Halloween at the Gibson House

We may not have many ghost stories to tell, but we have plenty of tales of Victorian Halloween traditions and treats to share! Come by our Halloween Open House, where staff will discuss the emergence of the Halloween costume in America and the history of spiritualism, and will hand out candy that one would have seen in 19th-century Boston. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council, administered by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.

The Gibson House Museum

Pride at the Gibson: Art Exhibition and Historical Talks

Celebrate Pride Month with Hannah Barrett’s Tales from the House of Gibson, Reprised. Barrett’s oversized portraits of imagined androgynous descendants of the Gibson family mix their signature style with elements of the Victorian objects on view. These works accentuate our interpretation of queer history at the Gibson House. Stroll through the Gibson House Museum at your own pace.

A "Grand Tour" Collection of Paintings

Step inside the Gibson House Museum for an exclusive paintings tour led by our curator, Meghan Gelardi Holmes. We will consider how nineteenth-century Bostonians amassed their art collections and think about the significance and history of individual artworks in the Gibson House collection, including those by William Morris Hunt, Boston’s own elite painter; Jane Stuart, enterprising daughter of artist Gilbert Stuart; and portraitist Alvan Fisher, as well as a host of Old Master copies. This is a special opportunity to see works of art in their original context. ​Admission: $17&nbsp; Seniors (62+): $14&nbsp; Students: $12 Children under 12: $5.&nbsp; Members: $10 To book a ticket: <a href="https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/thegibsonhouse/items/570340/availability/1678560734/book/?full-items=yes">https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/thegibsonhouse/items/570340/availability/1678560734/book/?full-items=yes</a>

Gibson House Museum

Artist Talk with Hannah Barrett

Hannah Barrett (b.1966) is a contemporary painter known for utilizing collage to explore gender in art and history. Their portrait series "Tales from the House of Gibson" (2009) imagines six imaginary descendants of the Gibsons, combining features of the family as well as the house itself. Exhibiting these works in the Gibson's Victorian home deviates from the typical display of contemporary art, which is often contained in a white and otherwise blank gallery space--as an artist who draws upon historical references and includes these details in their works, Barrett saw this as an exciting challenge. We have the opportunity to display these portraits once again amongst the architecture, photographs, and family heirlooms that Barrett referenced during their creative process. Join artist Hannah Barrett for a discussion of these site-specific artworks and the museum objects and stories that inspired them. Barrett’s unique depictions of nonbinary figures challenge our notions of gender and historical rigidity. Their installation in this Victorian house museum offer visitors an opportunity to reconsider the Gibson family through a new lens.

Preserving the Gibson House - Tour

In 1957, the Gibson House Museum opened to the public as a historic house after almost one hundred years as a private residence. In this 90-minute tour, we will explore the story of the house, from its construction in 1859 to the present. This tour will traverse the house from top to bottom and go into spaces typically not accessible to visitors, including our staff and storage areas. The tour will include stories of all the house’s residents, from the Gibson family and the domestic staff, to the early museum staff and resident guides. Join us to consider the role of preservation in shaping the appearance and function of the house and hear over 150 years of juicy gossip! ​Admission: $17&nbsp; Seniors (62+): $14&nbsp; Students: $12 Children under 12: $5.&nbsp; Members: $10 To book a ticket:&nbsp;<a href="https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/thegibsonhouse/items/606645/availability/1678684909/book/?full-items=yes">https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/thegibsonhouse/items/606645/availability/1678684909/book/?full-items=yes</a>

In 1957, the Gibson House Museum opened to the public as a historic house after almost one hundred years as a private residence. In this 90-minute tour, we will explore the story of the house, from its construction in 1859 to the present. This tour will traverse the house from top to bottom and go into spaces typically not accessible to visitors, including our staff and storage areas. The tour will include stories of all the house’s residents, from the Gibson family and the domestic staff, to the early museum staff and resident guides. Join us to consider the role of preservation in shaping the appearance and function of the house and hear over 150 years of juicy gossip! ​Admission: $17&nbsp; Seniors (62+): $14&nbsp; Students: $12 Children under 12: $5.&nbsp; Members: $10 To book a ticket:&nbsp;<a href="https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/thegibsonhouse/items/606645/availability/1678684811/book/?full-items=yes">https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/thegibsonhouse/items/606645/availability/1678684811/book/?full-items=yes</a>

