Wednesday, August 19, 2009

RoyalTEA at Maryhill



Visitors are always surprised by the beautiful art and objects displayed at the Maryhill Museum of Art. Located in a remote location and no community nearby, it stands alone on a bluff overlooking the Columbia River. With displays as varied as the sculpture and art of French artist Auguste Rodin to the fashions of Theatre de la Mode or Native American artifacts, this museum contains much to observe and learn from. My favorite display graces the main floor of the museum --- a display of personal jewelry, gowns, art, furniture, and objects that belonged to Queen Marie of Romania. Her coronation crown and gold-thread and rhinestone are magnificent. The waistline, wasp-like! She gifted this collection to the Sam Hill, the builder of the mansion at Maryhill and a personal friend of hers. In fact, she took a royal tour of America with a dedication ceremony at Maryhill as her destination.

The gift shop was filled with interesting items, but I am always drawn to the books first. Have you noticed that the most interesting books are frequently at museum bookstores and visitor's centers at National Parks? My souvenir was a copy of a book by Julia P. Gelardi called "Born to Rule". It tells the stories of five reigning consorts, all granddaughters of Queen Victoria. Queen Marie of Romania was one of the five. Together they were Queen Maud of Norway, Queen Sophie of Greece, Tsarina Alexandra of Russia, Queen Marie of Romania, and Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain. Just like the museum, it's pages keep drawing me in. It's filled with detailed facts and history.

Tea in the afternoon --- with royal treasures to enjoy!

3 comments:

  1. How very interesting! The book you bought sounds great.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The museum sounds wonderful....so does the book you bought. Enjoy it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I had not heard of this museum...thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for commenting on my blog post. I am always happy to hear from blog readers. Your words encourage and inspire me. I am glad you stopped by to share conversation, recipes, ideas, and thoughts on creating a welcoming home.