By Dan Hinchen

As you come back from a long weekend refreshed and ready to take what the city throws at you, why not catch an easy lob and come into the MHS on Wednesday, September 4, for a Brown Bag lunch talk. This installment features Noam Maggor, Vanderbilt University, presenting “Brahmin Capitalism: Bankers, Populists, and the Making of the Modern American Economy.” In this project, Mr. Maggor charts the business and politics in the late-19th-century as Boston transformed from an anchor of an industrial region into the second largest banking center in North America. It explores the creation of a wide-ranging network of capital flows which funded railroads, mines, agriculture, and industry across the continent, spurred by a vanguard of financiers from Boston’s old elite, and how this process of capital migration, in turn, redefined urban politics on the local level. Far from seamless, this transformation triggered an array of political controversies over the priorities of city government, and more broadly, over the future shape of American capitalism. Brown Bag talks are free and open to the public, beginning at 12:00 PM. So pack a snack and come on in!

The only other thing to note within this week’s calendar is the closing of two exhibits currently on display. Saturday, 7 September, will be the last opportunity to view “The Object of History: 18th-Century Treasures from the Massachusetts Historical Society,” as well as “The Education of Our Children Is Never out of My Mind.” Both exhibits will remain on display for the public, free of charge, from 10:00am to 4:00 PM until Saturday. Keep an eye on the MHS website and calendar to see what will fill the void left by the closure of these two exhibits!