News

As we remove and rehouse the Parlor's schematic furniture and furnishings, those rotund, infantile figures adorning the room's walls and ceilings become all the more apparent. Most visitors to the Mansion immediately recognize all the room's figures as "cherubs"- those angelic, winged and usually haloed unearthly abettors to God. Though we know these figures to be one in the same today, it wasn't always so-- particularly in ancient times. And as much of the Mansion's decoration harkens back to the ancient word, it often commands an ancient unpacking. Cherubs first appeared in biblical tradition and Middle Eastern iconography as pious attendants to [...]

The Mansion is teaming up with our friends at Portland Stage to offer a $5 discount* exclusively for Victoria Mansion members to the January 31st performance of  The Importance of Being Earnest.   The night will include a pre-show reception at 6:30 with VM Executive Director Tom Johnson and Portland Stage's Artistic Director, Anita Stewart as they lend perspective on the time period of Oscar Wilde's classic play before the 7:30 p.m. showtime. Light refreshments and a cash bar are included.   Contact Victoria Levesque at 207.772.4841 ext. 111 or vlevesque@victoriamansion.org to learn more about this exciting collaboration. Members must have a special discount code to attend [...]

For the first time in Mansion's history, there are two major interior conservation projects happening concurrently. In the Reception Room, conservators have completed the conservation of the magnificent gasolier (originally a gas-powered lighting fixture), which will be reinstalled in the room in the coming weeks. Planning continues to restore the room's original textiles, including the teal and gold curtains and passementerie (window treatments) as well as the original Axminster carpet, which will be backed and returned to its proper place in the room in the coming months.   Meanwhile, work will begin in the Parlor, where we were awarded a prestigious Save America's Treasures grant in [...]

We are pleased to report the Mansion enjoyed a very healthy 2018-2019 holiday season overall. Evening events Night of the Nutcracker and A Taste & Tipple with Mr. Dickens enjoyed sold out crowds and over 360 people visited the Mansion for the First Friday Art Walk on December 7 alone. We ended the Christmas season with an overall 14% increase in admissions. Our annual Christmas Gala on November 28 also saw a major increase in revenue from last year's event-- up by an impressive 40%!  We again would like to thank all of our talented designers, generous sponsors, and dedicated staff and volunteers for making this [...]

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 the most enduring Greek myths. The Romans incorporated it into their own mythology, in which Zeus became the god Jupiter. Artists of the Italian Renaissance recounted the tale in prose and painting. In turn, during the Renaissance revival of the nineteenth century, Europeans embellished stately [...]

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 of course the stunning decorations by this year's designers. We thank our great sponsors and event partners for making this year's Gala our best yet!   We also sold out of all four performances of our annual favorite Night of the Nutcracker collaboration with Portland Ballet, as well [...]

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 and conserve original finishes and loose elements, and conserve the original Iliad-inspired ceiling canvases that have been off-view for years due to deterioration to reveal the original 1860’s aesthetic of the room for over 30,000 annual international visitors, scholars, AND members like you! Many may be [...]

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 was nominated for a Tony as Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role in Follies. Other recent Broadway  appearances include a run as Joseph Pulitzer in Newsies and Daddy Warbucks in Annie. This summer he performed with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in Blitzstein's Regina, an opera based on [...]