In the Back Bay there's a Victorian era townhouse with more than one tale to tell. The Gibson House Museum on Beacon Street has a unique way of revealing its secrets as seen through the eyes of artist Hannah Barrett.
As a child, I was always fascinated by large, older houses, mostly because I never knew what I'd uncover. And, now that I've matured, chronologically anyway, I still want to get inside interesting homes that might offer some surprises. I plan to spend more time exploring Charley Gibson's family home.
For more on what to expect when you visit, here's a bit of what Penny had to say in the Back Bay Sun:
“Tales from the House of Gibson”
For the rest of this year, tours of the Gibson House Museum will have an added attraction. A stairway in the house is displaying an art exhibit called “Tales From The House of Gibson.” This is a series of portraits by artist Hannah Barrett. She was inspired by the last resident of the house, Charles Hammond Gibson, Junior– his love of genealogy, his family's photo albums, and the collection he left behind.
Creating the Artwork
Gibson House Museum Executive Director, J. Charles Swift talked about working with the artist. "She knew that she wanted to do imaginary portraits, collage portraits, using Gibson family materials." He explained than in any of the finished works, Barrett has represented six to fifteen items from the museum's collection.
"We spent a significant amount of time going over our photography collection." A single portrait may combine clothing and physical characteristics of multiple family members as they appeared in photographs.
In her review of the exhibit, the Boston Globe's Cate McQuaid wrote, "Barrett’s painting 'Lord Charles and Lady Marbletop' features Charlie’s muscular legs, clad in a bathing costume sitting on the rocks in Nahant, where the family summered, combined with Charlie in a suit sitting in his Back Bay library. He also wears an extravagantly plumed woman’s hat, and a woman’s curly blond bangs."
"The titles for the paintings themselves are taken from a list of characters that Charlie Gibson had written out around 1901," Swift explained. "He had all these names – Lord Roundbottom and Lady Marbletop and Lady Travesty." Swift related that when Barrett saw the list she said, "Wow, I'm going to name my characters using his names."
Reasons to visit again and again
Hannah Barrett's work is one reason for a return visit to the Gibson House. "The portraits are like an elaborate game of hide and seek for the things that are in the house," Swift said.
All year long the museum holds events that help you take a fresh look at the collection. Last summer they began hosting "The Charlie Gibson Literary & Cocktail Society." The invitation proposed an opportunity to, "Meet neighbors and join in a reading from the literary canon of Charlie Gibson, founder of the Gibson House Museum."
These events were so well received that they will be repeated this year. Swift explained that each of the short tours given at the start of these evenings had a theme. For example, one topic was life as a Victorian Woman. It highlighted items in the house related to that subject.
Besides regularly scheduled house tours, The Gibson House staff creates walking tours of Victorian Boston, and the Back Bay. The organization hosts presentations by experts on topics like Victorian furniture, flower arranging, 19th Century building technology, and the art of writing letters.
Related Post:
Victorian Boston Today, Twelve Walking Tours
Shop Amazon through BostonZest and help keep the posts coming. Gibson House will give you a taste of Boston's heritage and architecture. Here are books to help you continue to explore that aspect of the city.
Details:
Gibson House Museum
137 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02116 ( Map & Reviews )
617-267-6338
www.thegibsonhouse.org
Writer: Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2010 Penny Cherubino