The Gibson House Museum

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The Gibson House Museum The Gibson House is a historic house museum located in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston. Tours are currently offered through advanced tickets only.

Now a National Historic Landmark, the home served as residence to three generations of Gibson family members and their household staff between 1859 and 1954. Visitors experience the house through a guided tour that interprets class and culture through the stories and objects of the people who lived and worked there. Website: thegibsonhouse.org Email: [email protected] Ph: 617-267-6338

Something morbid this way comes… here’s a sneak peek of our upcoming MEMENTO MORI exhibition! This display features item...
10/22/2026

Something morbid this way comes… here’s a sneak peek of our upcoming MEMENTO MORI exhibition! This display features items both specifically related to funerary and mourning customs, and to the broader Victorian custom of collecting death through objects.

Our curator, Hailey Robbins, was inspired by the idea that the Gibsons, as well as other families during the broadly-defined Victorian era, not only acknowledged death but embraced it in their personal possession collections, hanging on to reminders of their loved ones and the constant presence of death. As the greenery fades around us, so too do we remember that we will fade one day as well.

10/16/2026

As photography became more accessible through the long nineteenth century, the combination of Victorian mourning practices and this new technology was inevitable. Over time, tintype photography began to replace the expensive daguerrotype.

Death, just as it is today, was unavoidable. Victorian nurseries were plagued with disease, and the death of children was often a prompt to the family to ensure their portraits were taken before a loved one was gone forever. Photographs were used as a way to commemorate the dead, and were often a kind of coping mechanism for the family.

While our tintype event will feature living subjects, the practice still reminds us that: memento mori (remember you must die) 💀🕯️👻

CALLING ALL LOCAL BUSINESSES📣 Join us this evening from 6-8 PM to experience the Victorian beauty of the Gibson House Mu...
10/15/2026

CALLING ALL LOCAL BUSINESSES📣 Join us this evening from 6-8 PM to experience the Victorian beauty of the Gibson House Museum. Enjoy a private reception and tour of the only extant Victorian interior in Back Bay and learn more about the 167-year history of the house!

It is well and truly spooky season at the Gibson House Museum! We are so excited to welcome Mallory Marlowe (Mallory Mar...
10/09/2026

It is well and truly spooky season at the Gibson House Museum! We are so excited to welcome Mallory Marlowe (Mallory Marlowe | Romance Author ) to celebrate the release of her latest novel, “Entities to Lovers” on the evening of October 13th!

To honor this affair, we have created custom bookplates for all attendees! Get excited to add a bit of Gibson House flair to your copy!

In preparation for our first Victorian Hair Jewelry lecture and workshop with Dr. Nora Carleson this Saturday, October 1...
10/08/2026

In preparation for our first Victorian Hair Jewelry lecture and workshop with Dr. Nora Carleson this Saturday, October 10th, we thought we would highlight some examples of hairwork from the period from our collection! Hair jewelry was common both as a memorial piece and sometimes just as a fashion statement, seen in the third slide. Join us on Saturday to learn so much more!

This slide: Displayed in Rosamond’s bedroom, a small 1.25 inch diameter wreath made from a lock of hair surrounded by a ring of pressed flowers, adhered to a paper backing. It is framed in a gold leaf frame with a ring for hanging at the top. It has the name Mary Russell on the back, which may reference Mary Ann Palfrey Russell, a family member through marriage to the Gibsons.

A Shreve, Crump and Lowe gold locket with what we believe is a photo of Rosamond Warren Gibson, and her first child, Mary Ethel Gibson Allen, (Left) alongside a lock of Ethel’s hair (Right).

A commercially produced bracelet featuring roping that’s made from woven strands of hair. In a box. Written on the lid of the box is, “A Bit of Paris in New York, Henri, Confiseur, Est. 1906, 15E. 52nd Street,New York City”

Thank you again, volunteers from the Garden Club of the Back Bay, for our beautiful new fall urn plantings.
10/07/2026

Thank you again, volunteers from the Garden Club of the Back Bay, for our beautiful new fall urn plantings.

10/06/2026

Gibson House Museum is hosting Twilight Tours during the month of October! 🕯️🕯️ See the house in the evening and experience our history in a decidedly delightful darkness…

Find the link in our bio to book your tickets now. Tours offered at 7pm on October 9, 16, 23, and 30th. 🎃

09/03/2026

(Part 2/2) Apothecary chest! If you haven’t seen Part 1, go back and watch that first for a deeper look into this piece and its symbolism.

09/03/2026

(Part 1/2) On this week’s episode of Curator’s Corner, learn about the apothecary chest in the music room, its Japanese origins, and its connection to the Gibson family’s medical legacy! Special thanks to Dr. Ikumi Kaminishi, whose expertise was crucial in interpreting the symbolism of this piece!

INTRODUCING: TWILIGHT TOURS!If you’ve visited the Gibson House, you know it is a darkly beautiful space. This October, c...
08/18/2026

INTRODUCING: TWILIGHT TOURS!

If you’ve visited the Gibson House, you know it is a darkly beautiful space. This October, celebrate that dark beauty through our limited edition Twilight Tours! Explore the gloomiest corners of the Gibson House after dark to celebrate Spooky Season🖤🪦

Reserve your spot through the link in our bio.

Address

137 Beacon Street
Boston, MA
02116

Opening Hours

Thursday 3pm - 5pm
Friday 1pm - 3pm
Saturday 1pm - 4pm
Sunday 1pm - 4pm

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