z:
COLONIAL HOMES
AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
PLATE I. — Dodge-Shreves Doorway. Built in 1816.
IOLONIAL HOMES
AND
THEIR FURNISHINGS
BY
MARY H. NORTHEND
WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS
BOSTON
LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY
1917
Copyright, 1912,
BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.
All rights reserved
8. J. I'ABKHILL & Co., BOSTON, U.8.A.
THIS BOOK
IS DEDICATED TO
ONE THROUGH WHOSE CONSTANT ENCOURAGEMENT
AND WISE ADVICE I OWE MY SUCCESS
IN THE FIELD OF LITERATURE
PREFACE
THE wonderfully good collection of antiques for
which Salem is noted was of great interest to me,
being owned by personal friends who kindly con-
sented to allow me for the first time to go through
their homes and pick out the cream of their in-
heritance. If the readers are half as interested in
these objects as I have become, — growing enthu-
siastic in the work through the valuable pieces
found, — they will enjoy the pictures of colonial
furnishings, many of which cannot be duplicated
in any other collection of antiques. Family bits,
wonderful old Lowestoft, and other treasures are
included, all brought over in the holds of cumber-
some ships, at the time when the commerce of
Salem was at high tide.
To Mr. Charles R. Waters, Mrs. Nathan C.
Osgood, Mrs. Henry P. Benson, Mrs. William C.
West, Mrs. Nathaniel B. Mansfield, Miss A. Grace
Atkinson, Mrs. Walter C. Harris, Dr. Hardy
Phippen, Mrs. McDonald White, and Mr. Horatio
P. Peirson, as well as many others in my native city,
I owe acknowledgment for their kindness in open-
ing their houses and letting me in, as well as to
[vii]
PREFACE
Mrs. George Rogers of Danvers, Mrs. D. P. Page,
Dr. Ernest H. Noyes, and Mrs. Charles H. Perry
of Newburyport, Mrs. Walter J. Mitchell of Man-
chester, Mrs. Prescott Bigelow and Mrs. William
O. Kimball of Boston, Mrs. A. A. Lord of Newton,
Mrs. Charles M. Stark of Dunbarton, N.H., and
the late Mr. Daniel Low.
The work was commenced at first through ill
health and the desire for occupation, and has met
with such good results through an interest in the
story of antiques, that I have to-day one of the
most valuable collections of photographs to be
found in New England.
MARY H. NORTHEND.
AUGUST i, 1912.
[viii]
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
PREFACE vii
I. OLD HOUSES I
II. COLONIAL DOORWAYS 16
III. DOOR KNOCKERS 29
IV. OLD-TIME GARDENS 41
V. HALLS AND STAIRWAYS 54
VI. FIREPLACES AND MANTELPIECES ... 63
VII. OLD-TIME WALL PAPERS .... 79
VIII. OLD CHAIRS AND SOFAS .... 92
IX. SIDEBOARDS, BUREAUS, TABLES, ETC. . . 105
X. FOUR-POSTERS 119
XI. MIRRORS 132
XII. OLD-TIME CLOCKS 145
XIII. OLD-TIME LIGHTS 159
XIV. OLD CHINA 172
XV. OLD GLASS 194
XVI. OLD PEWTER 210
XVII. OLD SILVER 223
fix]
LIST OF PLATES
I. Dodge-Shreves Doorway. Built in 1816
Frontispiece
*ACD»G PAGE
II. The Warner House, Portsmouth, N. H. Built
in 1718 8
III. Middleton House, Bristol, R. I. Built about
1808 9
IV. Indian Hill Farm, West Newbury, Mass. Be-
gun soon after 1650 12
V. Andrew House Doorway, 1818 . . . 13
VI. Gardner House Doorway, 1804 ... 22
VII. Doorway of Nathan Robinson House, 1804 . 23
VIII. Sixteenth Century Knocker, Lion type. Striker,
of first type; Georgian Urn type, in use
on modern houses ; Mexican Knocker of
the Hammer type; Hammer type Knocker,
Eighteenth Century, Charles P. Waters
House 32
IX. Eagle Knocker ; Eagle Knocker, Rogers House,
Danvers, Mass. ; Medusa Head, elaborate
early type; Garland type of Knocker . . 33
X. Whittier Garden, Danvers, Mass. . . .46
XI. Peabody Garden, Danvers, Mass. ... 47
XII. Saltonstall Hallway, about 1800 ... 54
XIII. Hallway, Lee House, 1800 .... 55
XIV. Hallway, Tucker House, about 1800 . . 60
LIST OF PLATES
FACING PAGE
XV. Hallway of Wentworth House, 1750 . 61
XVI. Historic Fireplace at Ipswich, Mass. . . 64
XVII. Old Fireplace in Wentworth House, Ports-
mouth, N. H 65
XVIII. First Hob Grate in New England, Waters
House ; Mantel Glass and Fireplace, show-
ing decoration of floral basket ... 70
XIX. Middleton House Steeple Top Andirons, and
Bellows ; Southern Andirons, Atkinson
Collection 71
XX. Cupid and Psyche paper, Safford House . 80
XXI. Venetian paper in Wheelwright House, New-
buryport 81
XXII. Roman Ruins paper, Lee Mansion, Marble-
head . . . . ' . . . .86
XXIII. Adventures of Telemachus paper, Nymphs
Swinging . . . . . . .87
XXIV. Queen Anne Fiddle Back; Queen Anne,
Stuffed Chair; Dutch Chair, carved;
Empire Lyre-backed Roundabout, on
Chippendale lines, 1825 .... 92
XXV. Chippendale, Lord Timothy Dexter's Collec-
tion, H. P. Benson ; French Chair, show-
ing Empire influence; Flemish Chair;
Banister-back Chair . . , . . 93
XXVI. Chippendale Armchair, showing straight,
square legs; Chippendale Chair; Chip-
pendale, one of a set of six, showing
Rosette design; Chippendale Armchair
with Cabriole legs, Ball and Claw feet . 96
[in]
LIST OF PLATES
FACING PAGE
XXVII. Empire Sofa ; Cornucopia Sofa ; Sofa in
Adams style, about 1800 ... 97
XXVIII. Sheraton, mahogany frame, about 1800;
Sheraton, with solid arms, and straight,
slender legs; Sheraton, about 1790.
Note the graceful curve of the arms . 100
XXIX. Sheraton, about 1800; Sofa, about 1820;
Sofa, about 1820, with winged legs . 101
XXX. Sheraton Night Table; Block Front Bu-
reau Desk, owned by Dr. Ernest H.
Noyes, Newburyport, Mass.; Cellarette,
1790, owned originally by Robert Morris . 106
Dressing Glass, with Petticoat legs ; Em-
pire Bureau, 1816
XXXI.
XXXII. Chest of Drawers, 1710; Six-legged High
XXXIII.
XXXIV.
XXXV.
XXXVI.
Chest of Drawers, about 1705
Dressing Table, with brass feet; Bureau
and Dressing Glass ....
Block Front Bureau Desk, owned by
Nathan C. Osgood. One of the best
specimens in New England ; oak pan-
eled Chest, about 1675
Secretary, showing Shell ornamentation;
Highboy with Shell ornamentation and
Ball and Claw feet, 1760; Highboy with
Shell ornamentation ....
Dressing Table, 1760; Mahogany Com-
mode, collection of Nathan C. Osgood .
107
108
109
112
116
LIST OF PLATES
XXXVII.
XXXVIII.
XXXIX.
XL.
XLI.
XLII.
XLIII.
XLIV.
XLV.
XLVI.
FACING PAGE
Sheraton Sideboard ; Simple form of Sher-
aton Sideboard, with line Inlay around
Drawers and Doors. Date, 1800
Bedstead in Middleton House, 1798
Sheraton type in Kittredge House ; Four-
poster, about 1825 . . . .
Field Bedstead, slept in by Lafayette, in
Stark Mansion. Owned by Mrs.
Charles Stark, Dunbarton, N. H. .
117
1 20
121
124
Sheraton Four-poster ; Four-poster show-
ing decided English characteristics . '125
Girandole in George Ropes House, 1800;
Girandole, 1800; Constitution Mirror,
1780 ....... 134
Picture Mirror, showing Dawn, in Adams
House, 1703 ; English Georgian Mirror,
1750; Two-piece Looking Glass, 1750 135
Oval Mirror, showing Acanthus Leaves.
Once on Cleopatra's Barge. The first
pleasure yacht built in America. Mir-
ror, 1710, resting on ornamental knobs;
Mirror, 1810, in Dudley L. Pickman
House . . ... . 140
Mirror, 1770; Lafayette Courting Mirror,
Osgood Collection ; Empire Mirror, 1810 141
Willard Banjo Clock, 1802 ; Banjo Clock,
1804; Willard Banjo Clock, 1802 . 150
LIST OF PLATES
FACING PAGE
XLVII. English Grandfather's Clock, William Dean
Howells ; Collection of Old Clocks, prop-
erty of Mr. Mills, Saugus, Mass. ; Grand-
father's Clock, formerly owned by Presi-
dent Franklin Pierce. Property of Mrs.
