The Taft Museum of Art
Trips with Kids!
Trips with Kids!
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The sheep head to the right, go straight ahead, and
then veer left. Anton Mauve painted the herd over a
century ago, but the sheep seem to shift depending
on viewers’ perspective. “Kids will run back and
forth, over and over,” the docent said. They love
watching the sheep in “Changing Pasture.”
The sheep make their move on the second floor of
the Taft Museum of Art. Located at 316 Pike Street in
downtown Cincinnati, the Taft has a parking garage
in back, but we fed some coins in a meter on the
street and enjoyed the unmatched curb appeal of
“one of the finest examples of Federal architecture in
the Palladian style in the country.”
When my daughter and I reached the grand staircase
leading to the front door, a chain across the railings
and a sign, telling us to use the rear entrance,
disappointed us. “You mean I can’t go up those
great steps?” my daughter asked.
She couldn’t go up those steps, or touch anything,
and she was corrected when she leaned against a
wall. The Taft Museum of Art is a hands-off museum
that still has some cool offerings for kids.
For one thing, it’s free for them. Not just little ones,
the Taft’s free for all kids under 18. Additionally, the
museum has monthly “Families Create!” activities on
Saturdays, and provides free family guidebooks for
self-guided tours. Large print, big pictures and
colorful designs help families find their way through
the home’s hallways and provide prompts for
engaging kids’ interest in art. Pick up “A is for Art and
Animals, too” or “Feathers and Flowers” for a tour
with toddlers and preschoolers, or grab “People and
Places” for kids ages 8-10.
My daughter’s 14, so we just used the visitor’s guide
and were happy to have a friendly docent provide
interesting background as we toured. We especially
enjoyed the home’s architecture, it’s beautiful
chandeliers in the dining room, and the stories told in
the many works by Dutch artists. “There were no
Kings or queens or popes or any royalty to paint,” the
docent explained. “So they painted ordinary people
and all the pictures tell a story.” We looked at the dim
lighting for the girls in Jozef Israels’ “Sewing School,”
reprimanded the boy smoking a cigar in Frank
Duveneck’s “The Cobbler’s Apprentice,” and could
completely relate to the pair in Jean Francois Millet’s
“Mother and Child,” with the tired mother struggling to
hold on to her wriggling toddler.
The wealthy struggled too. It seems Nicholas
Longworth, one of the Taft’s original homeowners,
struggled to remember things. So, Robert S.
Duncanson painted the Cincinnati businessman and
philanthropist with pieces of paper clipped to his
sleeve, Longworth’s reminders of his “to do” list.
Another famous former homeowner of the Taft
Museum is, of course, William Howard Taft.
Cincinnati’s only United States President is also the
only President to serve as Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court. His portrait, though, hints at the
great man’s humanity along with his historical
importance. He’s chubby (legend says he got stuck
in the bathtub at the White House,) is relaxing in a
chair and smiling.
We relaxed, smiled and got a little chubbier, too, at
the Taft’s Lindner Family Cafe. I ordered the quiche
and loved it, but my daughter should have gone with
the chicken nuggets or peanut butter and jelly from
the kids’ menu. She was unhappy with her turkey
croissant. “They put pineapples on the turkey and
sauce all over everything,” she complained. But she
had no complaints about the moist, rich, chocolate
cake we shared for dessert. “Yummy.”
then veer left. Anton Mauve painted the herd over a
century ago, but the sheep seem to shift depending
on viewers’ perspective. “Kids will run back and
forth, over and over,” the docent said. They love
watching the sheep in “Changing Pasture.”
The sheep make their move on the second floor of
the Taft Museum of Art. Located at 316 Pike Street in
downtown Cincinnati, the Taft has a parking garage
in back, but we fed some coins in a meter on the
street and enjoyed the unmatched curb appeal of
“one of the finest examples of Federal architecture in
the Palladian style in the country.”
When my daughter and I reached the grand staircase
leading to the front door, a chain across the railings
and a sign, telling us to use the rear entrance,
disappointed us. “You mean I can’t go up those
great steps?” my daughter asked.
She couldn’t go up those steps, or touch anything,
and she was corrected when she leaned against a
wall. The Taft Museum of Art is a hands-off museum
that still has some cool offerings for kids.
For one thing, it’s free for them. Not just little ones,
the Taft’s free for all kids under 18. Additionally, the
museum has monthly “Families Create!” activities on
Saturdays, and provides free family guidebooks for
self-guided tours. Large print, big pictures and
colorful designs help families find their way through
the home’s hallways and provide prompts for
engaging kids’ interest in art. Pick up “A is for Art and
Animals, too” or “Feathers and Flowers” for a tour
with toddlers and preschoolers, or grab “People and
Places” for kids ages 8-10.
My daughter’s 14, so we just used the visitor’s guide
and were happy to have a friendly docent provide
interesting background as we toured. We especially
enjoyed the home’s architecture, it’s beautiful
chandeliers in the dining room, and the stories told in
the many works by Dutch artists. “There were no
Kings or queens or popes or any royalty to paint,” the
docent explained. “So they painted ordinary people
and all the pictures tell a story.” We looked at the dim
lighting for the girls in Jozef Israels’ “Sewing School,”
reprimanded the boy smoking a cigar in Frank
Duveneck’s “The Cobbler’s Apprentice,” and could
completely relate to the pair in Jean Francois Millet’s
“Mother and Child,” with the tired mother struggling to
hold on to her wriggling toddler.
The wealthy struggled too. It seems Nicholas
Longworth, one of the Taft’s original homeowners,
struggled to remember things. So, Robert S.
Duncanson painted the Cincinnati businessman and
philanthropist with pieces of paper clipped to his
sleeve, Longworth’s reminders of his “to do” list.
Another famous former homeowner of the Taft
Museum is, of course, William Howard Taft.
Cincinnati’s only United States President is also the
only President to serve as Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court. His portrait, though, hints at the
great man’s humanity along with his historical
importance. He’s chubby (legend says he got stuck
in the bathtub at the White House,) is relaxing in a
chair and smiling.
We relaxed, smiled and got a little chubbier, too, at
the Taft’s Lindner Family Cafe. I ordered the quiche
and loved it, but my daughter should have gone with
the chicken nuggets or peanut butter and jelly from
the kids’ menu. She was unhappy with her turkey
croissant. “They put pineapples on the turkey and
sauce all over everything,” she complained. But she
had no complaints about the moist, rich, chocolate
cake we shared for dessert. “Yummy.”
Taft Museum of Art
www.taftmuseum.org
316 Pike St
Cincinnati, OH 45202-4293
(513) 241-0343
Open Wednesday-Sunday 11am-5pm
