Hudson River Museum Welcomes the Holidays with Victorian Decorations and Special Programs

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YONKERS, NY, November 21, 2019 — The Hudson River Museum is getting festive for the holiday season, with new and traditional Victorian decorations at Glenview, the Museum’s Gilded Age historic home. This year’s installation, which will be on view from November 29 through January 5, features garlands, baubles, and trees in each of the six period rooms, a table setting that incorporates Japanese decorative arts in the Dining Room, and new miniature decorations in Nybylwyck Hall Dollhouse.

Each room is defined by a specific color scheme—the Parlor, for example, will feature teal, royal blue, and chartreuse hues that play off the stuffed peacock that stands by the mantelpiece. The trees in the Library and Sitting Room will be adorned in ribbons, flowers, and German glass ornaments—a holiday norm by the 1870s—while the rainbow-colored ornaments that garnish the tree in the Great Hall provide modern flair. Theatrical designer Karin White, whose client roster includes the New York City Opera, the Westport Country Playhouse, and the Manhattan School of Music, is leading this year’s installation. The holiday decorations are generously supported by Jan Adelson.

The Dining Room table, side boards, and serving table will be adorned by interior designer Debra Blair of Debra Blair Design, who is also part of the team selected to decorate The White House for the holidays this year. The festive settings in the Glenview Dining Room include several loans of exquisite Japanese antiques. In the late nineteenth century, Mr. and Mrs. John B. Trevor of Glenview collected Satsuma vases and cloisonné, and aspects of their home’s decor, such as the chrysanthemum stenciled frieze in the Sitting Room, reflect Japanese design.

This year’s table setting will feature an antique linen damask tablecloth and napkins with embroidered monograms; a vintage brocade obi, or sash, used in traditional Japanese dress; heavily gilded chargers with vintage Bavarian plates that echo Japanese inspiration; and bronze shokudai, chrysanthemum candlesticks of the Meiji period (1868–1912). A large bronze temple vase with gold-painted branches wrapped in amber lights, and Japanese fans rising up to the chandelier will comprise the centerpiece. The table linens, centerpiece, candlesticks, and fans are from the collection of Timothy John, and the plates are on loan from More & More Antiques. Blair combines all of these elements into a stunning ensemble that references the past with contemporary esprit. A trustee of the Hudson River Museum, she donated her service.

A perennial favorite, the Hudson River Museum’s historic dollhouse, Nybylwyck Hall, will also be decked out for the holidays. Darren Scala, owner of D. Thomas Fine Miniatures, has installed delightful new miniature holiday decor in the 24-room dollhouse located in the Billiard Room of Glenview. This year’s new miniatures include a vintage wooden puppet theater created by Scala, a pair of hand-painted nutcrackers by Barbara Ann Meyer, and a hardwood croquet set by Craig LaBenz. A miniature yule log by Malena Sullivan, a gift-boxed Victorian brooch by Manuela Herbst, and an assortment of powder-sugar-coated, heart-shaped Linzer tarts by Jeannie Anderson have also returned for the season. Every room will also feature a miniature chocolate bar for sharp eyes to spot.

The Museum Shop has been transformed for the holidays with a wide selection of ornaments including snow globes; new handmade jewelry, with select pieces made exclusively for the HRM; items for the home, including mermaid, Nutcracker-inspired, and other holiday ornaments provided by More & More Antiques; one-of-a-kind hats designed by Jane Elissa; children’s toys; space-themed gifts; art supplies; an exclusive Hudson River scarf, and a variety of books and museum publications.

Related Programs:

Friday, November 29, 12–5pm
Holiday Kickoff at the HRM!
Kick off the Holiday Season at the HRM with a full selection of programs inspired by Wintertime for all ages, including art workshops, festive tours and tales. Design a snow globe, paint the Hudson River in a wintry scene, learn about the Gilded Age traditions of the Trevor family, and enjoy an interactive magic show for all ages.

Friday, December 6, 5–8pm
Holiday Night at the HRM!
Come warm your spirits with holiday fun during this special night at the Museum. Explore Glenview historic home, which will be decked out for the holidays, as well as our exhibitions, permanent collection, and a free program (see description below) with fashion historian Stéphane Houy-Towner! Pay what you wish; music and cash bar, plus a discount in the Museum Shop (20% HRM Members, 10% non-members). All ages.

Friday, December 6, 6:30pm
Stepping Out: Costume and Fashion in the City
Join fashion historian Stéphane Houy-Towner for a special talk and tour through the galleries and Glenview spotlighting elegant ladies’ fashions of the Gilded Age. Explore special occasion fashions on display in situ in pictures and on mannequins in Glenview. All ages.

As a New York-based curator, consultant and lecturer, Houy-Towner has worked with some of the world’s leading cultural institutions. His diverse roster of clients includes The Andy Warhol Museum, Georg Jensen, Badgley Mischka, and Christian Dior. A graduate of Parsons The New School for Design in New York, Houy-Towner spent 14 years as a special projects researcher at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s world renowned Costume Institute.

Saturday, December 7, 2–3pm
Holiday Opera in Glenview
Travel back to Victorian times and celebrate the holiday season with costumed performers as they sing arias from operas that the Trevor family and friends of Glenview would have enjoyed, like Rigoletto, La Boheme, La Traviata, Die Fledermaus, and The Magic Flute. Presented by Victoria Opera House, founded by Soprano Victoria Miningham. Join a festive reception with the cast following the performance. Free with general admission. All ages.

Saturdays in November and December, 1–4pm
Family Studio: Science
Much of the attention of space fans this year was on the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing in July. But it was robotic explorers that paved the way for humans to set foot on our nearest neighbor. The Surveyor spacecraft reached the moon several years before the first landing. Learn about the missions and make a holiday ornament of these robot pioneers out of craft materials. Family Studio Workshops are sponsored in part by American Sugar.

Saturdays and Sundays in December, 1–4pm
Family Studio: Art
Learn how to craft and design a snow globe. Then personalize your creation and take it home! Family Studio Workshops are sponsored in part by American Sugar.

Press contact:
Jen McCaffery
jmccaffery@hrm.org
(914) 963-4550 x240