Charles Stark 151
XLVIII. General Stephen Abbot Clock; Terry Shelf
Clock, 1824; English Clock, with Ball
ornamentation 158
XLIX. Whale Oil Lamps with Wicks; Mantel
Lamps, 1815; Paul and Virginia Can-
delabra 159
L. Astral Lamps, 1778; English Brass Branch-
ing Candlestick, showing Lions . .164
LI. Colonial Mantel Lamp; Single Bedroom
Brass Candlestick; Sheffield Plate Can-
dlesticks 165
LII. Pierced, or Paul Revere, Lantern; Old
Hand Lantern ; English Silver Candle-
stick; Brass Branching Candlestick,
Chippendale, 1760 170
LIII. Peacock Plate of Delft, very rare; Deco-
rated Salt Glaze Plate, about 1780 . 171
LIV. Liverpool Pitcher, showing Salem ship ; Old
Chelsea Ware; Canton China Teapot;
Wedgewood, with Rose decoration.
Very rare 176
LV. Gold Luster Pitcher; Staffordshire Pitcher,
with Rose decoration ; Peacock Delft
Pitcher; Jasper Ware Wedgewood
Pitcher, Blue and White . . .177
LIST OF PLATES
FACING PAGE
LVI. The Shepherd Toby. One of the rarest To-
bies; English Toby, very old; very old
Toby showing Cocked Hat . . .190
LVII. Venetian and English Decanters; Toddy
Glasses, about 1800; English Glass with
Silver Coasters. Very old . . .191
LVIII. Russian Glass Decanter and Tumblers. Note
the exquisite cutting on this Decanter . 200
LIX. English Cut Glass Decanter, about 1800;
Typical Red Bohemian Glass Decanter;
American Glass Bottle, Jenny Lind, about
1850 . 201
LX. Bohemian Glass. The center one is rare,
showing figure of Peacock, in Red and
White; English Cut Glass Wineglasses,
1790; English Glass Decanters. Very fine
and rare ....... 208
LXI. Pewter half-pint, pint, and quart Measures.
One hundred years old; Three unusual
shaped Pewter Cream Jugs ; German Pew-
ter, Whorl pattern 209
LXII. Old Silver Coffee Urn with Pineapple finial ;
Sheffield Plate Teapot, formerly owned by
President Thomas Jefferson; Tall Silver
Pitcher, of Flagon influence . . . 226
LXIII. Several old silver pieces ; collection of Salem
silver, almost all inherited ; wonderfully
fine Silver Bowl with chasing . . . 227
xvi]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR
FURNISHINGS
CHAPTER I
OLD HOUSES
THERE is an indescribable charm surrounding
colonial houses, especially if historic traditions are
associated with them. Many of an early date
of erection are still to be found throughout New
England towns, where the Puritan and the Pilgrim
first settled, and not a few have remained in the
same families since their construction. Some are
still in an excellent state of preservation, though
the majority show weather-beaten exteriors, guilt-
less of paint, with broken windows and sagging
sills, speaking forcibly of a past prosperity, and
mutely appealing through their forlornness for
recognition.
These are not, however, the first homes built
by the colonists, and, indeed, it is doubtful if any
examples of the earliest type are still standing.
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
These were rude cabins built of logs, kept together
by daubings of clay thrust into their chinks, and
showing roofs finished with thatch. Great chim-
neys were characteristic of all these cabins, built
of stone, lengthened at the top with wood, and best
known by the name Catted Chimneys. In the
rude interiors of the old-time fireplaces hung soot-
blackened cranes, while on cold, cheerless nights
the blaze of logs on the hearths
" Made the rude, bare, raftered room
Burst, flowerlike, into rosy bloom."
The next type was the frame house, built large
or small according to the means of the owner, and
constructed through the influence of Governor John
Endicott, who sent to England for skilled workmen.
Generally, these dwellings were two stories in
height, the more pretentious ones showing peaks
on either side to accommodate chambers, and their
marked superiority over the first type soon re-
sulted in their adoption throughout New England.
In design they bore some resemblance to the
Dutch architecture of the period, the outcome
doubtless of many of the early settlers' long sojourn
in Holland. Many of the frames were of white
wood brought from the mother country in the in-
[2]
OLD HOUSES
coming ships, and the low ceilings invariably
present were crossed with the heavy beams of the
floors above, projecting through the timbers.
The lean-to, characteristic of some houses of this
type, did not come into vogue until about the
middle of the seventeenth century, and its adoption
is generally believed to have been for the use of the
eldest son of the family, who, according to the
law of England, would inherit the homestead, and
until such inheritance, could remain, with his
family, beneath the ancestral roof.
The third type, the gambrel-roofed house, was at
the height of its popularity about the time of the
Revolutionary War, and continued in favor until
the tide of commercial prosperity sweeping through
the land brought in its wake the desire for more pre-
tentious dwellings. Then came into fashion the
large, square, wooden mansion, later followed by
that of stately brick, excellent examples of both
types being still extant.
Like the Egyptian Isis who went forth to gather
up the scattered fragments of her husband Osiris,
fondly hoping that she might be able to bring back
his former beauty, so we of to-day are endeavor-
ing in New England to gather and bring into unison
portions of the early homes, that we may even-
[3]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
tually restore them to their original charm and
dignity. Outwardly these dwellings appear much
as they did when built, more than a century ago,
but inwardly sad changes have been wrought,
leaving scarcely a trace of their old-time beauty.
Yet beneath this devastation one versed in house
lore can read many a tale of interest, for old houses,
like old books, secrete between their covers many
a story that is well worth while.
Among the carefully preserved specimens, none
of the earlier type is more interesting than the
Pickering house at Salem, Massachusetts, built in
1660, more than a hundred years before the Revo-
lution. The land on which it stands is part of the
twenty acres' grant which was a portion of Gov-
ernor's Field, originally owned by Governor Endi-
cott, and conveyed by him to Emanuel Downing,
who, in order to pay for his son George's commence-
ment dinner at Harvard, disposed of it to John
Pickering, the builder of the home, in 1642.
In design, the dwelling is Gothic, a popular type
in the Elizabethan period, and closely resembles
the Peacock Inn at Rouseley, England. The
timbers used in its construction were taken from
a near-by swamp, and when it was first built it
showed on the northern side a sloping roof afford-
[4]
OLD HOUSES
ing but a single story at that end. In 1770, the
then owner, Timothy Pickering, decided to raise
this end to make room for three chambers, and the
new portion was built to conform exactly with the
old part, the windows equipped with the same
quaint panes, set in leaded strips, which were finely
grooved to receive the glass, on which the lead was
pressed down and soldered together. It was found
when the weatherboards were ripped off that the
sills were sound, and it was decided to continue
to use them, feeling they would last longer than
those that could then be obtained. Two of the
peaks found to be leaky were removed at this time,
and they were not replaced until 1840, when Colonel
Timothy Pickering's son, John, had reproductions
set in place. The house has never been out of the
Pickering family, and, with one exception, has
descended to a John Pickering ever since its erec-
tion.
Distinctly a New England landmark is the
Colonel Jeremiah Page house at Danvers, Massa-
chusetts, erected in the year 1750. It occupies a
site that at the time of its construction was on the
highway between Ipswich and Boston, now broad-
ened at this point and known as Danvers Square.
Originally, it consisted of four rooms, but these were
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
later moved back and a new front added, the ell
being replaced by a larger one.
From a historic point of view, the roof is probably
the most interesting feature of this old home, for here
occurred the famous tea-party that Lucy Larcom
has forever immortalized. During the troublous
times of 1775, when all good patriots scorned the
use of tea, Colonel Page demanded that it should
not be drunk beneath his roof. Mistress Page had
acceded to his request, but she did not promise that
she would not drink it on his roof, so with a few
friends she repaired one afternoon to the rail-en-
closed roof, and here brewed and distributed the
much liked beverage. The secret of the tea-party
did not leak out until after her death, when one of
the party, visiting at the house, asked to be taken to
the roof, at the same time relating the, till then
unknown, experience.
Antedating the Page house some twenty-five
years is the home of the Stearns family on Essex
Street, Salem, erected by Joseph Sprague, a promi-
nent old-time merchant, whose warehouse occupied
the present site at the corner of North and Federal
streets. This dwelling is of spacious dimensions,
excellently proportioned, and it is especially inter-
esting from the fact of its unusual interior arrange-
[6]
OLD HOUSES
ment, which provides on each floor for three rooms
at the back and only two at the front. The origi-
nal owner was captain of the first uniformed com-
pany of militia organized in Salem, April 22, 1776,
and he was also the first American to spill his blood
in the Revolution, receiving a slight wound at the
time of Leslie's retreat, while scuttling his gondola
so it should not fall into the hands of the enemy.
Another fine old home is the Cabot house, also
in Salem. This dwelling, erected in 1745 by one
Joseph Cabot, is considered by experts to be of the
purest colonial type, and it has proved a subject of
unusual interest to any number of artists and archi-
tects.
No modern touch has been allowed to mar the
old-time aspect of the Whipple house at Ipswich,
Massachusetts, built in 1760, and which remains
wholly unchanged from its original construction.
It stands to-day almost alone in its picturesque
antiquity, its huge central chimney, tiny window-
panes, plain front door, guiltless of porch, with iron
knocker, steep-pitched roof with lean-to at the
back nearly sweeping the ground, — all betokening
its age. Little wonder it is the haunt of tourists,
for it presents a picture in its old-time beauty that
modern architecture can never duplicate.
