Making a “Call”
It is hard for us to believe in an age with smartphones that “calling” once took on a different meaning. In the Victorian time period, calling meant to visit in person to express thanks or regrets. According to proper Victorian etiquette, this was the only acceptable means of communicating one’s social obligation. A personal visit…
The Kid’s Judge: Benjamin Barr Lindsey
This summer’s exhibit at the Molly Brown House Museum, following the 2010 memorialization of Judge Ben Lindsey as part of the dedication of the new Lindsey-Flannigan Courthouse in Denver, is The City and the Children: Denver’s Juvenile Justice System. This exhibit focuses on the work of Judge Ben Lindsey and his efforts to champion a…
Christmas at the Molly Brown House Museum
At the Molly Brown House Museum we are decorated for Christmas and looking forward to fun events such as our Candlelight tours, Christmas Teas, and docent-led tours of the home. To get everyone in the holiday spirit here is some interesting information on the roots of Christmas, especially in relation to Victorian traditions. We hope…
Halloween Traditions
Halloween, or some iteration of the holiday we celebrate today, has existed for approximately 2,500 years. Our celebration stems mainly from Irish immigrants and the Victorian era. In that tradition, the Molly Brown House Museum observes the Victorian enthusiasm for Halloween through authentic decorations showcased in Ladies Home Journals of the time. Halloween decorations, which…
Pieces of Our Past: 40 Years at the Molly Brown House Museum
The Molly Brown House Museum’s summer exhibit, Pieces of our Past: 40 years at the Molly Brown House Museum, explores the restoration of Margaret “Molly” Brown’s home. When the home was sold after Margaret’s death in 1932, it was converted from a single family residence to a boarding home. The interior of the house experienced many changes such as the addition of bathrooms and kitchens, installation of coved ceilings to decrease the cost of heat, and the elimination of the back staircase. In 1970, a group of concerned citizens organized and created a private non-profit Historic Denver, Inc. to save the home from the possibility of destruction. Once Historic Denver owned the property restoration began through paint analysis, architectural investigation and with the help of photographs taken by Margaret in 1910, the home of the Unsinkable Molly Brown was returned…
Stitches and Scissors at the Molly Brown House Museum
The spring exhibit at the Molly Brown House Museum is Stitches and Scissors: the Importance of Victorian Craft. Open until April 30th, this exhibit explores women’s roles, technology and popular crafts. Most crafts during the Victorian Era were parlor crafts, a pastime for wealthy women with leisure time. The market was flooded with machine made…