Victorian Bedroom, Christmas, Vaile Mansion, MO Poster

"Victorian Bedroom at Christmas, Vaile Mansion, Independence, Missouri" by Catherine Sherman. Beautifully wrapped packages and gifts surround a lavishly decorated Christmas tree in a bedroom in the Vaile Mansion in Independence, Missouri. A garland and a wreath on the massive headboard add to the festive look. Seasonal pillows appoint the bedspread. Sunshine filters in through the lace curtains. What a wonderful sight to wake to on Christmas morning! The Vaile Victorian Society decorates the mansion every year in a different Victorian theme and welcomes the public for tours. The mansion, built in 1881, has 31 rooms, nine marble fireplaces and beautiful ceiling murals and woodwork. Built by Colonel and Mrs. Harvey M. Vaile, the Vaile Mansion was "the most princely house and the most comfortable home in the entire west," the Kansas City Times reported in 1882. Situated on North Liberty Street, a mile north of the historic Independence Square, according to the Vaile Mansion's website. The Vaile Mansion was designed by Kansas City architect Asa Beebe Cross (1826–1894) in the Second Empire style; its design was reportedly inspired by a large house visited by Vaile and his wife Sophie in Normandy. The mansion is constructed of hand-pressed red brick, partially trimmed with white limestone.