Graphic by Tim Milk

The Merchant’s House Museum, at 29 East Fourth Street, is hosting two star attractions this season. The first, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the onset of the Civil War, is “Medical Photography from The Burns Archive.” It features photographs of Civil War casualties, meticulously documented through the war years by Dr. R. B. Bontecou, as well as a genuine army surgeon’s operating kit, complete with amputation knife. It is chilling to see the destructive effect of the period weaponry on the soldiers, corpsmen and drummer boys at the front of the lines. The Burns Collection in all its facets can be seen here.

Tim MilkThe corner of a servant’s room.

Dr. Stanley Burns’ overview of Dr. R. B. Bontecou’s photographs, “Shooting Soldiers,” can be accessed at www.burnspress.com.

Secondly, the curators of Merchant’s House are pleased to open the household servants’ quarters to the public for the very first time. These are quite possibly the oldest extant immigrant Irish living quarters in the city. See the world as they did, through the attic dormers. Observe the call-bell hooked to a chord that led downstairs, which hearkened them to their duties. Living together beneath the roof as they did, the Irish women communed much closer to the elements and much farther from comfort than did the “better half.” As always, the museum is a fascinating visit to a bygone era, with original décor and furnishings dating back to the 1830’s.

“Medical Photography from The Burns Archive” runs through Aug. 1. The self-guided tour is a continuing event. For information on hours, stop by the Merchant’s House website: www.merchantshouse.com