CT Humanities Awards $20,000 Implementation Grant to the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum for its 2013 Opening Exhibit

Norwalk, Conn., January 29, 2013 – The Connecticut Humanities has awarded a $20,000 implementation grant to the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum for a new exhibit that will open to the public on April 17, 2013 and serve as the central theme for the Museum’s upcoming season. The exhibit, What Is It? Technologies & Discoveries of the Victorian Era, will transport visitors back in time to the Victorian era, and highlight the 19th century technological marvels that revolutionized the way people lived, while connecting the unfamiliar devices of the past with their modern-day counterparts.

Visitors will be able to view cutting edge Victorian Era technology including telegraphs, Dictaphones, gas lighting and very early examples of telephones, burglar alarms, stock tickers and much more. The exhibit will also feature technologies and discoveries of everyday life that were introduced during the Victorian era, from board games that are still played today (in new form) to new types of food, including condensed milk and breakfast cocoa. Advances in medicine and sanitation, as well as home comforts such as central heating, will be included.

“We are extremely grateful to the Connecticut Humanities for their very generous implementation grant, “said Susan Gilgore, Executive Director. “Thanks to their support, we will be able to offer visitors a rare opportunity to connect with 19th century American history of technology and some of the fascinating inventions that have revolutionized our society, and the way we live today.”

The exhibition will be curated by Raechel Guest. Ms. Guest is a Smith College graduate with a Master’s Degree in Collection Management from the prestigious Winterthur Museum. She is also the Executive Director and Curator of the Cornwall Historical Society.

Professor Steven Lubar, a renowned scholar on the history of technology, joined LMMM as an expert advisor thanks to a grant from the Connecticut Humanities, who also supported the planning of the exhibit. Mr. Lubar is Professor of the Departments of American Studies, History, and History of Art and Architecture and Director of the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage at Brown University. He is a former chair of the Division of History of Technology at the Smithsonian’s National Museum.

“The Connecticut Humanities has once again proven to be an invaluable resource,” said Patsy Brescia, LMMM Chairman of the Board, “providing council and access to their unparalleled services and funding. This new exhibit will allow the museum to reach out to thousands of new constituents in our community and tourists from all around the country.”

Connecticut Humanities (CTH) is a non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities that funds, creates and collaborates on hundreds of cultural programs across Connecticut each year. We bring together people of all ages and backgrounds to express, share and explore ideas in thoughtful and productive ways. From local discussion groups to major exhibitions on important historical events, CTH programs engage, enlighten and educate. Learn more by visiting www.cthumanities.org.

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is a National Historic Landmark. For more information on tours and programs please email info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com or call 203-838-9799.