It’s the time of year when we start preparing to open our doors on May 1st. That means we’re looking for new faces to join the ranks of Victoria Mansion docents! If you love the Mansion and wish you could spend more time here, this is a fantastic…
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…
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…
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…
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…
If you’ve ever considered being a volunteer at Victoria Mansion, now is a great time t o s ign up for Portland History Docents. This ten week program gives participants insight into Portland’s fascinating history and the opportunity to tour some of the landmarks that make this cit…