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Ornaments More Than Decoration
ASHEVILLE — In the exhibit room of the Smith-McDowell House Museum, music-box Christmas carols play as Pamela Elizabeth Warfield hangs Christmas ornaments on a Victorian-era artificial Christmas tree.
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Warfield’s collection of 300 antique Victorian ornaments is the highlight of the museum’s display this year. The collection includes ornaments made of blown glass, feathers, wax, spun cotton and old postcards. The 3-foot sparse artificial tree is made of wood and dyed goose feathers.
“The Victorians made most of their ornaments,” said Tammy Walsh, administrator of the museum. “They had more time to do these things.” Victorian families made use of found objects for ornaments. “They were great recyclers,” she said. They particularly liked the color postcards that were fashionable at the time, and they cut them up to decorate ornaments.
The dining room, parlor and kitchen are set up as they would have been in the 1880s. Gifts under the tree would not have been wrapped, small gifts would be placed on the tree as ornaments, and the only thing delivered by Santa would be stocking stuffers.
“Nowadays, people forget about the quality of family, but that’s what Christmas is supposed to be about, not a lot of expensive gifts,” Warfield said. Christmas might be the only time of year extended family got together in the late 19th century, Walsh said.
“A lot of families had weddings then so everyone could be there,” she said.
Entire families took part in the decorating, Walsh said. The tree would be brought in and adorned with edibles and ornaments.
Warfield’s ornaments, many of them delicate blown glass or fragile paper, are in the two exhibit rooms, mostly in cases, out of the reach of curious fingers.
Warfield said she would like the museum to have her collection because it would be safer there than at her home, but she cannot afford to donate it, so a donor is being sought to pay for the collection. “What’s amazing to me is how many Christmases these ornaments have survived,” she said. “Think of the generations of children who have been charmed by them.”
The Exhibit
• The Christmas exhibit is open at the Smith-McDowell House Museum on Victoria Road 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays through Jan. 6. Tours for groups are available by appointment. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children.
Candlelight tours led by costumed guides are available for groups of 12 or more at a cost of $15 per person.
For more information, call 253-9231 or visit www.nchistory.org.
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