Ruggles and Olive Morse foretold the future of archaeology in featuring the myth of Leda and the swan in their Dressing Room, adjacent to a Bathroom styled after the frescoes at Pompeii on the second floor of the Mansion. Queen Leda’s ravishment by the god Zeus, in the form of a swan, is one of [...]
Over the years, Victoria Mansion has been presented with a number of objects that, while not original to the house, are typical of what upper-class Victorian families in Portland such as the Morses and the Libbys might have used to accent their interiors. Usually kept in storage and not normally on view, the following objects [...]
The Mansion's 2018 Christmas Gala on November 28 was a record breaker! We welcomed over 200 members and friends and raised over $17,000 in ticket sales for the Mansion's educational programming and conservation initiatives. Guests enjoyed musical stylings by Jazz singer Viva, great hors d'oeuvres courtesy of the Cumberland Club, signature drinks (including fabulous ale from Allagash Brewing Company), and [...]
The Mansion has been popular fodder as of late! The release of the major motion picture Buttons, with Dick Van Dyke, Angela Landsbury, Jane Seymour and many other famous faces featuring the Mansion's interiors brought us some great publicity. Buttons director Tim Janis stopped by WCSH's show 207 to talk about this filming process. For those who [...]
Conservators Siobhan Lindsay and Harper Batsford, and volunteers John and Eunice Wilcox are currently working to conserve the Reception Room's original, monolithic gilded bronze gasolier (gas lighting fixture). The first step in this arduous process is the careful dismantling and labeling of each piece of this elaborate Rococco-inspired fixture, a total of 225 pieces in all! Throughout the [...]
We are so pleased to announce Victoria Mansion recently received a $132,050 matching grant from the Department of Interior, National Park Service (NPS) through the Save America’s Treasures (SAT) grant program to finance in part the conservation of the original decoration of the Parlor. This funding will allow conservators to remove over 150 years of soot, grime, and overpaint, stabilize [...]
Since our last update on the ongoing project to conserve the Mansion's Reception Suite, Executive Director Tom Johnson and Assistant Director Tim Brosnihan joined up with stone conservator Ivan Myjer to investigate the possible sources of brownstone to rebuild the exterior of the badly deteriorated bay window. Large pieces of high-quality brownstone have been difficult [...]
We welcomed nearly 70 guests at our annual Opera at the Mansion joint benefit with Opera Maine on July 16. Guests enjoyed a mostly Mozart program highlighting Opera Maine's production of The Marriage of Figaro along with libations and hors d'oeuvres from exclusive Mansion caterers Blue Elephant Events & Catering. Proceeds from the event benefited Victoria Mansion's education and restoration programming and Opera [...]
Mansion Curator Arlene Palmer Schwind gave a special tour to celebrity singer and actor Ron Raines when he visited Portland at the end of July. His career spans opera, operetta, musical theater, and television. From 1994 through 2009, he played the nefarious Alan Spaulding on the popular TV show Guiding Light, and earned three Emmy nominations. Raines [...]
We are excited to announce that nine pieces of the French porcelain tea service originally owned by Ruggles and Olive Morse have just been generously donated by a descendant of Ruggles's nephew. Last fall, Robert H.L. Lipsky, Ph.D. gave Victoria Mansion a number of wonderful Morse objects, including thirteen pieces from the red service. He [...]
