mariam Hale in the Cranbrook House Library, 2023. Photography by Kevin Adkisson, Courtesy of Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research