[7]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
In the historic town of Marblehead, in Massa-
chusetts, is one of the most interesting of old-time
homes, — the Colonel Jeremiah Lee mansion, built
in 1768, and considered at the time of its erection
the finest house in the Colonies. It was designed
by an English architect at a cost of ten thousand
pounds, and the timber and finish used in its con-
struction were brought from England in one of the
colonel's ships. It stands well to the front of the
lot of which it forms a part, with scarcely any yard
space separating it from the sidewalk, and it boasts
a handsome porch supported by finely carved
pillars, approached by a flight of steps. The broad
entrance door, with its brass latch and old-time
knob, swings easily upon its great hinges into a
spacious hall that extends the length of the dwell-
ing, affording access to the finely finished interior
apartments.
Equally as interesting as these old homes are
several houses in New Hampshire, one of the most
prominent being the Stark mansion at Dunbarton.
This was built in 1785 by Major Caleb Stark of
Revolutionary fame, and it is approached to-day
through the original tree-lined avenue, a mile in
length. In construction it is of the mansion type,
two stories in height, with gambrel roof, twelve
[81
PLATE II. — The Warner House, Portsmouth, N. H. Built in 1718.
OLD HOUSES
dormer windows, and a large, two-storied ell. Its
entrance door is nearly three inches through, with
handsome, hand-made panels, and it swings on
wrought-iron hinges two feet either way. It is
adorned with a knocker and latch that were brought
from England by the major. Ever since its erec-
tion, this house has been occupied by a member of
the Stark family, and the present owner, Charles
Morris Stark, boasts the distinction of being of
Revolutionary stock on both sides of the family, his
mother being a lineal descendant of Robert Morris,
the great financier of the Revolution.
Another interesting colonial home is the Warner
house at Portsmouth, occupying a corner section
on one of the city's main thoroughfares. This
fine dwelling was erected by Captain Macpheadris,
a wealthy merchant who came to this country
from Scotland, and it is built of Dutch bricks
that were imported from Holland, with walls
eighteen inches thick. It stands firmly on its
foundation, a magnificent specimen of early con-
struction ; and its gambrel roof, Lutheran win-
dows, quaint cupola, and broad simplicity of en-
trance door, suggest the old-time hospitality that
was so freely dispensed here. After the captain's
death, the house came to his daughter, Mary, who
[9]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
had married Hon. Jonathan Warner, a member of
the King's Council until the outbreak of the Revo-
lution, and it is by his name that the fine old home
is known.
Two miles from Portsmouth, at Little Harbor, is
the old home of Governor Benning Wentworth,
built in 1750. In general, this dwelling is two sto-
ries in height, with wings that form three sides of a
hollow square, though it boasts no particular style
of architecture, appearing to be rather a group of
buildings added to the main structure from time to
time. It is screened from the roadway by great
trees, and on the north and east faces the water.
Originally it had fifty-two rooms, but some of these
have been combined, so to-day there are but forty-
five. The cellar is particularly large, and here in
times of danger the governor hid his horses. After
the governor's death, his widow married John
Wentworth, and it was during the occupancy of
Sir John and his wife that Washington was enter-
tained here.
Typical of the wooden mansion type, that suc-
ceeded in favor the gambrel-roofed dwellings, is the
house now known as the Endicott house, at Danvers,
Massachusetts. This building, constructed about
1800, was purchased about 1812 by Captain Joseph
[10]
OLD HOUSES
Peabody, a Salem merchant, and grandfather of
the present owner, as a place of refuge for himself
and family during the embargo. In design, it
is most imposing, and the front now shows a wide
veranda, with the entrance dignified by a porte-
cochere, supported by high columns, between each
two of which a great bay tree is set. Sweeps of
smooth lawn afford an attractive setting, and great
trees, here and there, bestow protecting shade.
The dwelling is surrounded by beautiful gardens,
the most interesting from a historic point of view
being the old-fashioned posy plot laid out at the
time of the erection of the house.
Not unlike in type to this fine home is "Hey
Bonnie Hall" in Rhode Island, the residence of the
Misses Middleton. Built in 1808, it stands to-day
in all its original beauty, the pure white of its ex-
terior admirably set off by the great green sweeps
of sward, dotted with fine trees, that surround it on
all sides. It was erected from plans of Russell
Warren, who designed the White House at Washing-
ton, and it is renowned not only for its beautiful
colonial architecture, but also for the wonderful
collection of old-time furniture and objects of art
that it contains.
In type, it is very similar to a Maryland manor,
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
with projecting wings, the service portion in a
separate building connected with the main house
by a covered passage, after the Southern fashion.
In this passage is the well room, so called from the
fact that a well of pure spring water is located
here. In length the house is one hundred and
forty feet, its front just enough broken to avoid
monotony, and its spaciousness affording an air
of comfort. Two Corinthian columns, as high as
the house itself, support the roof over the entrance
porch, and on either side are well-protected veran-
das, overlooking beds of old-fashioned flowers and
smooth stretches of sward. In front lies the har-
bor, and beyond is the picturesque town of Bristol,
affording a most pleasing prospect.
Unlike these latter-day types, in fact unlike
any set design, is the low, rambling house at West
Newbury, Massachusetts, known as Indian Hill,
and so called from the location that it occupies.
In appearance, this dwelling is most picturesque,
resembling in design a castle, and it is as historic as
it is interesting. The site that it occupies is the last
reservation of the Indians in the neighborhood, the
land having been sold by Old Tom, the Indian
chieftain, to the town, and the deed of the sale being
still preserved by the present owners.
[w]
PLATE V. — Andrew House Doorway, 1818.
OLD HOUSES
Viewed from any angle, the house presents a
series of pictures, each equally as interesting as
the other, and its irregular roof lines, gables and
bays, quaint, diamond-paned windows, and chim-
neys adorned with chimney pots, are further em-
bellished by the flowering vines of a rambler rose,
perhaps the finest in the country. While the
house can be seen from the road, it is only when
one drives under the archway into the courtyard,
bounded on three sides by barn, stables, and house,
that he can realize its true worth.
Salem, fortunate in specimens of early con-
struction, is also fortunate in examples of latter-
day types, and here are to be found several of the
fine brick dwellings, built at the time of her great-
est commercial prosperity. One of these is the
Andrews house, located on Washington Square,
and one of the three dwellings erected in 1818. Its
brick exterior gives no hint of its age other than
the softening dignity that time bequeaths, and it
stands to-day, tall and broad, its gray-faced bricks
brightened by white trimmings, and its beauty em-
phasized by a fine circular porch supported by white '
columns, topped with a high balustrade. At one
side is a charming old-fashioned garden, laid out in
prim, box-bordered beds, and all about its fence
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
inclosure flowering vines clamber. Complete, the
dwelling cost forty thousand dollars, — a large sum
for the time of its erection.
Every brick used in its construction was first
dipped into boiling oil to render it impervious to
moisture, and all the framework is of timbers sea-
soned by long exposure to the sun and rain. On one
brick is cut the date of erection, the work of the
master builder under whose supervision the dwell-
ing was erected. The great pillars of the side porch,
overlooking the garden, are packed, so the story
goes, with rock salt — not an uncommon process
at that time — to keep out dampness and to save
the wood from being eaten by worms.
Some years previous to the erection of this
dwelling, Mr. Nathan Robinson had constructed
on Chestnut Street a brick dwelling, considered by
connoisseurs to be one of the finest specimens
to-day extant. The porch, at the front, is wonder-
fully fine, and has attracted the attention of any
number of students and architects, who have made
a careful study of it.
And so we might go on and on, singling out
particularly good specimens here and there, but
when all is said and done, it is undeniable that all
old houses afford interesting study. Architects of
OLD HOUSES
the present are coming to appreciate their worth,
and into many modern homes features of early
construction are being incorporated. Naturally,
to the antiquarian, nothing can ever take the place
of these bygone specimens, and as he paces the
main thoroughfares of historic cities, now lined with
stores, he sees in fancy the stately homes with their
fragrant garden plots, which modern demand has
superseded. Pausing on the curbing near the old
State House in Boston, what an array of bygone
dwellings in fancy can be conjured, and how many
of the old-time dignitaries can be recalled. So vivid
is the picture that one might almost expect to see
old Thomas Leverett saunter by, or perchance hear
the rattle of wheels as the carriage of Dr. Elisha
Cook lumbered on its way. It is a pleasant pic-
ture to contemplate, and the lover of the old
breathes a sigh of regret at the passing of such pic-
turesqueness.
CHAPTER II
COLONIAL DOORWAYS
No type of architecture to-day holds such a
distinctive place in the minds of architects and home
builders as does that of the colonial period. This
is especially true concerning the porch or doorway,
for this feature, affording as it does entrance to
the home, called for most careful thought, that it
might be made harmonious and artistic, and expres-
sive of the sentiment which it embodies. The
straight lines and ample dimensions which char-
acterized it required skill to arrange properly,
and, considering the limitations of the period in
which it was constructed, the results obtained were
remarkable.
These porches and doorways were designed at a
time when our country was young, and the builders
were not finished architects like the designers of
to-day ; but they were planned and built by men
who were masters in their line, and who taxed their
skill to the utmost that results might be artis-
tic and varied, individualizing each home so that
[16]
COLONIAL DOORWAYS
the entrance porch should express both hospital-
ity and refinement.
