I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion (200 West Tulpehocken Street, Philadelphia, PA 19144). This dynamic house museum is a great example of Victorian style. The first floor of the mansion has been restored to reflect the trends of 1860s and the second floor to the late 1870s after the Centennial Exposition.
Diane Richardson (Richardson Interiors), Executive Director of Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion, provided me with a wealth of knowledge regarding Victorian interiors while giving a comprehensive tour of the mansion.
Diane's explanation of the interior restoring processes of the mansion helped shaped my understanding of preserving the past through the house museum setting. It was valuable to learn of the resources and methods E.M.M. staff used to research and determine what the home should look like and how it would be interpreted by visitors. It was also useful to learn how the interior elements were acquired. Each piece of furniture and every object was infused with either a story or lesson about the Victorian taste or time period.
What I learned from my trip to Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion and Diane:
- Architectural style does not have to reflect interior style, especially during the Victorian period.
- Dining rooms were usually carpeted.
- Popularity of Renaissance revival and Rococo Revival furniture.
- The prominence of heavy window treatments with cornices, under-curtains, lambrequins, tassels, valances, and drapery panels.
- The use of gold within fabrics, frames, decorative arts, and gasoliers promoted the reflection of light in darker spaces.
- The class of the homeowner was marked by expensive bric-a-brac, wall hangings, and carpets.
- Displays of nature in glass cases ( at E.M.M. a glass case held preserved hummingbirds) were popular room enhancing elements. Seashells were also often displayed on shelves for bric-a-brac.
- An intricate dining room sideboard was a sign of wealth and often had food related details.
Vocabulary Word:
lambrequin - Similar to a valance; a short ornamental drapery over a window casement.
Conclusions from visit:
- Carpeting was present in the dining room and library of Thomas Mansion.
- Shelving in the library must have had space for bric-a-brac.
- Gasoliers were probably used.
- the fireplace mantels served as space to display objects of status.
- an intricate sideboard was in the dining room.
- the windows of the dining room were most likely elaborately treated.
New directions:
- Examine The American Woman's Home by Catherine Beecher and Harriet Beecher-Stowe.
- Explore the Cooper-Hewitt collection of wall coverings, carpets, and textile related patterns.
- Consider the level of craftsmanship within the fireplace mantels, wainscoting, and wood-work to help determine the quality of carpeting and rugs.
- Establish a layout for the library.
Diane Richardson (Richardson Interiors), Executive Director of Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion, provided me with a wealth of knowledge regarding Victorian interiors while giving a comprehensive tour of the mansion.
Diane's explanation of the interior restoring processes of the mansion helped shaped my understanding of preserving the past through the house museum setting. It was valuable to learn of the resources and methods E.M.M. staff used to research and determine what the home should look like and how it would be interpreted by visitors. It was also useful to learn how the interior elements were acquired. Each piece of furniture and every object was infused with either a story or lesson about the Victorian taste or time period.
What I learned from my trip to Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion and Diane:
- Architectural style does not have to reflect interior style, especially during the Victorian period.
- Dining rooms were usually carpeted.
- Popularity of Renaissance revival and Rococo Revival furniture.
- The prominence of heavy window treatments with cornices, under-curtains, lambrequins, tassels, valances, and drapery panels.
- The use of gold within fabrics, frames, decorative arts, and gasoliers promoted the reflection of light in darker spaces.
- The class of the homeowner was marked by expensive bric-a-brac, wall hangings, and carpets.
- Displays of nature in glass cases ( at E.M.M. a glass case held preserved hummingbirds) were popular room enhancing elements. Seashells were also often displayed on shelves for bric-a-brac.
- An intricate dining room sideboard was a sign of wealth and often had food related details.
Vocabulary Word:
lambrequin - Similar to a valance; a short ornamental drapery over a window casement.
Conclusions from visit:
- Carpeting was present in the dining room and library of Thomas Mansion.
- Shelving in the library must have had space for bric-a-brac.
- Gasoliers were probably used.
- the fireplace mantels served as space to display objects of status.
- an intricate sideboard was in the dining room.
- the windows of the dining room were most likely elaborately treated.
New directions:
- Examine The American Woman's Home by Catherine Beecher and Harriet Beecher-Stowe.
- Explore the Cooper-Hewitt collection of wall coverings, carpets, and textile related patterns.
- Consider the level of craftsmanship within the fireplace mantels, wainscoting, and wood-work to help determine the quality of carpeting and rugs.
- Establish a layout for the library.
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