The Larkin House
- Hailee Singleton, Museum Curator 1
- 19 hours ago
- 2 min read
JUMP INTO THE 1920s
At this year’s Christmas in the Adobes, you may notice a change in the decorations
and the period attire at Larkin House. Larkin House’s theme has changed to celebrating a 1920s Christmas with Alice and Harry Toulmin. This change was made because the Larkin House Museum collections actually came from the Toulmins' personal belongings and not from Thomas and Rachel Larkin. Alice did donate the storied adobe in honor of her grandfather, Thomas Oliver Larkin, with the intention of preserving his legacy. However, the furnishings, art, and porcelain collection she
chose to leave to California State Parks tells the story of Alice’s own life and her legacy.
Alice and Harry used Larkin House as their vacation home and spent nearly 40 years living there. Like her grandparents, Alice and Harry were known for hosting lavish parties and spared no expense entertaining their guests. We know that some of the more famous guests at Larkin House included Charlie Chaplin, Robinson and Una Jeffers, and even Bing Crosby!
Since 2019, curatorial staff have used pieces from Alice and Harry’s china collection to design table settings that evoke the feeling of dining with the Toulmins. This year’s CITA invites you to do the same and will feature two new display items that belong to the Larkin Toulmin archive. On the table in the parlor, we will feature Christmas cards addressed to the Larkin House and a sample of Alice’s personal stationery that she used to thank her guests for joining the Toulmins for the holiday season.
The updated feeling includes 1920s attire for the volunteers and a jazz band in the garden.