In the holds of the cumbersome ships that plied
between the new country and the motherland were
placed as cargoes, pillars, columns, and bits of
shaped wood, all to be used in the construction of
the new home, and incidentally in the porch. It
was no easy task to devise from these fragments a
complete and artistic whole, and to the ingenuity
of the builders great credit is due.
In contour and construction, these porches differ
greatly. Those found in New England depict
a stateliness that savors of Puritanical influence,
while those in the South convey, through their
breadth, an impression of the cordiality which
is characteristic of that section. Some are semi-
circular, others square ; a few are oblong, and some
are three-cornered, fitting into two sides of the
entrance, and in each case giving to the dwelling
a congruous appearance that is refreshing to con-
template in an age like ours, when so many differ-
ent periods are combined in a finished whole.
All these porches show a harmony of form and
proportion that gives just the right effect, and many
are embellished by wonderful wood carving. The
Grecian column, in its many forms, lends itself
[17] '
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
in a great degree to artistic effects, often bestowing
an originality of finish that is most pleasing, and
one that differs in every respect from the modern
broad veranda, and the stately porte-cochere.
The art of hand carving reached its highest state
of perfection about the year 1811, during which
period the best types of porches were erected.
The results are shown not only in the capitals of
the columns and on the architrave, but on the
pediments and over the entrance door as well.
A good example of the decoration of the architrave
is seen on the old Assembly House on Federal
Street, in Salem, Massachusetts, where the carving
takes the form of a grapevine, with bunches of
the hanging fruit, and also over the door of the
Kimball house, in the same city, where Samuel
Mclntyre, one of the most noted wood carvers,
lived.
It can be well and correctly said that the colonial
porch embodied not only the characteristics of
the period in which it was built, but the personality
of the owner as well. Should the unobservant
person feel that this statement is far-fetched, let
him take a stroll through some tree-shaded street
of an old New England village, and the truth of the
assertion is readily revealed. Though the house
[18]
COLONIAL DOORWAYS
itself may be old and battered, and fast falling
into decay, yet the porch greets one with a simple
welcome that breathes of former hospitality, and,
in admiration of this feature, the shabbiness of the
rest of the exterior sinks into oblivion.
Broadly speaking, porches are divided into
three types or classes. The first belong to the
period beginning with the year 1745 and continuing
until the year 1785, a space of time marked by
stirring events, culminating in the Revolutionary
War, and the birth of the new republic. Houses
of this period are of the gambrel-roofed type.
The second class adorn the succeeding type of
dwelling, — the large, square, colonial house, built
by the merchant prince, whose ships circumnavi-
gated the globe, and who filled his home with for-
eign treasures ; while the third type is that which
ornamented the brick mansion which came into
vogue about 1818. As many of these were erected
during the commercial period, they cannot, strictly
speaking, be called colonial; they belong rather
to the Washingtonian time, and reflect in their
construction the gracious hospitality of that day.
Porches of varied colonial types are found in
most of the New England cities and towns, in the
Middle States, and in the South, and particularly
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
fine examples can be seen in Salem, Massachusetts.
There is about all of these a dignity and refinement
that is unmistakable, bespeaking a culture that is
felt at once, and a stranger wandering through
Salem's streets cannot help but be impressed with
the fact.
Adorning the three-storied houses with their flat
roofs, they give an artistic touch to what would
otherwise be plain exteriors. From step to knocker,
from leaded glass to the arched or square roof of
the doorway, there is a plainness and simplicity
which betokens art, but of such a quiet, unpreten-
tious type that by the untrained eye it is hardly
appreciated, though to the architect it brings
inspiration and affords study for classic detail,
the result of which is shown in the modified colonial
homes of to-day.
Romance and history are strangely intermingled
in these old-time porches and doorways. Under
their stately portals has passed many a colonial
lover, doffing his cocked hat to his lady fair, who,
with silken gown, powdered hair and patches, sat
at the window awaiting his coming. Those were
Salem's halcyon days, when the tide of life ebbed
and flowed in uneventful harmony, free from the
disturbing elements of latter-day life.
[20]
COLONIAL DOORWAYS
To attempt even a brief description of each and
every doorway would be a herculean task. Rather,
it is better to depict the different types, studying
with critical eye the various examples. One is
the semicircular entrance, with its rounded front,
a type shown in many a New England home.
The Andrews porch, numbered among the finest
in the city, belongs to this class. Under this
doorway passed the late war governor, John
Andrew, during visits to his uncle, John Andrew,
builder of the dwelling, that he always coveted
for his own. The dwelling was one of three
built in 1818 on three sides of a training field,
which is now the Common. The fine elm trees
that characterize the Common were planted in
the same year. The other two houses were the
John Forrester dwelling and the Nathaniel Silsbee
house. The Andrew porch shows straight columns,
and a roof topped with a balustrade ; the simplicity
of outline renders it most attractive.
Another porch of the same type is that of the
John Gardiner house on Essex Street, built in
1804. Here is an entrance considered by good
judges of architecture to be one of the best examples
of its type, characterized by perfect symmetry of
outline. Numbered among its features are quaint
[21]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
indentations in the door head. This dwelling was
formerly the home of Captain Joseph White,
one of the worthy and noted Salem merchants.
Other porches of similar contour, though differently
ornamented, are to be found on Chestnut Street.
It is only when one carefully studies doorways such
as these, contrasting them with latter-day porches,
which are often little more than holes in the wall,
fitted with a cheap framing and entirely out of
keeping with the exterior, that their worth is viewed
in the true light, and the opportunity to turn to
the old-time types for inspiration is appreciated.
Perhaps the most Puritanical of all the doorways
are the simple narrow ones that generally stand at
one side of the house, although sometimes they
are used as the main entrance. These show either
fluted side pilasters, or severely plain columns,
surmounted by a pediment. The door is always
dark in coloring, trimmed with a polished brass
knocker and often with a brass latch.
One of the most elaborate of these is that of the
dwelling known as the Cabot house on Essex Street.
This house was designed in 1745 by an English
architect for Joseph Choate, and later came into the
possession of Joseph Cabot.
Another notable entrance is that of the Lord
[22]
PLATE VI. — Gardner House Doorway, 1804.
PLATE VII. — Nathan Robinson House Doorway, 1804.
COLONIAL DOORWAYS
house on Washington Square. This is a side
entrance, and is said to be one of the finest of its
type in Salem. This house was at one time
occupied by Stephen White, a man of worth, who
was falsely accused of the murder of his uncle,
and who engaged as counsel Daniel Webster.
While this case was in progress, Webster brought
his son, Fletcher, to the White home, where he
met and fell in love with the daughter of the
house, later making her his bride. Thus were ro-
mance and law strangely intermingled ! The
house was afterwards the home of Nathaniel Lord,
one of the most brilliant jurists of his time.
The inclosed porch is another phase of old Salem
doorways. There are several interesting examples
of this type still to be seen here, perhaps the most
noted being the one on Charter Street, on a three-
story, wooden building, about a century and a
half old, low of stud, with square front, standing
directly on a shabby little by-street, and cornered
in a graveyard. This porch, inclosing the entrance
door, is lighted by small, oval windows, one on
either side, affording glimpses up and down the
street. It has been graphically described by a
silent, dark-browed man, who, with two women,
came to the dwelling in the dusk of an evening
[23]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
in 1838, and, lifting the old-time knocker, an-
nounced his arrival. The door was opened by
Elizabeth Peabody, who graciously admitted Na-
thaniel Hawthorne and his sisters, showed them
into the parlor, and then ran up-stairs to tell her
sister Sophia of the handsome young man — hand-
somer than Lord Byron — who had just arrived.
As the door closed behind him that evening,
Hawthorne shut out forever the dreary solitude
of his life, and we read that he came again and
again to the, old home, where he played the prin-
cipal part in one of the most idyllic of courtships,
ending in his marriage two years later with the
fair Sophia. This dwelling he made the scene of
Dr. Grimshawis Secret, and the old porch has
taken on a dignity and historic interest that will
live forever.
But perhaps one loves to dwell longest on the
doorway of the Assembly House on Federal
Street, for it is full of vivid memories. It is an
oddly shaped porch, beautifully carved, and under
its portals the daughters of Salem's merchant
princes passed, holding in their slender hands the
skirts of their silken gowns, as they gayly mounted
the broad stone steps. On the evening of October
29, 1784, Lafayette was entertained in this old
[24]
COLONIAL DOORWAYS
home, and five years later, Washington, who had
just been inaugurated as the first President of the
United States, came here. Concerning his visit,
he wrote in his diary : "Between 7 and 8 I went to
an Assembly, where there were at least a hundred
handsome young ladies." With one of these,
the daughter of General Abbot, Washington opened
the ball, and for her later, as he did not dance, he
secured as a partner General Knox.
Other types of porches still seen in Salem include
the Dutch porch, quaint and comely in its con-
struction, an excellent example of which is seen
on the Whipple house on Andover Street, while
surrounding the Common on Washington Square
are many rare and picturesque porches of various
dates of erection.
Considered by experts to excel them all is the
porch that adorns the Pierce-Jahonnot house on
Federal Street. This dwelling was erected by Mr.
Pierce, of Pierce and Waitte, merchants, in the year
1782, and beside the main entrance it boasts a
fine example of the narrow doorway at one side.
In the early spring, crocuses clustering about the
base of the porch add a touch that is decorative
and charming, and the box-bordered garden beds,
just in front, filled with masses of pure white
[25]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
bloom, complete a wholly delightful setting.
