The cover story explores possible explanations of apotropaic markings, long thought to have power to ward off evil and bad luck, carved in some colonial-era buildings. With 2020 marking the 100th anniversary of women obtaining the right to vote with ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, Historic New England begins coverage of the centennial with an article that looks at the activism of black women in the suffrage movement, with a focus on Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin of Boston. Ruffin, found of the Woman's Era Club, a prominent organization in the nationwide black women's club movement. Other articles include a profile of architectural photographer Robert Damora, who in 1947 documented the modern home of Walter Gropius in Lincoln, Mass.; a look at Thomas Appleton, friend of Thomas Jefferson and U.S. diplomat to Italy who traded in works of decorative and fine art; and the cultural importance of home movies. This issue also contains Historic New England's annual report for fiscal year 2019.
