The Museum is getting festive for the holiday season with new and traditional Victorian decorations at Glenview, our 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.

We invite you to attend our festive events this holiday season:

Holiday Kick-Off at the HRM!
Friday, November 29, 12–5pm

Holiday Night at the HRM!
Friday, December 6, 5–8pm

Holiday Opera in Glenview
Saturday, December 7, 2pm

Or join us for a tour of Glenview on Wednesdays through Fridays at 1pm and Saturdays & Sundays at 1 & 3pm.

#HRMHolidays #HRMFamilies