On behalf of Victoria Mansion staff, volunteers, and friends, we would like to express our deep thanks to Alice Dwyer Ross, who served as Museum Shop Manager and later Museum Shop Buyer for 13 years. Alice is responsible for spearheading a campaign to change the direction of Victoria…
Since December, we’ve been providing you newsletter updates of the project to conserve the spectacular ceiling and wall paintings in the Mansion’s Reception Suite. While many other activities continue to go on– particularly planning for the upcoming visitation season that commences May 1 (less than a month away!)–…
Victoria Mansion members are invited to join us at the Cumberland Club on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 for our Annual Meeting. The evening will commence at 5:00pm with refreshments and mingling, followed by a business meeting and the election of officers for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. Following the…
Conservators are now finishing the cleaning and stabilization of the Reception Suite ceiling. Next they will coat the surface with a removable barrier varnish to protect the original paint while also allowing for future conservation efforts to take place. Once the varnish is in place, in-painting of areas…
Closed to the public doesn’t mean that there’s down time here at the Mansion. This off-season over 550 students from area schools will be coming to participate in the Mansion’s interdisciplinary programs, free of charge. This year elementary students in Scarborough, Windham-Raymond, Cape Elizabeth, Portland, and the Levey…
Victoria Mansion is pleased to have a pure-dye silk taffeta dress and jacket ensemble from our collection featured in the Maine Historical Society’s current exhibition, World War I and the Maine Experience. The exhibition, which opened February 3 and runs through early June, celebrates the centennial of America’s…
A lot happens behind closed doors in the off-season! Since last year, the Mansion has been lucky to retain the services of Harper Batsford, a trained Collections Maintenance Technician. Harper has been going from room to room, intensively cleaning the hard to reach nooks and crannies of the…
The Mansion recently completed a major project of creating a dedicated textiles storage and study room. A prestigious grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, awarded in 2014, helped fund the project to transform the former third-floor trunk room into a modern space where our unique…
On Tuesday, March 14, Victoria Mansion and the Maine Irish Heritage Center will present A Victorian Sampling, a special 19th century tasting event for members only. Small bites of breads, appetizers, soups, and desserts, along with beverages, will be accompanied by a brief history of each dish and insight into why…
Conservators continue to clean the painted walls and ceiling of the Reception Suite, with its elaborate combinations of flat and molded plaster, canvas paintings and woodwork. The paint is water-based, so no aqueous substances can be used in cleaning. As the conservators proceed with the careful dry cleaning…