There is about this particular doorway a touch of
sentiment felt by every Salemite. It is a piece
of architecture of which any one might feel proud,
and in its beauty and dignity it stands distinctive
in the midst of many fine bits. It is the Mecca
of architects, who delight in the exquisite blend-
ing of doorway and entrance.
There is a touch of the old Witchcraft Days con-
nected with a doorway at Number 23 Summer
Street, that resembles in type the one immortalized
by Hawthorne. More than two hundred years
ago, this porch was the site of an event that
culminated in tragedy. Bridget Bishop, the first
victim of the terrible delusion of 1692, kept a
tavern here, and in her gay light-heartedness, she
scorned the dictates of the church and insisted
upon wearing on Sabbath Day a black hat and a
red paragon bodice, bordered and looped with dif-
ferent colors. Her boldness in defying the rigid
doctrines made the dignitaries suspicious of her,
and at her trial, when one witness told of meeting
her before the site of the present doorway where
his horse stopped, and the buggy he was driving
flew to pieces, — she of course having bewitched
it, — was condemned to death.
[26!
COLONIAL DOORWAYS
Individual types found throughout the city
show a variety of construction and ornamenta-
tion, and many of these are most unique, although
they do not belong to any special period. Promi-
nent among these is the Pineapple doorway on Brown
Street Court, an excellently proportioned and finely
adorned entrance, which, through the remoteness
of its location, is rarely seen by tourists. The
dwelling of which it is a part was built in 1750
by Captain Thomas Poynton, and this feature,
unlike the old Benjamin Pickman porch on Essex
Street, which shows a codfish, has nothing about
it suggestive of New England. The pineapple,
which is set in a broken pediment, was brought
over from England in one of the captain's own
ships, and in the days of his occupancy it was kept
brightly gilded, its leaves painted green.
Many of the doorways show an innovation in
the presence of the climbing vine, which winds its
tendrils about the pillar supports, emphasizing
their beauty. It is not definitely known whether
the early owners encouraged the vine-covered
porch or not, but they probably did, as they
delighted in the vine-covered summer-house, which
was a feature of nearly every old-time garden.
While Salem may hold a prominent rank in
[27]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
attractive porches, many fine examples are to be
found in Philadelphia, and though these specimens
differ radically in design, they are most attractive.
One is to be seen on Independence Hall on Chestnut
Street, while others are found on churches and
houses.
These doorways illustrate a phase of architectural
construction totally different from the porches of
New England and those of the South, yet they com-
bine features of the other types, while at the same
time displaying a certain definite style of their own
which gives to them as great distinctiveness as char-
acterizes Salem porches.
If the twentieth-century architect desires studies
of truly attractive doorways, the seaport towns of
New England will afford him excellent models.
There is enough variety here in porches which are
still preserved to give him any number of models
from which to devise an entrance that will serve its
purpose in every sense of the word.
For the home builder, it will not be amiss to
carefully consider the best type of porch before he
goes to the architect to develop his plans ; he can
be assured that study will develop ideas that will
give to his home an individuality that will em-
body his ideas and personality.
[28]
CHAPTER III
DOOR KNOCKERS
THERE is no more decorative feature of the
entrance door than the old-time door knocker, es-
pecially if in conjunction with it are used a latch
and hinge. It possesses a dignity and charm that
is most attractive, and when shown in brass,
brightly burnished, it forms a most effective foil
for the dark or polished surface of the wood.
Door knockers have been in use, save for short
periods during the seventeenth and nineteenth
centuries, since their invention, early in the world's
history, although they were most freely used during
the Romanesque, the Gothic, and the Renaissance
periods. For easy identification they may be di-
vided into three classes, the first characterized by
a ring, the second by a hammer, and the third by
human figures and animals' heads. The first two
types show a much larger surface of plate than the
third, and the designs employed are often most
elaborate.
Door knockers in use during the Medieval
[29]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
period were perhaps the most carefully designed,
while those of the Renaissance period showed
the most fanciful treatment. It must be remem-
bered, when considering the ornamental qualities
of both these types of knockers, and comparing
them with latter-day productions, that they were
made at a time when designers were practically
unknown, artists being employed to draw patterns
which were worked out by assistants under the
supervision of master smiths, which method re-
sulted in a greater diversity of treatment.
Iron was at first used in the construction of
knockers, partly on account of its inexpensiveness,
and the results secured from this seemingly ugly
material were both artistic and beautiful. Later,
brass came into favor for the purpose, and it has
since remained the principal knocker material,
as no better substitute has been found. Brightly
polished, a brass knocker undeniably adds to the
decorative attractiveness of any door.
During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries,
knockers were used on all classes of houses. These
for the most part were very elaborate in design,
showing a wonderful delicacy of workmanship,
and they were in many instances larger than those
found on modern colonial homes.
[30]
DOOR KNOCKERS
Except for the period during the seventeenth
century, as above mentioned, door knockers re-
mained in favor until the middle of the nineteenth
century, when a wave of modernity, sweeping the
length and breadth of the land, brought in its wake
an overthrow of colonial ideas and furnishings.
Modern doors, plain of surface, replaced the finely
paneled old-time ones, and with their coming
disappeared the knocker and the latch. Probably
the principal cause of this was the demolition of
many of the old landmarks, and the substitution
of dwellings of an entirely different architectural
type. This innovation for a second time con-
signed the knocker to oblivion, and many there were
who, not realizing its artistic value, cast it into the
scrap heap. Others, with a veneration for heir-
looms, packed the knockers away in old hair trunks
under the eaves of the spacious attic, together
with other antiques of varying character.
No doubt the greatest number were saved by the
wise and far-sighted collector, who, realizing the
artistic beauty of the knocker, felt that it would in
time come to its own again. Quietly he purchased
them and stored them away, awaiting the day of
their revival, and his foresight was amply repaid
when the modified colonial house came into vogue,
[31]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
demanding that the knocker should again be the
doorway's chief feature. Many of those now
shown are genuine antiques, while others are re-
productions, but so carefully copied that only to
one who has made a study of antiques is the differ-
ence discernible.
Old door knockers vary as to size according to the
date of their construction. Many are of odd
design, having been made to fit doors of unusual
shapes, and the ornamentation is as varied as the
shapes. The most elaborate knockers depict such
ideas as Medusa's head, Garlands of Roses, and,
in many cases, animals' heads, while the simple
ones show oval or plain shapes, with border
decorated with bead or fretwork.
The shape of the knocker is of great assistance in
classification, as is the metal used. The most
common type has the striker round or stirrup-
shaped. This is either plain or ornamented with
twisted forms, with wreathing or masks, and the
plate is formed of a rosette or lion's head.
In the second type, the striker is hammer-shaped,
the handle often showing a split and straplike
formation, while the plate and knob are plain.
This is an early type, as is shown from the fact
that specimens still exist that are not unlike Byzan-
[32]
PLATE VIII. — i6th Century Knocker, Lion type, Striker of
first type ; Georgian Urn type, in use on modern house ;
Mexican Knocker of the Hammer type ; Hammer type
Knocker, i8th Century, Charles P. Waters House.
PLATE IX. — Eagle Knocker; Eagle Knocker, Rogers House,
Danvers, Mass.; Medusa head, elaborate early type;
Garland type of Knocker.
DOOR KNOCKERS
tine and Saracenic forms. It is to this type that
the exquisite iron-chiseled knockers of Henry II
and Louis XIV belong.
The lyre or elongated loop drawn down to form
the striker constitute the third style. Masks,
snakes, dragons, and human figures belong to this
class, and, on account of the elaborate workman-
ship employed, these are often found in brass and
bronze. This type shows ornamentation lavished
on the striker, while the plate is very plain.
The greatest difference noted in all these classes
is that in the third type the escutcheon or plate
by which the knocker is fastened to the door is
of little importance, while in the first two types
it is the leading motive.
During the Gothic period, the design was dia-
mond-shape, richly decorated with pierced work,
and while this same motif was retained in the
making of the Renaissance knocker, it was fre-
quently varied by the double-headed or some
similar style.
What is correct concerning the design of the Medi-
eval knocker holds good in that of to-day. No door
knocker ever designed was ugly, even at the time of
the earliest manufacture, when so little was known
concerning architectural construction. There is a
[33]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
fine individuality in the style of all knockers,
and singularly enough one fails to find duplicates
of even the most admirable specimens. Another
fact that seems strange is that reproductions often
sell for as much as genuine antiques. It would
seem that the price of the old knocker would be
high, on account of its historical value, and
yet this type of knockers sells at a lower price
than present-day specimens. Old brass examples
can be purchased as low as two dollars and fifty
cents, while large and elaborate ones bring only
ten dollars. This is not on account of their true
value not being known, but because there is, as yet,
comparatively little demand for them ; and their sale
at the best is limited, for where a person could use
twenty candlesticks, two knockers would suffice
for door ornamentation.
There is an important phase of the copied speci-
mens that must be taken into consideration, and
that is that they have no historic value. This
fact has made reproductions of no appeal to
either the collector or the antiquarian, unless
there is some special interest in the model from
which they have been copied.
Whether a knocker is a reproduction or a genuine
antique can often be told by examining the plate
[34]
DOOR KNOCKERS
and noting if it is forged to the ring or flat plate.
