Extended through Summer 2016!

A representation of luxury and everyday items that would be found in the typical upper-class Victorian home and an exploration of the lives and values of prominent families.

Using beautifully ornate objects from the Springfield Museums’ own collections, this exhibit provides a window into the lives of America’s privileged classes both at home and at play during the Victorian era.  Some of the fine clothing and personal items, like elegant men’s pocket watches and ladies jewelry and hair combs, will be very familiar to fans of Downton Abbey. Objects like grandfather clocks and gentleman’s ceremonial items exhibit a level of craftsmanship no longer evident today. The items on view tell many stories about their owners, of the time and place in which they lived, and the level of wealth that allowed them to possess such luxury items.

The exhibit covers the period between 1840 and 1900, a time when Springfield was a powerhouse of innovation and industry. Wealthy industrialists like Everett Barney, the inventor of the clamp-on ice skate, and railroad president and Congressman Chester Chapin displayed their success through their philanthropic pursuits and by making their homes into showpieces for their newfound wealth.  The spirit of philanthropy shown by individuals like James Rumrill and George Walter Vincent Smith helped create some of Springfield’s most venerable institutions, including Forest Park and the Springfield Museums themselves.

Items pictured in featured image above:

• De Pinna, Fifth Avenue NY, Men’s Top Hat, circa 1890s, silk plush, satin wool, on loan from a private collection.
• Presentation Cane Awarded to H. M. Phillips, Mayor of Springfield, 1884, ebony and gold, Springfield Museums, Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, Springfield, Massachusetts, Gift of Meanette Vermes in memory of Luther Vermes, MOSH 87.128
• Lemaire, Paris, France, Opera Glasses, late 19th/early 20th century, brass, mother of pearl, Springfield Museums, Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, Springfield, Massachusetts, Gift of John Southmayd Porter, MOSH 2007.12.
• American Watch Company, Appleton, Tracy & Co., Waltham, MA, Gold Cased Pocket Watch presented to Lt. Col. John Lovell Rice, circa 1870, gold, brass, enamel, glass, Springfield Museums, Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, Springfield, Massachusetts, MOSH 93.59