Pytlik Design Associates Inc. The library at Clayton.

By Mary Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

For a family outing sprinkled with vignettes aglow with old-fashioned holiday cheer, The Frick Art & Historical Center is the perfect destination.

The landscaped grounds are especially pretty when coated with a sparkly dusting of snow, the Victorian mansion Clayton is laced with greenery for the occasion, toy automobile ornaments decorate trees surrounding an antique bobsleigh in the Car and Carriage Museum, and even The Frick Art Museum exhibition features 19th-century images and fashion.

	Clayton, at Frick Art & Historical Center in Point Breeze, is getting dressed up for the holidays. Click photo for larger image.

Also in the car museum are 13 vintage motorcycles, including a 1923 Ace Four Cylinder, a 1929 Indian 101 Scout and a 1939 Indian Four.

The art museum show, "Off the Pedestal: New Women in the Art of Homer, Chase and Sargent," takes a look at the changing roles of women at the end of the 19th century as their worlds expanded from the domestic realm to encompass such previously masculine domains as sports and politics.

And the intimate watercolor-on-ivory paintings in a complementary exhibition, "Minerva Chapman: Miniature Portraits," not only relate to the same time period and theme, but also have inter-generational appeal.

Clayton, the home of industrialist Henry Clay Frick and his family from 1883 until 1905, when they moved to New York City, is so filled with the family's furniture, personal possessions and artworks that it looks as though the Fricks will return at any moment. All artifacts are representative of the period, and 93 percent of them are original to the house.

The exquisite period craftsmanship throughout Clayton is embellished during the holidays with floral displays in the style of the Fricks' own decorations, reconstructed from photographs, including a 12-foot Fraser fir Christmas tree and pine roping on the enclosed porch.

Other displays, inspired by the museum exhibition, were drawn from 19th-century women's periodicals.

The Breakfast Room, for example, is set for a children's party complete with a Christmas goose centerpiece surrounded by a chain of paper dolls. Tiny shoes and boots are lined up in the vestibule beyond.

The holidays are the only time that visitors may tour Clayton during evening hours. Reservations are recommended for Docent-led Tours (evening tours are given Dec. 6 and 13), the last scheduled one hour before closing. They're not required for Open House Tours (evening tours Dec. 20 and 27), but visitors must purchase a ticket at the Visitor Center/Gift Shop in what was once the children's bowling alley (a glass inlay in the floor shows the old lanes). Admission to the grounds, art and car museums is free.

The holiday menu at The Cafe at the Frick includes Carrot and Ginger Soup, Game Bird Terrine, Pumpkin Braciola, and a rich assortment of desserts. Tea, including High Tea, is available after 2:30 p.m. Reservations may be made by nonmembers 24 hours ahead.

Family Fun Days that include interactive tours and hands-on projects will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Dec. 17 and 29 (free). Free "Family Matters" programs, which include a take-home activity, will be held from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Dec. 2 at the art museum and Jan. 6 at the car museum (ages 4-8).

Seasonal workshops for all ages invite total immersion (fee, registration required): Nov. 29, handmade ornaments (adults); Dec. 3, holiday greeting cards (ages 7-12); Dec. 9, holly and berry kissing ball (adults); Dec. 10, jazzy tabletop trees (ages 7-12).

From 7-9 p.m. Nov. 30 a panel discussion, co-sponsored by Chatham College, will address women's involvement in the larger world of academia, art and politics, at the time of "Off the Pedestal" and today (fee, register). At noon Dec. 6 Carlow University professor Sylvia Rhor will speak on "From Shirtwaists to Miniskirts: Clothing as a Marker of Female Liberation" (free).

Regular site hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Hours are extended until 9 p.m. (the cafe remains open until 8:30 p.m.) Dec. 6, 13, 20 and 27. The site is closed today, Dec. 24-25, and Jan. 1. For information, call 412-371-0600 or visit www.frickart.org.