Autumn at Victoria Mansion | |
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In this newsletter:
- End-of-Summer Highlights: Girls Room Paint Analysis, Backstairs Lives Initiative Update
- Holiday Season Preview
- Upcoming Public Programs & Events
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Girls Room Paint Analysis | |
On September 25th, we were pleased to welcome Amy Cole Ives of Sutherland Conservation & Consulting in Hallowell, ME for a look at the painted surfaces in the Girls Room on the second floor of the Mansion. She and Executive Director Tim Brosnihan inspected several areas on the walls and part of the ceiling to determine the best place to take a paint sample. Amy will be analyzing the layers of paint and plaster to determine if the green paint appears to be original to the house's design or a later overpainting. This analysis will be an important step in helping us learn more about the Girls Room's original use, and how best to conduct conservation and restoration in the room in the future.
The Girls Room is situated between the main part of the Mansion and the backstairs servants' area. Olive Morse identified the space as the "Girls Room" in a probate inventory while preparing to sell the house in 1894, but we are not sure who the "girls" are: they may have been the Morses' nieces, or domestic servants. Hopefully, a closer look at the paint will help us begin solving this mystery.
|  | Amy Cole Ives takes a sample of paint from the Girls Room wall for analysis | Backstairs Lives Initiative Update: Descendant Visits Victoria Mansion | |
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Volunteer efforts through our Backstairs Lives Initiative continue to connect us to stories previously unknown and/or untold about domestic staff who lived and worked at the Mansion during the Morse and Libby occupancies. Michelle Josephson, lead researcher for the initiative, has connected with several descendants of domestic staff, many of whom have shared stories about their ancestors, and some of whom have made their way to the Mansion for a visit.
In late September, we were pleased to welcome Keith Johnson and his wife Mary to the Mansion for a tour. Keith is the great-grandson of John Johnson (1870-1954), who worked as a coachman for the Libby family in the 1890s. John was born Johann Adolfsson in Sweden, and emigrated to the United States in 1891, where he settled in Portland. The 1896 city directory lists a John Avidson living at Victoria Mansion, but the directory compiler likely made a spelling error and the surname was meant to be recorded as Adolfsson. John changed his surname to Johnson by 1898, when he was still working as a coachman at the Mansion. John is the earliest Libby staff member we have discovered information about thus far - the Libbys had only just purchased the Mansion from Olive Morse in 1894. In addition to driving carriages, John's work would likely have included caring for the horses in the stables on the first floor of the Carriage House and seeing to general upkeep in the Mansion.
After John married and moved away from Victoria Mansion, he continued working as a coachman and later a chauffeur for several families in the Portland area. John most likely lived in the apartment on the second floor of the Carriage House at Victoria Mansion, which was outfitted with its own stove and privy. The Carriage House interior was modernized in the 1980s when it was leased to an architecture firm. Mansion staff continue to try to source photographs or renderings of the interior prior to the redesign, but photos from the 1970s show hints of exposed brick walls on the upper floor.
While we continue to search for photos of domestic staff from their time at Victoria Mansion, we're so glad to have this photo of Keith in front of the Carriage House where his great-grandfather lived and worked. Thank you for visiting, Keith and Mary!
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The final day of Victoria Mansion's regular season is October 31st, after which the museum will close for most of the month of November as local designers begin transforming the house with installations for our annual holiday season. The theme for this year's decorations is "Colors of the Season." Plus, more information will be forthcoming about our holiday events, including a Charles Dickens reading by British actor Andrew Harris, and Night of the Nutcracker with Portland Ballet. Stay tuned to our newsletter and social media for holiday season announcements!
Tickets are expected to go on sale on November 1st. Victoria Mansion's holiday season runs from Friday, November 24th, 2023 through Sunday, January 7th, 2024. Open 10am-4pm Tuesday through Sunday, tours on the half-hour with final admission at 3pm. Final admission at 12pm on December 24th and 31st. Closed Mondays, closed December 25th and January 1st.
Are you a local business owner who would like to sponsor our holiday season or advertise in our holiday tour program, seen by upwards of 5,000 visitors over six weeks? Contact Ann O'Hagan, Director of Development, at aohagan@victoriamansion.org for more information.
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Upcoming Public Programs & Events | |
Keep an eye on our Events page for tickets and more information about upcoming programs. | | |
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For the first time since 2017, our outdoor Victorian Fair will return to the Mansion lawn this October, with an "odd" twist! Join us for A Bizarre Victorian Bazaar: An Exhibition of Oddities and the Obscure. This one-day fair kicks off the Halloween season with an educational (and entertaining!) take on Victorian folklore, camera trickery, Spiritualism, and more.
