By Times Staff
Just ahead of Valentine’s Day, the Gibson House Museum, located at 137 Beacon St. in the Back Bay, will be celebrating the occasion with a special all-ages event, ‘Victorian Valentines’ on Saturday, Feb. 7, from 1-4 p.m.
“Centered around the lacy and elaborate Valentine’s Day cards of the Victorian era, with supplies provided so that visitors may craft their own,” the event will also highlight some of the Gibson House’s own love stories, as well as feature a mini-exhibition of romantic cards from the museum’s collection, said Alyx Colleran, the museum’s programming fellow.
Guests will be treated to light refreshments, including tea and sweets, along with a Gibson House valentine, including a recipe to try at home.
General admission to this event is $25 per person while members are admitted for $22 each, and children 12 and under are admitted for $10 each.
Also, the Gibson House Museum will offer ‘Elements of Victorian Mourning with Etiquetteer’ on Saturday, Feb. 21, from 4-6 p.m.
Robert B. Dimmick, etiquetteer, will then look at mourning customs of the 19th century, including its jewelry, fashion, correspondence, censure, and kindness.
Grieving in the Victorian era involved many rules, spoken and unspoken, on how survivors behaved in public, what they wore, and how they communicated. This fashion for prolonged grief was inspired by Queen Victoria, who remained in deep mourning for her husband Prince Albert after his death in 1861.
The lecture will feature a selection of mourning garments, courtesy of the William Hickling Prescott House and The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (NSCDA-MA).
General admission to this event is $25 per person while members are admitted for $22 each.
Both of these programs are supported in part by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council, administered by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.
Space for both events is limited so purchase tickets in advance at: https://www.thegibsonhouse.org.