The Preservation Society of Newport County will allow visitors to The Breakers, The Elms and Marble House to use their “smart phones” to take interior photographs of the houses starting Friday, February 12th, the first day of Newport Winter Festival.
The exception to the long-standing “no interior photography policy” allows photography only with smart phones, for personal, non-commercial use only. Selfie sticks, flash, and tripods are not permitted. The use of SLR film and digital cameras, and commercial or industrial video cameras, will be permitted only by written agreement.
“The most common request by visitors to the Newport Mansions is for permission to take interior photographs of the magnificent rooms,” said Preservation Society CEO & Executive Director Trudy Coxe. “With the explosion of social media and the passage of time that has minimized artistic copyright concerns, we feel the time is now right to relax our photography policy.”
The implementation of this new exception will be closely monitored to ensure that it does not interfere with the enjoyment of the tours by visitors, and photo opportunities may be limited during times of high volume visitation. If all goes well, it is anticipated that the new rule will be extended to include Kingscote and Chateau-sur-Mer when they open for the season in March.
For additional details about the photography policy, visit http://www.newportmansions.org/plan-a-visit
The Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island, is a non-profit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and dedicated to preserving and interpreting the area’s historic architecture, landscapes, decorative arts and social history. Its 11 historic properties–seven of them National Historic Landmarks–span more than 250 years of American architectural and social development.