shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileVermont

in St Johnsbury, on a hill above the Passumpsic

Fairbanks Museum St Johnsbury

— — a Victorian cabinet of the natural world.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“The Fairbanks Museum sits on Main Street in St Johnsbury, a heavy Romanesque building of red sandstone and brick. Inside is a barrel-vaulted gallery lined with cases of mounted birds, mammals, mineral specimens, and a famous collection of bug-art mosaics. A small planetarium was added in the twentieth century, the only public one in Vermont. The building feels like a held breath: dark wood, soft light, a smell of varnish and old paper. from the studio

from the studio

— bring it home

Fairbanks Museum St Johnsbury, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Fairbanks Museum St Johnsbury

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

The Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium was founded in 1889 by Franklin Fairbanks, the grandson of Thaddeus Fairbanks of the platform-scale family that built much of St Johnsbury. The current building, designed by Lambert Packard and completed in 1891, is Richardsonian Romanesque in red Longmeadow sandstone and brick. The collection holds more than 175,000 objects, primarily natural history and ethnographic. The Lyman Spitzer Jr. Planetarium, added in 1961, remains the only public planetarium in Vermont.

— informed by Wikipedia, Fairbanks Museum

— the stone

The exterior is Longmeadow brownstone trimmed with brick and slate, a quarried red sandstone from western Massachusetts that was widely used in northeastern public buildings between 1880 and 1900. Inside, the main gallery is a 65-foot barrel-vaulted hall with a clerestory and an oak balcony, the cases themselves built into the architecture rather than added later. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and is the visual anchor of St Johnsbury's Main Street district.

— informed by National Register of Historic Places

— the visit

The museum is open year-round Tuesday through Sunday, with planetarium shows on a posted schedule. Admission as of 2026 runs about $12 for adults, less for children and seniors. The Eye on the Sky weather forecast, recorded daily from the museum and broadcast on Vermont Public Radio, has run continuously since 1981, which makes the institution one of the longest-running public-radio weather services in the country. The Athenaeum, an 1871 library and art gallery, sits two blocks south on Main Street.

— informed by Fairbanks Museum visitor info

— where

United States · St Johnsbury, Caledonia County, Vermont

— elevation

213 m · 700 ft

— position

44.4197° N · 72.0153° W

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

at the lake

St Johnsbury Athenaeum

library and gallery

5 km E

Dog Mountain

art site

1 km W

Passumpsic River

river

Fairbanks Museum St Johnsbury

St Johnsbury Athenaeum

Dog Mountain

Passumpsic River

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Fairbanks Museum St Johnsbury — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

Founded in 1889 by Franklin Fairbanks of the Fairbanks scale family. The current Richardsonian Romanesque building, designed by Lambert Packard, was completed in 1891 in red Longmeadow sandstone and brick.

More than 175,000 natural history and ethnographic objects, including mounted birds and mammals, minerals, fossils, and the famous bug-art mosaics. The main gallery is a 65-foot barrel-vaulted hall.

Yes. The Lyman Spitzer Jr. Planetarium, added in 1961, is the only public planetarium in Vermont. Shows run on a posted schedule and are included with most admission tickets.

A daily weather forecast recorded at the museum and broadcast on Vermont Public Radio since 1981, one of the longest-running public-radio weather services in the country. It is a defining institution for the Kingdom.

Year-round, Tuesday through Sunday. Adult admission as of 2026 runs around $12, less for children and seniors. The planetarium has separately scheduled show times posted on the museum site.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. Alumni of local schools, NEK natives, and natural-history lovers recognise the building immediately. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio is the gift size that has carried best.

It suits Maximalist, classic library, and warm Traditional rooms. The brownstone red and slate palette sits well with walnut, leather, brass, and bookshelf-heavy walls.

Yes. The image carries the academia and Victorian-cabinet signals cleanly, which lets it pair with the deep-green, oxblood, and warm-brass palette current in those rooms.

A single Large reads cleanly above most sofas. A 4-tile Mural opens the facade to wall scale. A 9-tile Mural is the right scale for long study or library walls.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and handle steam and splash, which makes them safe for showers, backsplashes, and powder rooms.

Microfibre cloth with plain water. No vinegar, no ammonia, no abrasive pads. The colour sits in the ceramic surface, so daily wiping will not dull it.

Yes. Painted in our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. No licensing, no stock imagery, no third-party artists.

— if this one stayed with you