Christmas Playtime at the Mansion

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum kicks off the Holiday Season with a new exhibit titled, Christmas Playtime at the Mansion, which will open to the public on Wed., Nov. 11, 2020 and run through Sun., Jan. 3, 2021, at 295 West Avenue, Norwalk, CT.

From 1868 to 1938, children played on the third floor of the Mansion, which was filled with toys and dolls and even featured a theater where they may have performed. This year, after undergoing expert restoration, the Museum’s doll collection along with several vintage toys will be exhibited as part of Christmas Playtime at the Mansion, an exhibition that will recreate those playful times during the Victorian era.

The first floor of the Mansion will feature Christmas trees decorated with period-appropriate ornaments, a dining table adorned with dazzling antique silver and china, several playful dolls and toy vignettes, and sumptuous Victorian gowns curated by Stacey Danielson, with generous loans from the Wilton Historical Society.

The exhibit will also feature magnificent contemporary displays and trees decorated by renowned interior designer Victoria Vandamm of Vandamm Interiors, while silk garlands embellished with ribbons and trimmings will drape the grand Victorian staircase beautifully decorated by Danna DiElsi, owner of The Silk Touch in Norwalk, CT.

The exhibition is made possible with the assistance of the Curatorial Committee co-chaired by Trustees Mimi Findlay and Paul Veeder.

The Museum’s 2020 cultural and educational programs are made possible in part by generous funding from LMMM’s Founding Patrons: The Estate of Mrs. Cynthia Clark Brown; LMMM’s Leadership Patrons: The Sealark Foundation; LMMM’s 2020 Season Distinguished Benefactors: The City of Norwalk and The Maurice Goodman Foundation; LMMM’s 2020 Distinguished Benefactors for Education: The Daphne Seybolt Culpeper Memorial Foundation, Inc. Photos are courtesy of Alex Rosenfeld Photography and Sarah Grote Photography.

The Museum will offer tours of the new exhibit on a limited basis. 45-minute tours of the first floor Period Rooms will be available on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Due to the continued threat of COVID-19 and to achieve safe distancing measures, the tour capacity will be reduced and all tickets must be purchased online through the Museum’s website: www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com/programs. Walk-ins will not be accepted until further notice. Schedule may be subject to change.

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.