If so, it is a fine piece of workmanship and a genuine
antique ; otherwise, it is spurious.
The best place to purchase genuine old knockers
is in the curio shops, where only such things are
for sale. Even in this event, it is well to know
the earmarks, for if one is anxious for a real antique,
he should be posted on the characteristics, as a
spurious specimen is apt to find its way even
here.
The door knockers in general use to-day are the
Georgian urn or vase, the thumb latch, and the
eagle. Such designs as Medusa's head, and the
head of Daphne with its wreath of laurel leaves
are also sometimes found.
The lion with ring has always been more popular
in England than in our country, and, indeed,
during the Revolutionary War and for fifty years
after, it was not even tolerated here, being super-
seded by the eagle, which came into vogue about
1775-
The garland knocker, which belongs to the early
type, is still sometimes found to-day. One such
specimen is shown on a modern colonial home at
Wayland, Massachusetts. This originally graced
the doorway of one of Salem's merchant prince's
[35]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
homes, but it was purchased by a dealer in antiques
at the time of the decline in favor of the knocker,
later finding its original resting place, from which
it has only recently been removed.
Another rare and unusual knocker is shown on
a house on Lynde Street, Salem, Massachusetts.
This is of Mexican type, and has been on the house
since its erection. It was painted over some years
ago by an owner who cared little for its worth, and
it was not until a comparatively short time ago
that it was discovered to be a fine example of a
rare type.
The horseshoe knocker, a specimen of the hammer
class, is a prized relic of many old homes. Like
all true colonial specimens, it is made of wrought
iron, painfully hammered by hand upon the forge
in the absence of machinery for working iron, as
even nails had to be hammered out in those early
times. This is one of the quaintest and most
original knockers, and is after the pattern of
the earliest designed. Subsequent specimens were
more elaborate, colonial craftsmen bestowing upon
them their greatest skill. Among the most ornate
were the purely Greek or Georgian vases or urns,
eagles in all possible and impossible positions, heads
of Medusa, Ariadne, and other mythological ladies,
[36]
DOOR KNOCKERS
and Italian Renaissance subjects, such as nymphs,
mermaids, and dolphins, with ribbons, garlands,
and streamers.
Not a few of these knockers have wonderfully
interesting histories. Scenes have been enacted
about them, which, could they be but known, would
make thrilling tales. Take, for instance, the
knocker on the Craigie House at Cambridge,
Massachusetts. How many men of letters from all
over the world have lifted the knocker to gain
admittance to our late loved poet's home, and
think what stories such visits could furnish !
On the Whittier homestead at Amesbury, Massa-
chusetts, is still to be seen the knocker which was on
the door during the poet's life. This is of eagle de-
sign, probably chosen on account of its patriotic
significance. Another interesting knocker formerly
graced the house wherein the "Duchess" lived, on
Turner Street, in Salem, many times lifted by
Hawthorne, who was a frequent visitor to this
dwelling, and who forever immortalized it in his
famous romance, The House of Seven Gables.
This is now replaced by another of different design.
Considered to be one of the oldest knockers in
this section is that on the door of the May house
at Newton, Massachusetts. Be that as it may, it is
[37]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
certainly unique. The plate shows a phoenix ris-
ing from the plain brass surface, while the knocker
has for ornamentation a Medieval head. This
knocker has attracted the attention of antiquarians
throughout the country, who have given it much
study in attempts to find out the period in which
it was made.
Thumb latches are not so common as the ham-
mer and ring class. Two of these specially unique
show wonderful cutting. One is found on the front
door of the Waters house on Washington Square,
Salem, being brought from the John Crowninshield
dwelling, while the other is seen on the side porch
of this same residence, having been placed there at
the time of the building's erection in 1795.
England is the seat of most of the old-time
knockers, although they are still found in almost
every part of the globe. Threading the narrow by-
streets of London, one finds many historic specimens
replaced by simple modern affairs. Some have be-
come the prey of avaricious tourists, while others,
because of their owners' little regard for their
value, have been relegated to ash heaps and thrown
away.
This is true of the knocker made famous by
Dickens in the Christmas Carol. On the polished
[38]
DOOR KNOCKERS
surface of this, Scrooge was said to have thought
he saw reflected the face of Marley "like a bad
lobster in a dark cellar." Later he spoke of it as
follows : " I shall love it as long as I live. I scarcely
ever looked at it before. What an honest expres-
sion it has in its face. It is a wonderful knocker."
Clasped hands holding a ring of laurel is the
form of the knocker still seen on the door of the
famous Dr. Johnson house, and, as one gazes at it,
he can in fancy see David Garrick and Sir Joshua
Reynolds ascending the steps, and if he pauses a
moment longer he can no doubt even hear the
metallic ring of the knocker, as it responds to the
vigorous raps that they give.
The most beautiful knocker left in London is
the one shown on the outer gate of the Duke of
Devonshire's house at Piccadilly. The design here,
as unique as it is beautiful, shows an angelic head
with flowing hair.
Chapels and cathedrals in England have many
examples of this type of door decoration, one
being a knocker handle with pierced tracery seen
on Stogumber Church in Somerset.
The history of door knockers is practically
unwritten, and little is known concerning their
make. The revival of antiques is responsible for
[39]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
their present popularity, and gives them an im-
portance in house ornamentation little dreamed
of a few years ago. To be sure, the coming of
electric bells has precluded their necessity, but, on
account of their ornamental value, it is doubtful
if they ever become obsolete. The variety of
design, the many artistic shapes to which they
can be adapted, and, more than all, their decorative
qualities, make them particularly valuable.
[40]
CHAPTER IV
OLD-TIME GARDENS
THERE was a restful charm and dignity surround-
ing the garden of olden times that is lacking in the
formal ones of to-day. This effect was gained
partly from the prim box borders and the straight,
central path, and partly from the stateliness of
the old-fashioned flowers. Gardens formed a
distinctive feature in the colonists' home grounds,
from the time of their landing on unknown soil.
At first they were very small, and consisted mostly
of wild flowers and plants that had been brought
from their homes in England and Holland. The
early settlers brought with them to this new land a
deep love for floriculture, and the earliest garden
plots filled with flowering plants, though rude in
construction, saved the house mother many a heart-
ache, reminding her as they did of the beautiful
gardens in the motherland left behind.
We find in the earliest records of the new set-
tlers allusions to flowers, and Reverend Francis
Higginson speaks of the wild flowers which he
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
saw blossoming near the shore. He considered
them of enough importance to record in his
diary on June 24, 1629, writing "that wild
flowers of yellow coloring resembling Gilliflowers
were seen near the shore as they sighted land, and
that as they came closer they saw many of these
flowers scattered here and there, some of the plots
being from nine to ten feet in size."
Four of the men who went ashore on the twenty-
seventh of that month found on the headlands of
Cape Cod single wild roses. Later on he tells again
of the number of plants found growing, giving
their names. These facts have enabled people
in later years to locate the same flowers growing
near the same places as when they were first
discovered.
Governor Bradford also considered the flowers
of importance, and in his historical account of the
Colonies of New England, he tells us that "here
grow many fine flowers, among them the fair lily
and the fragrant rose."
On Governors Island in Boston Harbor were
rich vineyards and orchards, as well as many varie-
ties of flowers. Governor Winthrop, inserting a
clause in the grant, said that vineyards and or-
chards should be planted here ; that this was com-
[42]
OLD-TIME GARDENS
plied with is shown from the fact that the rent in
1634 was paid with a hogshead of wine.
Following the growth of colonist gardens, we
find that John Josslyn arrived in Boston four
years later, in 1638, and that soon after his arrival
he visited his brother's plantation in Black Point,
Maine. He made a careful list of plants that he
found here, each one of which he carefully de-
scribed and sent in part to England, and it is
interesting to note that in those days, the colonists
in the spring gathered hepaticas, bloodroot, and
numerous other wild flowers.
His description of the pitcher plant is graphic :
"Hollow leaved lavender is a plant that grows in the
marshes, overgrown with moss, with one straight
stalk about the bigness of an oat straw. It is
better than a cubic high, and upon the top is
found one single fantastic flower. The leaves grow
close to the root in shape like a tankard, hollow,
tight, and always full of water." The whole
plant, so he says, comes into perfection about the
middle of August, and has leaves and stalks as
red as blood, while the flower is yellow.
Mr. Josslyn also speaks of the fact that shrubs
and flowers brought from England and Holland
by the Puritans as early as 1626 were the nucleus of
[43]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
old-fashioned gardens, and that woadwaxen, now a
pest covering acres of ground and showing during
the time of blossoming a brilliant yellow, was
kept in pots by Governor Endicott, while the
oxeye daisy and whiteweed were grown on Governor
Endicott's Danvers farm.
He also tells us of the gardens with "their
pleasant, familiar flowers, lavender, hollyhocks,
and satin." "We call this herbe in Norfolke
sattin," says Gerard, "and among our women,
it is called honestie and gillyflowers, which meant
pinks as well, and dear English roses and eglantine."
The evolution of the garden commenced at
this time, and from then until fifty years ago the
old-fashioned garden was in vogue. There was
much sameness to this kind of garden; each one
had its central path of varying width, generally
with a box border on either side, while inside were
sweet-smelling flowers, such as mignonette, helio-
trope, and sweet alyssum. Vine-covered arbors
were the central feature, and at the end of the
walk stood a summer-house of simple proportions,
sometimes so covered with trailing vines as to be
almost unseen.
