Monday, November 3, 2008

Through the Nichols House Museum

A youthful, and very curious 27 year old was living in Boston and going to grad school. On a long weekend she decided to explore the city. She found herself in a beautiful old neighborhood called Beacon Hill. Loraine noticed the Nichols House Museum at the corner. It was a four-story brick townhouse designed in the Federal style. She was very interested and decided she would take a tour. As she began her tour, Loraine read the information booklet she was given when she entered to become acquainted with the museum. She learned about Miss Rose Nichols whom was a handywoman, a gardener, and a woodworker. Miss Rose was also very involved with the women’s rights movement. Loraine quickly noticed that much of Miss Rose’s own work was displayed in the house. She also noticed that the interior Greek Revival style was different than that of the exterior. When Loraine came across the dining room she immediately noticed the beautiful large wood dining table in the center of the room. It was adorned with a table runner and large bouquet of fresh flowers. She thought it was very suitable for the room. Not too large or too small, and the style fit the rest of the house. She continued on her tour through the rest of the house. When she left she was very pleased the she choose to go through the Nichols House and has since taken several friends back to visit.

Compare: In comparison to the washstand placed in the Blandwood museum, there is a clear similarity that they are both house museums. Also both the washstand and the tilt-top table became valuable pieces to the family and each house.

Contrast: Although The Virgina Museum of Fine Arts and Nichols House Museum are both museums, they are very different. The Virgina Museum of Fine Arts is an art museum that houses very different artifacts from those in the Nichols House. The experience of visiting the museum would also be very different, with the Fine Arts museum probably being much more formal and not as much about the experience of being in a room, but more focused on the artifacts house there.

Source:
http://www.nicholshousemuseum.org/

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