Corbin Mansion Decked In Holiday Style
The once-barren walls of Daniel Corbin’s turn-of-the-century home again glisten with the sights and sounds of a Victorian Christmas in celebration of the Corbin Art Center’s 20th annual Christmas sale this weekend.
“Everyone likes to picture what (the mansion) looks like with furniture and a Christmas tree,” says Lynn Mandyke, director of the Corbin Art Center. So this year the staff made room for the revival of century-old Christmas traditions by local members of the American Society of Interior Designers.
While researching the history of this 1898 mansion built for the railway pioneer whose name it bears, Mandyke found just how intricately detailed Christmas decorations were at the mansion, she says.
In the spirit of its Victorian era, and the people who virtually invented Christmas decorating as we know it, the parlor of this Kirtland Cutter mansion is adorned with fresh greenery. Authentic to the period, fresh sprigs are twisted together with wire. Modern technology assists in getting the job done more quickly, but churning the hand-cranked machine that does the twisting can still be a painstaking task.
Natural bounties - dried flowers, berries, cones and nuts - embellish swags, garlands and wreaths. Traditional Victorian fans of detailed patterns in rich tones of burgundy, green and mauve nestle amid the fresh greens.
Laces, ribbons, tassels and pearls drape ornaments. Papier-mache baubles, potpourri sachets and dried flower ornaments dangle from the Christmas tree while beautifully crafted gift boxes snuggle beneath its bows.
With renewed popularity of Victorian designs and an overwhelming response by the public to the mansion’s first showcase last August, Mandyke is hoping the center’s efforts can give something back to its patrons.
Proceeds from the Christmas sale fund the Daniel Corbin Gallery. Last year’s sale brought in $3,400. This year’s goal is the same as every other year, says Mandyke. “We just want to do better than we did last year, we always want to do better.”
This year’s gift shop is loaded with hundreds of ornaments and gifts in contemporary, country, ethnic and Victorian designs. The juried arts and crafts include paintings, sculptures, jewelry, hand soaps, holiday cards and Christmas decoration from 70 artists in Eastern Washington and Idaho.
Gift shop items range in price from less than $5 to a few hundred dollars. Tapestry stockings hung from the parlor mantel will be sold to raise money for an interior design scholarship fund.
Tonight’s two-hour preview featuring the angelic sounds of a local harpsichordist will begin at 7. Tickets for the preview are $15 and include gallery association membership. (Current members are admitted for free.)
Admission to the sale this weekend is free. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Fan workshop The ornately decorated Victorian fans which adorn the Corbin Mansion parlor can brighten your home as well. Fan-making workshops will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Workshop participants should be at least 8 years old; the cost is $2.