The William and Jacalyn Egan Lecture

The 2025 Jacalyn & William P. Egan Lecture with Preservation Society Fellows - Laura Bergemann and Theo Lourenco

July 29, 2025

6:00 – 7:00 PM

Free in person or via Zoom. Advance registration required.

If attending via Zoom, you will receive your Zoom link 24 hours in advance.

“Investigating Allard Interiors”

Conservation Fellow Laura Bergemann

The Preservation Society of Newport County holds the largest collection of works by Parisian-born designer Jules Allard, whose businesses in Paris and New York catered to a clientele of wealthy, socially ambitious Americans. Building on a two-year survey of the furniture of Jules Allard, Laura Bergemann turns her attention to Allard’s iconic interiors. Through careful sampling and material analysis, Bergemann’s work has uncovered much about the working practices of this Gilded Age master, including the integration of 17th- and 18th-century wood paneling and decorative finishes into Allard’s elaborate interiors for Newport cottages such as The Breakers and The Elms.

Laura Bergemann

Laura Bergemann received her BS in Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Master of Science degree in Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and Master of Arts degree in History of Art and Archaeology from The Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and received a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship.

Bergemann excelled in several internship and professional roles including work as a Conservation Science Fellow at the Museum Conservation Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.; Conservation Science Intern at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Indianapolis; Objects Conservation Intern at The Frick Collection, New York; and Laboratory Assistant in the Department of Scientific Research, Sotheby’s, New York.

Bergemann’s skills include spectroscopy, chemistry techniques and biology techniques. She has comprehension in French, Italian, Latin, Old English and Middle Egyptian.

“Richard Morris Hunt: In a New Light”

Curatorial Research Fellow Theo Lourenco

Theo Lourenco will discuss his work in support of the Preservation Society’s 2025 exhibition “Richard Morris Hunt: In a New Light.” His research investigates the life and collection of noted American architect and cultural intermediary Richard Morris Hunt (1827-1895). Through a range of fine and decorative objects as well as period literature, collected ephemera and personal objects, Lourenco’s research illuminates Hunt’s life and his contribution to shaping taste and American collecting practices in the Gilded Age.

Theo Lourenco

Theo Lourenco attended École du Louvre, Paris, where he earned a Diploma of the First Cycle, magna cum laude; a Diploma of Museum Studies, summa cum laude; and a Master’s degree in Museum Studies.

His qualifying dissertations were "The Louvre: an Encyclopedic Museum? Study of the Pavillon des Sessions" and "A Museum in Debate: Study of the Reception of the Decorative Arts Exhibitions at the Louvre (1852-1914)."

Lourenco’s previous work as the Preservation Society’s French Heritage Society Intern significantly increased our institutional knowledge regarding Jules Allard and his business practices. He also has experience as the Assistant Curator for an upcoming exhibition, "Louvre-Lens, Lens" and as a Project Coordinator for an event honoring the work of French historian Pierre Singaravélou.