News
Find out what’s going on at Victoria Mansion and learn more about the collection in these posts and by joining our mail and e-newsletter lists.
Featured Articles
January Progress on Reception Room Restoration Project
Work on the Reception Room is advancing swiftly! Conservators are now cleaning over a century and a half of grime off the surfaces of the room's walls and ceilings. Using latex sponges similar to those used to treat fire damage, conservators are able to remove fine, often sticky dust particles without removing the paint itself. For the white and violet painted areas, which can withstand a more vigorous cleaning, durable vinyl erasers are used. Conservators are also reattaching the gold leaf and gilded elements of the decorative plaster work with a special adhesive, and cleaning painted wood window and door [...]
2016 Year End Review: The Numbers Are In!
As we close the doors on our 33rd Christmas season, we express our gratitute to all who supported, visited, and expressed interest in the work that we do here at the Mansion in 2016. We were pleased with the response from visitors, the ample media coverage, and of course the talented designers that made A Currier & Ives Christmas at Victoria Mansion one for the annals. This Christmas season we welcomed over 8,300 visitors and 2016 as a whole was our biggest year to date, with admissions reaching over 35,000! Thank you again to all who make Victoria Mansion a part [...]
Become a Portland History Docent!
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 y such a wonderful place to live and visit. The class is just $30 and pre-registration is required. Sessions are held on Thursdays from 9:00-12:00, February 23 to April 27. To apply please vi sit www.portlandhistorydocents.org.
A Currier & Ives Christmas at Victoria Mansion Music Boxes For Sale in the Museum Shop
No Christmas visit to Victoria Mansion is complete without perusing our museum shop. This year we are offering custom, limited edition Currier & Ives themed music boxes for $24.95. For the perfect, unique gift for friends and family, look no further than the Carriage House Museum Shop. Merchandise is flying off the shelves, so be sure to visit soon!
Christmas Gala 2016 Recap
This year's annual Christmas Gala, held on November 30, offered a combination of cherished traditions with a few new features to delight the over 225 guests that attendend. Along with previewing the recently started conservation work in the Reception Room, guests enjoyed food generously donated by the Cumberland Club, signature cocktails, and a raffle for a cashmere shawl donated by Dino Furs. Fitting with this year's Currier & Ives theme, attendees were welcomed by carolers as they entered the front doors and some even participated in a sing-a-long on the stairwell themselves. Photographer Cortney Vamvakias was also there to document the festive [...]
2nd Annual Docent Art Show
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 media, and textiles were all displayed to much acclaim. The same evening, the museum was open late with a reduced admission fee of just $5. Over three hundred people passed through the decorated rooms of the Mansion and the gallery in the Carriage House in what is fast becoming a wonderful holiday [...]
Curator to Lecture in New York City
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 the Italian style that came to dominate American theatrical décor in the nineteenth century. During his 35-year career, Guidicini decorated over a dozen opera houses and theatres in New York City. None exist today, and written reports and engravings convey only a hint of his designs. With its wealth of richly detailed [...]
Gearing up for a Currier & Ives Christmas at Victoria Mansion!
Designers have been hard at work decking the halls for our 33rd annual Christmas season, with this year's theme of A Currier & Ives Christmas at Victoria Mansion, opening on November 25th. We welcome back Dan Hatt (decorating the Mansion's Stair Hall), Gail Diamon from Dodge the Florist (Dining Room), Dan Kennedy of Harmon's & Barton's (Parlor), Reuben Bell and Fausto Pifferrer of Blue Elephant Catering & Events (Library), Dan Gifford (Red Bedroom), Dwayne Harris from Blossoms of Windham (Sitting Room), and Luke Lannigan of ELC hanging the Mansion's exterior decorations. We are also fortunate to welcome a few new faces [...]
Director of Education & Visitor Services Lucinda Hannington to Speak at Portland Ballet’s Victorian Nutcracker
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 mini-lecture will provide contextual information about the Mansion interiors depicted in the ballet's sets, as well as the historical characters who appear in the story. Attendees will be invited to visit the Mansion and see it in all its Christmas splendor. If you are interested in attending one of these performances, visit [...]
2016: Our Biggest Visitation Year So Far By a Landslide!
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 as of the end of the regular season. In addition, we have seen our membership numbers quadruple in recent years. We now have over 360 members, including almost 40 new members since January 2016. During the Christmas season, we expect to see around 9-10,000 more visitors, culminating in the highest admissions numbers [...]
Reception Suite Conservation Begins!
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 all the furnishings and placed the portraits of Ruggles and Olive Morse into the Red Bedroom and Dressing Room respectively so they can still be seen over the Christmas season. The shutters were removed and new UV film installed on the windows. The storm windows came down to be cleaned and to [...]
Christmas Merchandise Sneak Peek: The Early Bird Gets the Gift!
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 many, and we can't wait to show off all of the great merchandise that will make the perfect gift or decoration to adorn your home. The first day of our Christmas season, Friday, November 25th, all holiday merchandise will be available and is sure to fly off the shelves!