Please join me for the debut lecture based on my new book, The Allure of Charleston, at the Charleston Library Society, and a festive book-signing, on Wednesday, May 18th, at 6 pm. Reservations are recommended (charlestonlibrarysociety.org or 843-723-9912). I’ll be talking about Charleston’s architecture and design lexicon, demonstrating individual components including the city’s unique palette of color, craftsmanship, and architectural detail.
Images I’ll share range from the glorious Georgian portico of Drayton Hall, the delicate detail of the Nathaniel Russell house’s Federal mantelpieces, the voluptuous Greek Revival ceiling medallions of the Aiken-Rhett house, inviting wrought-iron garden gates, and the city’s iconic single houses.
I’ll be talking about how this lexicon forms a living language, with examples of work from today’s architects and interior designers.
The lecture will also contrast the opulence of these elements with the spare living- and working quarters provided for the enslaved Africans who made this architectural environment possible.
To see more images from the book and to order it, visit my website susansully.com