Spring Open House & Costume Exhibition

Celebrate spring with the Gibson House Museum! Join us for a self-guided tour and specialty costume exhibition featuring Victorian fashions that highlight the honored tradition of our local “Promenade,” a leisurely walk in the Public Garden. Make sure to visit our Victorian-themed photo booth and take your own photo in the elegant setting of the Gibson House. Finish your visit by enjoying a self-serve buffet of tea and sweets. *Costume exhibition presented in collaboration with the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (NSCDA). *Timed tickets on the half hour at 1pm, 1:30pm, 2pm, 2:30pm, and 3pm. $25 per ticket / $22 for members / $20 for students and seniors *Children under the age of 12 are free. Entry to win “Specialty Tea Basket” door prize included with each ticket.

Gibson House Architecture Tour

Join us for an in-depth exploration of the Gibson House's distinctive architecture and innovative mechanical systems. This tour takes a closer look at the home's structural and stylistic features reflecting nineteenth-century tastes and technology.&nbsp;If you want to admire the ventilation shaft, or think more about how the two separate staircases were designed and used, this is the tour for you!

Victorian Masquerade: The 28th Annual Gibson House Benefit

The Gibson House Museum will host its 28th Annual Benefit, a Victorian Masquerade party, on Thursday, April 24, 6:00–8:00 p.m. at Boston's Chilton Club, 152 Commonwealth Ave. Guests will enjoy this elegant setting with creative cocktails, sumptuous hors d’oeuvres, delightful piano music, an exciting raffle, and a few fun surprises to help everyone get into the spirit of a great, 19th-century Masquerade. Masks of the amusing, artistic kind are encouraged as part of guests' cocktail attire. All proceeds will benefit the Gibson House Museum.   The Benefit raffle is now live online, featuring an array of exciting prizes: fine-dining gift certificates, theater and ballet tickets, opportunities for private tours, a Boston Athenaeum membership, and gifts of food and wine. You do not need to be present at the Benefit to win.   About the Gibson House Museum The Gibson House is a historic house museum located in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. Now a National Historic Landmark, the home served as residence to three generations of Gibson family members and their household staff between 1859 and 1954. The Museum’s four floors of period rooms, including the original kitchen, are a time capsule of domestic life in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Visitors experience the house through guided tours that interpret class and culture through the stories and objects of the people who lived and worked there.

The Chilton Club

Step inside the Gibson House Museum for an exclusive paintings tour led by our curator, Meghan Gelardi Holmes. We will consider how nineteenth-century Bostonians amassed their art collections and think about the significance and history of individual artworks in the Gibson House collection, including those by William Morris Hunt, Boston’s own elite painter; Jane Stuart, enterprising daughter of artist Gilbert Stuart; and portraitist Alvan Fisher, as well as a host of Old Master copies. This is a special opportunity to see works of art in their original context. ​Admission: $17&nbsp; Seniors (62+): $14&nbsp; Students: $12 Children under 12: $5.&nbsp; Members: $10 To book a ticket: <a href="https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/thegibsonhouse/items/570340/availability/1678560732/book/?full-items=yes">https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/thegibsonhouse/items/570340/availability/1678560732/book/?full-items=yes</a>

Upstairs, Downstairs: A St. Patrick's Day Tour Experience at the Gibson House

Between 1860 and 1920, the Gibson House was the home of dozens of domestics—mostly young, Irish immigrant women who worked as cooks, laundresses, nannies, and chambermaids. They also made friends, fell in love, and worshipped at nearby churches. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, join us for a self-guided tour of the Gibson House Museum, and learn about the work and the lives of these Irish immigrants. Finish your tour experience by enjoying Irish-themed snacks and live music from The Kitchen Strings, featuring Jonathan Axon (fiddle), Gail Gardner (fiddle), Betsy Lynch (fiddle), and Ned Resnikoff (octave mandolin/bouzouki), in the working spaces of the Gibson House. Timed entry on the half hour at 1pm, 1:30pm, 2pm, 2:30pm, and 3pm. Space is limited! To book your ticket: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/upstairs-downstairs-tickets-1234872870999?aff=oddtdtcreator">https://www.eventbrite.com/e/upstairs-downstairs-tickets-1234872870999?aff=oddtdtcreator</a>

Join us for an in-depth exploration of the Gibson House's distinctive architecture and innovative mechanical systems. This tour takes a closer look at the home's structural and stylistic features reflecting nineteenth-century tastes and technology. If you want to admire the ventilation shaft, or think more about how the two separate staircases were designed and used, this is the tour for you!

