Dear Tim Daniels, re.: The history of the house museum I suggest you read, *Our Own Snug Fireside: Images of the New England Home, 1760-1860,* by Jane Nylander, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993. Her first chapter, "Introductions: Glimpses of the New England Home," refers extensively to the growth of antiquarian activity in the 19th Century, and the first efforts to portray historic homes. Edward Baker Mystic Seaport Museum [log in to unmask]