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Victorian Era Easter In Valley
By ELISE McKEOWN SKOLNICK
WARREN
The Sutliff Museum was decked out in flowers, and guests were invited to take home chocolate eggs, just as Victorian visitors would have done at Easter.
“During that time period, Victorians actually did have chocolate eggs,” said Samantha Basile, assistant curator of the museum located on the second floor of the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library. “That was during the time period that Cadbury eggs was founded. They started doing the molded chocolates.”
Basile researched Victorian Easter traditions for the museum’s open house Friday and Saturday and discovered that the Victorians used Easter lilies and bunnies to decorate.
“I was actually surprised at how similar Victorian Easter is to our Easter,” she said. “They did Easter egg rolls, they did Easter baskets, kids waited for the Easter Bunny. It was very, very similar to what we do today.”
Included in the museum’s exhibits is a display case that holds temporary collections. Every two months it is changed. Currently, it holds a collection of rabbits. Among them are red miniatures made by Royal Doulton in England, crystal rabbits from Sevres and Baccarat in France, and rabbits made from china, pottery and even calico.
There also are Bunnykins, baby dishes made in England that are decorated with tiny bunnies, and Beatrix Potter books featuring “Peter Rabbit.”
Kathleen Angelo, of Warren, and her two daughters were surprised to see a cup and saucer set identical to one she has at home.
“My mom has one like this one here,” said Lucy Lepola of Warren, pointing to a Royal Doulton set.
The trio said they loved seeing the bunny collection.
Angelo has scattered rabbits throughout her home to decorate for Easter. Many were given to her by her daughter, Carol Malfatti.
Malfatti, of Silver Spring, Md., was in Warren to celebrate the Easter holiday with her family.
Some of the rabbits in the Sutliff collection would go great with her mother’s collection, Malfatti said.
“And we all read Beatrix Potter to our kids,” she added.
All three had visited the museum in the past, but not in a long time.
“I saw that they were having it open for Easter, and I thought I’d come in,” Lepola said. “It’s been awhile. I couldn’t get any of my kids to come with me, but my mom and my sister both came.”
The Sutliff Museum was founded by Phebe Sutliff as a memorial to her parents, Phebe and Levi Sutliff. The museum chronicles the Victorian era, circa 1830-1900, which is the period in which the couple lived, the Underground Railroad and the Civil War, both of which occurred during the Sutliffs’ lifetime.
The rabbit collection will be on display through April.