Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum Explores Mark Twain’s Victorian Holiday Traditions

On Wednesday, November 12, 2014, 11 a.m. at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, 295 West Avenue in Norwalk, CT, Curator Patricia Philippon will give a talk entitled, A Clemens Christmas, which will highlight the Christmas celebrations that took place in the Hartford home of Mark Twain.

This lecture will discuss Victorian holiday traditions, as well as provide a virtual walk-through of the Clemens 19- room, Tiffany-decorated mansion decked out for the family's holiday celebrations, from 1874 to 1891, when the author, his wife, and three daughters lived in the house. 

This lecture will lead the audience throughout the house, starting with a "kissing ball" of mistletoe and the home's massive staircase wreathed in garlands and ribbons. Along with the holiday decorations Ms. Philippon will discuss Clemens’ own holiday sentiments and introduce lecture goers to Mark Twain’s storytelling side, his humor, and his endearing thoughts on this cherished family tradition.

Patricia Philippon is the Executive Director of the American Clock & Watch Museum in Bristol, Connecticut and was the chief curator of The Mark Twain House & Museum from 2007 to 2014. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from Providence College, RI and a Masters in Art History from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.          

This will be the sixth in a series of lectures entitled, Lockwood-Mathews Mansion: Seventy-Four Years of Culture - Art, Life, and Love, 1864-1938 by curators and experts in the field of Victorian era material life. The lectures are $25 for members, $30 for non-members per session. Please RSVP by Friday, November 7, 2014. The price includes lecture, lunch and a first floor Mansion tour.  Lunch is courtesy of Michael Gilmartin's Outdoor Cookers.  The chair of the Lecture Committee is Mimi Findlay of New Canaan. Please contact info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com or 203-838-9799, ext. 4 to purchase tickets.

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is a National Historic Landmark.  For more information on schedules and programs please visit: www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, e-mail info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, or call 203-838-9799.