Nichols House Museum

We highlight topics such as women’s history, decorative arts, and everyday life through stories of the Nichols family and their contemporaries in late 19th century and early 20th century Boston. In 1885, Dr. Arthur Nichols and his wife Elizabeth purchased the 1804 townhouse where their three daughters matured into designers, writers, and social activists. Domestic staff, including locals and individuals from abroad, also lived and worked in the four-story home. Rose Standish Nichols later inherited the property and occupied it until her death in 1960. Collection highlights span beyond this time period and include sculptures by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Flemish tapestries, and Chinese ceramics, as well as day-to-day objects like a 1936 radio.