A Road Scholar Program by Ellie Carlson

Anita Willets Burnham was an artist, author and visionary who boldly took her family of 5 around the world, twice, in the 1920s. They went third class, she said, “only because there wasn’t a fourth.” After years of encouragement from friends and her art students, she wrote a book about their adventures and launched herself into the lecture circuit to promote it. Mrs. Burnham was fortunate, later in life to discover a man who invented a time machine. In exchange for her painting portraits of his family, he sends her forward in time to your event. Mrs. Burnham very much enjoys the 21st century and always regrets that she must come without her paint box.

Elizabeth “Ellie” Carlson is the Curator of Costumes for the Winnetka Historical Society, has a background in the theatre, and is a student of nineteenth century Domestic Arts. She holds a Masters of Historical Administration and Museum Studies from the University of Kansas, and has worked in local museums for 25 years. Ellie believes that properly costumed living history is the closest we can come to a time machine experience. Theatre and history combine to show what the past might really have looked, felt, smelled, and sounded like in Ellie’s presentations.

There is a suggested donation of $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children 6-17, and children under 6 and Historical Society members are free. For more information, please contact Patti VanCleave, Executive Director of  Winnetka Historical Society, at 847.446.0001.