Learn how two girls tricked several newspaper readers into believing they had captured photos of fairies, how purported mediums conducted séances, and why some elite Victorians held mummy unwrapping parties. Have your palm read, create Victorian crafts, and much more! This fair is designed for all ages, with activities and games for kids throughout the day. Plus, a visit from Charles Dickens, performances from Portland Ballet's production of Tales by Poe, and live music by the Shank Painters!
We'll also have the Pink Waffle food truck onsite for guests who'd like to grab a bite to eat while they enjoy the crafts and performances on the lawn.
This event is designed for visitors ages 8 and up. We encourage caregiver discretion for younger and more sensitive children.
Keep an eye on our Events webpage, and our Facebook and Instagram pages, as we announce Bazaar happenings. A full schedule of events will be available onsite on the day of the event.
Tickets: $21/adults, $8/college students, $6/children 6-17, $3/Museums for All (SNAP/EBT cardholders with valid EBT & ID), free for children 5 and under, & free for Victoria Mansion members.
Tickets are on sale now! Space is limited, reservations highly encouraged.
Victoria Mansion will not be running regular tours on October 7th, but the house will be open for event attendees to tour.
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Join us on October 15th for a free public workshop drawing together historic building owners who need work done, and the tradespeople who do the work. For years, preservationists have lamented the lack of workers skilled in the special methods and techniques required to work sensitively on older and historic buildings. While this problem can’t be fixed overnight, we firmly believe that knowledge sharing will be part of the solution.
Throughout the day knowledgeable and skilled tradespeople will present brief demonstrations of their trades, including woodwork repairs, window sash glazing, and woodcarving.
Anyone with an interest in older and historic buildings is invited to attend, including homeowners, historic building managers, and professionals like architects and government agency staff. Tradespeople who work on these buildings are invited to attend and connect with building owners. Also invited are tradespeople and contractors who are interested in moving into the preservation trades and learning to work on older and historic buildings.
Reserve your spot and learn more here!
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Support Victoria Mansion's Annual Fund! | |
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Victoria Mansion relies on the support of our community near and far to help us realize our mission to conserve, maintain, and restore this one-of-a-kind property and share its history with the public. Our mission is put into practice every day, with preservation often happening in the public eye. Ongoing research initiatives help us better represent the Mansion within the context of its period to scholars, students, and our everyday visitors.
Support from our community helps us fund the much-needed care this historic structure requires, allowing us to consult with some of New England's top experts in historic preservation, as well as to bring our history curriculum, A Century of Change, to Maine classrooms at no cost to schools.
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When you give to the Annual Fund, 100% of your gift goes directly to support Victoria Mansion, making the greatest possible impact on our educational and curatorial programs, restoration initiatives, and ongoing maintenance—all while allowing us to move the Mansion’s top priorities forward. | |
Support Victoria Mansion's Stair Hall Matching Fund! | |
Above: Paintings conservator Corrine Long of Gianfranco Pocobene Studio cleans a section of the west side of the first floor Stair Hall, March 2023. | |
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As conservation of the decoratively painted surfaces on the first floor of the Mansion's Stair Hall continues apace with breathtaking results, we have been setting our sights on continuing this project onto the second floor of the hall. Following a series of tests and consultations, we were fortunate to receive a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services*, and we need our community's support to help us continue this important work. A gift of any size to our Stair Hall Matching Fund brings us closer to our goal of $148,043 to match the generous funding from this grant.
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, grant number MA-253203-OMS-23.
*The views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
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We are looking for docents to join us for 2023!
For more information or to sign up, please email Stacia Hanscom, Director of Education & Public Programs at shanscom@victoriamansion.org.
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Members enjoy year-round free admission, discounts in the Museum Shop, and invitations to exclusive events. Become a member today to assist in our conservation efforts and receive the first news about upcoming Victoria Mansion events and programs. | |
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The Staff of Victoria Mansion
Timothy Brosnihan, Executive Director
Ann O'Hagan, Director of Development
Stacia Hanscom, Director of Education & Public Programs
Siobhan Lindsay, Conservator
Brittany Cook, Development & Communications Coordinator
Molly Kingsbury, Museum Shop Buyer & Merchandiser
Sue Flaherty, Visitor Services Coordinator
Michelle Josephson, Senior Site Manager
Sarah Coughlin, Scheduling Coordinator
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