It was here on summer afternoons that our
grandmothers loved to come for a social cup of tea,
[44]
OLD-TIME GARDENS
knitting while breathing in the sweet-scented air,
permeated with the fragrance of single and double
peonies, phlox, roses, and bushes of syringa.
Tall hollyhocks swayed in the breeze, holding
their stately cups stiff and upright, and there
were tiger lilies, as well as the dielytra, with its
row of hanging pink and white blossoms, from
which the children made boats, rabbits, and other
fantastic figures.
In some of the old-time gardens, the small,
thorny Scotch roses intermingled with the red
and white roses of York and Lancaster. Little
wonder that the perfume of their blooms was
wafted through the air, although they were hidden
among the taller roses, and there was no visible
trace of their presence.
One walked along the broad sidewalks of the
old-time cities, expecting to find at every turn a
garden of flowers. Not even a glimpse did they
obtain, for the gardens of those days were not in
view, but hidden away behind high board fences
which have now in many cases been changed for
iron ones, thus giving to the public glimpses of the
central arbor and the long line of path with brilliant
bloom on either side.
One reason that the gardens in the olden days
[45]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
were hidden from view was that the houses, more
especially the Salem ones, were built close to the
sidewalk, and there was no chance for flowers in
front or at either side.
Most of the noted old gardens have long since
become things of the past, but a few are still
left to give hints of the many that long ago were
the pride of New England housewives. The es-
tate of the late Captain Joseph Peabody at Danvers,
Massachusetts, was at one time famed for its
old-fashioned garden. This lay to the right of
the avenue of trees that formed the driveway to
the house. These trees were planted in 1816 by
Joseph Augustus Peabody, the elder son of the
owner. The garden proper was hidden from view,
as one passed up the driveway, but lay at the
front of the house. In its center was a large
tulip tree, which still stands, said to be one of the
oldest and largest in the country. One of the
unique features of the grounds, and one that has
existed since the days of Captain Peabody's oc-
cupancy, is a small summer-house, showing lattice
work and graceful arches. Its top is dome-shaped,
surmounted by a gilded pineapple.
There is, however, another historic summer-
house on this estate. It was formerly on the
[46]
o
OLD-TIME GARDENS
Elias Hasket Derby property, and was built
about 1790. This was purchased by the present
owner of the estate, who had it moved to her
grounds, a distance of four miles, without a crack
in the plaster. It was built by Samuel Mclntyre,
and is decorated with the pilaster and festoons
that are characteristic of his workmanship. Four
urns and a farmer whetting his scythe adorn the
top. Originally a companion piece was at the
other end, representing a milkmaid with her pail.
This latter figure was long ago sold by the former
owner and placed with a spindle in its hand on
the Sutton Mills at Andover, Massachusetts,
where it stood for many years until destroyed by
fire. The house itself contains a tool room on the
lower floor, while at the head of the staircase is a
large room, sixteen feet square, containing eight
windows and four cupboards. It is hung with
Japanese lanterns, and the closets are filled with
wonderful old china. Its setting of flowers is
most appropriate.
At Oak Knoll in Danvers is still left the garden
that the poet Whittier so much loved. It stands
at the side of the house, bordering the avenue that
leads from the entrance gate. The paths have
box borders, and inside is a wealth of bloom, the
[471
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
central feature being a fountain which was a gift
from Whittier to the mistress of the home. It was
here he loved to come during the warm summer
afternoons to pace up and down, doubtless
thinking over and shaping many of his most
noted poems. The garden has been carefully
tended, and it shows to-day the same flowers that
were in their prime during his life.
Another fine example of a box-bordered, old-
time garden is seen at Newburyport, Massachu-
setts, on the estate of Mrs. Charles Perry. Here
the colonial house stands back from the main road,
with a long stretch of lawn at the front. Passing
out of the door at the rear, one comes upon a court-
yard with moss-grown flagging that leads directly
to the garden itself, fragrant with the incense of
old-time blooms.
At Indian Hill, the summer home of the late
Major Benjamin Perley Poore at West Newbury,
much care has been given to the gardens to keep
the flowers as they were in the olden days. A
feature of this estate, in addition to the gardens,
is a shapely grove of trees at the rear of the man-
sion, that took first prize years ago as being the
finest and best-shaped specimens in the county.
Many of these trees were named for the major's
[48]
OLD-TIME GARDENS
friends, and they bear names well known to New
Englanders.
More than a century ago, when Salem was the
trade center of the world, her gardens were re-
nowned. These gardens were at the rear of the
dwellings, and it was here that the host and his
guests came for their after-dinner smoke, sur-
rounded by the flowers that they loved.
The first improvements in garden culture were
made by one George Heussler, who, according
to Captain Jonathan P. Felt, came to America in
1780, bringing with him a diploma given him by his
former employers. Previous to this period he
had served an apprenticeship in the gardens of
several German princes, as well as in that of
the king of Holland, and was, in consequence,
well qualified for the work. The first experience
he had in America in gardening was at the home
of John Tracy in Newburyport, where he worked
faithfully for several years. Ten years afterwards
he came to Salem to take charge of the farm and
garden of Elias Hasket Derby, Senior, at Danvers,
and later worked in other gardens in the city of
Salem, where he lived until his death in 1817.
From the records we glean that on October 21,
1796, Mr. Heussler gave notice that he had choice
[49]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
fruit trees for sale at Mr. Derby's farm, while a
newspaper of that date informs us that the latter
gentleman had recently imported valuable trees
from India and Africa and that he had " an exten-
sive nursery of useful plants in the neighborhood
of his rich garden." His son, E. Hersey Derby,
had a garden of great dimensions at his estate in
South Salem, or, as it was then called, South
Fields. This was in 1802, and for a long time the
fame of this rare and beautiful garden was retained.
Both of the Derby gardens were worthy of
attention, and it is said by those in authority
that in the Derby greenhouse the first night-
blooming cereus blossomed. This was in 1790,
and the flower was the true cereus grande flora,
not the flat-leaved cactus kind that is now culti-
vated under that name. It was largely the
influence of the beautiful Derby gardens that
gave to Salem its impetus for fine garden culture.
Who knows how many romances have been
enacted in the old-fashioned gardens of long ago !
They were fascinating places for lovers to wander
and in their vine-clad summer-houses many a
love-tale was told. The sight of an old-time
garden recalls to-day the early owners, and in
imagination one can hear the swish of silken
OLD-TIME GARDENS
skirts as the mistress of the home saunters down
the central path to take tea with friends in her
beloved arbor. There were warm friendships
among neighbors in those days, and the summer
season was marked by a daily interchange of visits ;
and so the old-time garden is fraught with memories
of bygone festivities and perchance of gossip.
After the close of commerce, the Derby Street
houses, formerly occupied by the old merchants,
gradually became deserted, and new houses were
sought in different parts of the town, farther re-
moved from shipping interests. Chestnut Street
was the location of many of these new homes, and
here the beautiful old-fashioned gardens were
shown at their best. These were usually inclosed,
and were reached by a side door, opening directly
into a veritable wealth of bloom.
Among the extensive gardens cultivated here
was a smaller one containing a greenhouse. This
was owned by John Fiske Allen. Mr. Allen was
an ardent lover of flowers, and was always in-
terested in adding some new and rare specimen
to his collection. From Caleb Ropes in Phila-
delphia he purchased seed of the Victoria Regia,
the water lily of the Amazon. These plants
blossomed for the second time in our country on
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
July 28, 1833, the grounds being thronged with
visitors during the time of their blossoming. This
fact was called to the attention of William Sharp,
who had illustrations made for a book on the
subject. The following year an extension was
made to the greenhouse, and more seed was
planted, which had come from England, and, in
addition, orchids and other plants were grown.
The Humphrey Devereux house stands almost
directly across the street from the Allen house.
This garden, under the care of the next owner,
Captain Charles Hoffman, became famous, for
here the first camellias and azaleas in this coun-
try were planted. One of the former plants is
still seen in a greenhouse in Salem. Captain Hoff-
man had a well-trained gardener, named Wilson,
whose care gave this garden a distinctive name
in the city. This garden is now the property of
Dr. James E. Simpson, and it shows like no other
the direct influence of olden times. There is the
same vine-clad arbor for the central figure, and
the plants which are grown behind box borders
are the same that grew in our grandmothers'
time. This scheme has been carefully carried out
by the mistress of the house, who is passionately
fond of the old-time blossoms.
OLD-TIME GARDENS
In the garden of the Cabot house on Essex
Street, the first owner of the house imported
tulips from Holland, and, during the time of their
blossoming, threw open the garden to friends.
The later owners improved the garden by adding
rare specimens of peonies and other plants, and
have kept the same effects, adding to the gardens'
beauty each year.
While the old-fashioned garden has gone into
decline, yet the modern-day enthusiast has brought
into his formal gardens the flowers of yesterday.
The artistic possibilities of these have appealed
so strongly to the flower lover that they have
been restored to their own once more. The box
border is practically a thing of the past, having
been replaced by flower borders of mignonette
and sweet alyssum, which afford a fine setting
for the beds. Like pictures seem these old-
fashioned gardens, framed with thoughts of days
long gone by, and one unconsciously sighs for
those days that are gone, taking with them the
sweet odor of the flowers that grew in our grand-
mothers' time.
