Celebrate The Season Opens This Weekend At The Barnum Museum

BRIDGEPORT — Starting Friday, November 27, The Barnum Museum galleries will be decorated representing the Victorian Christmas era with the annual “Celebrate the Season” displays presented this year by the Downtown Special Services District (DSSD) of Bridgeport.

For the ninth year, the museum, including both the Wheeler and Iranistan period rooms, will be decorated for the Christmas season in styles reflective of the 19th Century. The displays demonstrate how the ideal of Christmas became woven into American tradition.

Visitors will explore the elaborate historic galleries and delight in the ornaments of the Victorian age, filled with festive decorations and costumes from the museum’s collection. From sugared fruits and homemade ornaments, to glass decorations and the earliest electric tree lights, the presentation offers a journey into holidays past.

“Celebrate the Season” will be on display during regular museum hours at The Barnum Museum through January 10: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 4:30 pm; and Sunday, noon to 4:30 pm.

In addition to the presentation, “Celebrate the Season” exhibition gallery talks have been planned for Thursday, December 17, from 11 am to noon; Thursday, December 17, 6 to 7:30 pm (to include a visual presentation); and Tuesday, December 22, 11 am to noon.

The talks will be conducted by Kathleen Maher, executive director and curator of The Barnum Museum. Ms Maher will discuss the innovations of holiday exhibitions at historic museums.

Each talk will chronicle the evolution of the Christmas celebration during the 19th Century through family meals, simple holiday decor and the elaborate décor of the mansions from the Victorian age.  Each talk will be followed by a walk through of the museum galleries showing the recently recreated P.T. Barnum Iranistan Library, representative of how the holiday celebrations began in 1850.

The tour guides guests through the five decades of evolution from the Victorian ideals of nostalgia to our modern holiday.

The Barnum Museum is at 820 Main Street. Admission is $7, $5 for students and seniors, and $4 for ages 4 to 17. The gallery talks are included with regular admission.

For more information call 203-331-1104, extension 100 or visit Barnum-Museum.org.