Victorian Opulence: Springfield’s Industrial Elite

April 7, 2015 - August 28, 2016 - This exhibit provides a window into the lives of America’s privileged classes both at home and at play during the Victorian era.  Some of the fine clothing and personal items, like elegant men’s pocket watches and ladies jewelry and hair combs, will be very familiar to fans of Downton Abbey. Objects like grandfather clocks and gentleman’s ceremonial items exhibit a level of craftsmanship no longer evident today. The items on view tell many stories about their owners, of the time and place in which they lived, and the level of wealth that allowed them to possess such luxury items.