Elements of the American Wedding 1860-1920

Back By Popular Demand! Join Etiquetteer, Robert B. Dimmick, on an exploration&nbsp;of&nbsp;wedding&nbsp;customs in&nbsp;the&nbsp;United States from&nbsp;the&nbsp;Civil War to Prohibition. Aside from familiar customs like&nbsp;the&nbsp;white&nbsp;wedding&nbsp;dress tossing&nbsp;the&nbsp;bouquet, Etiquetteer will look at fads like&nbsp;the&nbsp;floral bell, how&nbsp;wedding&nbsp;breakfasts were conducted, and&nbsp;the&nbsp;home&nbsp;wedding. Two&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;most celebrated&nbsp;weddings&nbsp;of&nbsp;this period include President Cleveland’s White House&nbsp;wedding&nbsp;to Frances Folsom and Consuelo Vanderbilt’s&nbsp;wedding&nbsp;in New York to&nbsp;the&nbsp;Duke&nbsp;of&nbsp;Marlborough. Etiquetteer will also share&nbsp;the&nbsp;stories&nbsp;of&nbsp;Gibson family&nbsp;weddings, especially those&nbsp;of&nbsp;his sisters Mary Ethel (in Nahant) and Rosamond — held in&nbsp;the&nbsp;Music Room&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;Gibson House six months after&nbsp;the&nbsp;death&nbsp;of&nbsp;her father.&nbsp; &nbsp; Reception with light refreshments begins at 4:30 p.m.; talk begins at 5:00 p.m. ﻿Space is limited! To register: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1205632221429?aff=oddtdtcreator">https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1205632221429?aff=oddtdtcreator</a>

Step inside the Gibson House Museum for an exclusive paintings tour led by our curator, Meghan Gelardi Holmes. We will consider how nineteenth-century Bostonians amassed their art collections and think about the significance and history of individual artworks in the Gibson House collection, including those by William Morris Hunt, Boston’s own elite painter; Jane Stuart, enterprising daughter of artist Gilbert Stuart; and portraitist Alvan Fisher, as well as a host of Old Master copies. This is a special opportunity to see works of art in their original context. ​Admission: $17&nbsp; Seniors (62+): $14&nbsp; Students: $12 Children under 12: $5.&nbsp; Members: $10 To book a ticket: <a href="https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/thegibsonhouse/items/570340/availability/1678560729/book/?full-items=yes">https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/thegibsonhouse/items/570340/availability/1678560729/book/?full-items=yes</a>

Holiday Open House

Visit our annual Holiday Open House on&nbsp;Sunday, December 15th&nbsp;to see the Gibson House Museum beautifully decorated for the season. Take part in a family-friendly scavenger hunt, enjoy light refreshments, and experience a 19th-century Christmas! This event runs from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm. Entry is by a suggested $5 donation, and children's admission is free.&nbsp; No advance registration or ticket purchase necessary.&nbsp;

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

Recs 💬

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S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

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S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

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S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

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S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

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S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

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S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

The hottest events happening in Boston

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S17: interest based

Your guide to everything free in and around Boston. From events, to fairs, to festivals, to outdoors. Joyraft has all the free events happening near you.

100+ free things to do in Boston and beyond

Free things to do in Boston

Free things to do

S19: interest based

Kid-friendly events in Boston

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.

thegibsonhouse

Experiences

Halloween at the Gibson House

Pride at the Gibson: Art Exhibition and Historical Talks

A "Grand Tour" Collection of Paintings

Artist Talk with Hannah Barrett

Preserving the Gibson House - Tour

Preserving the Gibson House - Tour

Spring Open House & Costume Exhibition

Gibson House Architecture Tour

Victorian Masquerade: The 28th Annual Gibson House Benefit

A "Grand Tour" Collection of Paintings

Upstairs, Downstairs: A St. Patrick's Day Tour Experience at the Gibson House

Gibson House Architecture Tour

Elements of the American Wedding 1860-1920

A "Grand Tour" Collection of Paintings

Holiday Open House