Curator Arlene Palmer Schwind will present a lecture to the Victorian Society New York on Thursday, December 15, which will be held at the English Speaking Union. Titled “Giuseppe Guidicini: New York Opera Houses and Theatres,” her talk will explore the role of the Mansion’s artist in creating…
Friday, December 2, Victoria Mansion hosted its second annual volunteer and staff art show in conjunction with Portland’s monthly First Friday Art Walk. The gallery exhibit in the second floor of the Carriage House featured a variety of work by seven of our docents. Oil paintings, water colors, photography, mixed…
Work is already underway on our most ambitious interior conservation effort yet undertaken in the Mansion. With every inch of the walls and ceilings elaborately decorated, the Reception Suite is arguably the most impressive space in the house. In preparation for the paint conservation project, we have taken away…
This year, as part of Victoria Mansion’s expanded partnership with Portland Ballet, Director of Education & Visitor Services Lucinda Hannington will be speaking to audiences at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center and Merrill Auditorium prior to productions of the Victorian Nutcracker on December 17, 18, and 23. The…
As we gear up for our 33rd Christmas season, we reflect on the incredible growth in admissions and development in 2016 thus far. We have already seen a total of 27,346 people this year from May 1 to October 31, an increase of about 22% or 6,500 people…
Museum Shop Manager Patti Chase has been giving visitors a sneak peek and early opportunity to purchase some of the lovely ornaments, decorations, and gifts curated by our buyer Alice Dwyer Ross for this holiday season. Stopping by the Carriage House Museum Shop has become a tradition for…
Visitors to the Mansion are now enjoying an exhibit recently installed by Curator Arlene Palmer Schwind in a new lighted case under the stairs in the back of the stair hall. It features the dazzling silk passementerie (trimmings) that originally embellished the window hangings in the Parlor. Believed…
Our second annual “Mourning in the Mansion,” once again captivated crowds with a themed tour about Victorian death practices accompanied by excerpts from Portland Ballet’s production The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The event combined historical information on traditional mourning customs of the nineteenth century, as well as details about…
In September, the Mansion was awarded a prestigious IMLS grant for the Museums of America program. The grant will partially fund the restoration of the original painted finishes of the walls and ceilings of the Reception Room, part of the only extant architectural commission by artist Giuseppe Guidicini. The project will…
It’s never too early to start planning for Christmas here at the Mansion! Plans began in March to create a nostalgic wonderland for this year’s Christmas season. Look forward to designs inspired by the illustrious nineteenth-century print-makers and complimenting the Mansion’s original interiors. In addition to the fabulous…