[53]
CHAPTER V
HALLS AND STAIRWAYS
THE colonial hall as we have come to think of
it — dignified and spacious, with characteristics
of unrivaled beauty — was not the type in vogue
in the first years of the country's settlement, but
rather was the outgrowth of inherent tendencies,
reflecting in a measure the breadth and attractive-
ness of the English hallway.
The earliest dwellings were built for comfort,
with little regard for effect, and they showed no
hallways, only a rude entrance door giving directly
upon the general and often only apartment. Some-
times this door was sheltered on the outside by a
quaint closed porch, which afforded additional
warmth and protection from the driving storms
of rain or snow; but it was never anything more
than a mere comfort-seeking appendage, boasting
no pretentions whatever to architectural merit.
Crude, indeed, such entrances must have seemed
to the stern Puritan dwellers, in comparison with
[54]
PLATE XII. — Saltonstall Hallway, about 1800.
PLATE XIII. — Hallway, Lee House, 1800.
HALLS AND STAIRWAYS
those of their ancestral abodes ; and it is not to
be wondered at if in secret they sometimes longed
for the hallways of their boyhood, where, after
the evening meal in the winter season, the family
was wont to gather about the roaring fire, per-
chance to listen to some tale of thrilling adventure.
The first American hall came in with the build-
ing of the frame house, erected after the early
hardships were over, and the colonists could afford
to abandon their rude cabin domiciles. This was
really little more than an entry, rarely charac-
terized by any unusual features, but it served as a
sort of introduction to the home proper, and was
dignified by the title of hallway. The hall in the
old Capen house at Topsfield, Massachusetts, be-
longs to this type.
Later came the more pretentious hall, typical
of the gambrel roof house, that enjoyed so long
a period of popularity. This was generally a
narrow passage, with doors opening at either
side into the main front apartments, and with
the staircase at the end rising in a series of turns
to the rooms above. The first turn often con-
tained in one corner a small table, which held a
candlestick and candle used to light a guest to
bed, or a grandfather's clock, the dark wood of
[55]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
its casing serving as an effective contrast to the
otherwise light finish of the apartment.
Not infrequently the hall was solidly paneled,
and a built-in cupboard or like device was some-
times concealed behind the paneling; or, as in a
dwelling in Manchester, Massachusetts, it con-
tained an innovation in the form of a broad space
opened between two high beams, halfway up the
staircase, arranged, no doubt, for the display of
some choice possession, and showing beneath a
motto of religious import.
In the better class of houses of this period, the
hallway sometimes extended the width of the
dwelling, opening at the rear on to the yard
space. This type was the forerunner of the stately
attractive hall that came into vogue in the last half
of the eighteenth century, and continued in favor
during the first years of the nineteenth century,
with the advent of the wooden and brick mansion.
Belonging to the earlier class are the Warner
and Stark halls in New Hampshire. The former
is paneled from floor to ceiling, the white of the
finish now mellowed to ivory tones, and serving
to display to advantage the fine furnishings with
which it is equipped. At the rear it opens upon
a grassy yard space, shaded by tall trees, thought
[561
HALLS AND STAIRWAYS
to be the site of the old slave quarters, long since
demolished. The walls show several adornments,
among the most interesting being the enormous
antlers of an elk, which, tradition tells, were pre-
sented to the builder of the dwelling by some of
the Indians with whom he traded, as an evidence
of their friendship and good will. The latter hall
is of similar type, entered through a narrow door
space and continuing the width of the dwelling;
it ends at the rear in a quaint old door that shows
above its broad wooden panels a row of green
bull's eyes, specimens of early American glass
manufacture, still rough on the inside where
detached from the molding bar. This door gives
upon an old-time garden plot, fragrant with the
blooms of its original planting, and preserving
intact its early features. Rare bits of old furni-
ture are used in the equipment of this hall, and
the paneled walls are hung with family portraits.
When unwearied toil had made living consider-
ably easier, and many of the merchants had
amassed fortunes, there sprang up, in both the
North and the South, those charming colonial
mansions that were the fit abode of a brave race.
They demanded hallways of spacious dimensions,
and into favor then came the broad and lofty
is?]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
hall, embodying in its construction the highest
development of the colonial type. Quite through
the center of the house this hall extended, from
the pillared portico and stately entrance door,
with its fan lights and brazen knocker, to an-
other door at the rear, through the glazed upper
panels of which tantalizing glimpses could be
obtained of tall hollyhocks and climbing roses
growing in the old-fashioned garden just without.
In a measure this hall was a reproduction of
the English type, particularly in its spaciousness
of dimension. Unlike this type, however, it
lacked the dominant influence of the fireplace, and
in its construction it showed several independent
features, all tending to emphasize the attractive
dignity suggested in the broadness of outline.
Often an elliptical arch spanned the width at about
one third the length, generally serving to frame
the staircase, and tending to make dominant the
attractiveness of this feature. This was usually
little more than a skeleton arch, being a sugges-
tion, rather than a reality, sometimes plain, and
sometimes slightly ornamental. This feature is
shown in the Lee hall at Salem, and in the main
hall of the old Governor Wentworth house at
Little Harbor, New Hampshire. This latter hall
[58]
HALLS AND STAIRWAYS
is particularly interesting, not only for its beauty
of construction, but also for its historic associa-
tions. Under its arch, framing the fine old stair-
case, men prominent in the history of the State
and country have passed, and on the walls and
over the door are still seen stacks of arms, thir-
teen in number, the muskets of the governor's
guard, so long dismissed.
The most important feature of all these halls
was the staircase, and in its construction the
greatest interest was centered. Generally it as-
cended by broad, low treads to a landing lighted
by a window of artistic design, and continued in a
shorter flight to the second floor apartments. It
was always located at one side, and generally
near the rear, to allow the placing of furniture
without crowding. The balusters were usually
beautifully carved and hand turned, with newel
posts of graceful design ; and sometimes even the
risers showed carved effects. The cap rail was
usually of mahogany. Hard wood was sometimes
used in the construction of the staircase, the
treads in this event being dark and polished,
while soft wood painted white was also much used.
The finish of the walls in this type of hall varied.
Some were entirely paneled, others showed a
[59]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
quaint landscape paper above a low white wain-
scot, and still others showed hangings of pictorial
import, framed like great pictures. To the last-
named class belongs the Lee hall at Marblehead,
considered to be one of the finest examples of its
type extant. Black walnut is the wood finish
here, and the hangings, designed by a London
artist, are in soft tones of gray, beautifully blended,
and represent scenes of ruined Greece, each set
in a separate panel, handsomely carved.
Occasionally, to-day, a staircase of the spiral
type is found, — a type that possesses certain
satisfying characteristics, but which never en-
joyed the popularity of the straight staircase.
Some few of the staircases in the old Derby Street
mansions at Salem are of this type, as is the stair-
case at Oak Knoll, in Danvers, the poet Whittier's
last residence. The common name for this type
of staircase was winder.
A large number of representatives of the finest
type of the colonial hall are scattered throughout
the North and South, and their sturdiness of con-
struction bids fair to make them valued examples
indefinitely. One particularly good example is
shown at Hey Bonnie Hall, in Bristol, Rhode
Island, a mansion built on Southern lines, and
[60]
PLATE XV. — Hallway, Wentworth House, 1750.
HALLS AND STAIRWAYS
suggesting in its construction the hospitality of
that section. Here the hall is twenty feet wide ;
the walls are tinted their original coloring, a soft
rich green, that harmonizes perfectly with the
white woodwork and the deep, mellow tones of
the priceless old mahogany of the furnishings. A
well-designed, groined arch forming a portion of
the ceiling, and supported at the corners by four
slender white pillars, is one of the apartment's
attractive adjuncts, while the dominant feature
is the staircase that rises at the farther end, five
feet in width, with treads of solid mahogany and
simple but substantial balusters of the same wood
on either side. The upper hall is as distinctive
as the lower one, and exactly corresponds in length
and width. Wonderful old furnishings are placed
here, and at one end is displayed a fine bit of
architectural work in a fanlight window, over-
looking the garden.
One wonders, when viewing such a hall as this,
how this type could ever have been superseded
in house construction, but with the gradual decline
in favor of the colonial type of dwelling, it was
abolished, and in place of its lofty build and
attractive spaciousness, halls of cramped dimen-
sions came into vogue, culminating in the entry
[61]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
passage typical of houses built toward the middle
of the nineteenth century. Happily, present-day
house builders are coming to a realizing sense of
the importance of the hallway, and are beginning
to appreciate the fact that, to be attractive, the
hall must be ample, well lighted, and of pleasing
character. With this realization the beauty of
the colonial hall has again demanded attention,
and in a large number of modern homes it has
been copied in a modified degree.
62]
CHAPTER VI
FIREPLACES AND MANTELPIECES
IT is a far cry from the fireplaces of early times
to those of the present, when elaborate fittings
make them architecturally notable. We read
that in the Middle Ages, the fire in the banquet
hall was laid on the floor in the center of the large
apartment, the smoke from the blazing logs, as it
curled slowly upward, escaping through a hole
cut in the ceiling. Later, during the Renaissance
period, the fire was laid close to the wall, the
space set apart for it framed with masonry jambs
that supported a mantel shelf. A projecting hood
of stone or brick carried the smoke away, and the
jambs were useful, inasmuch as they protected
the fire from draughts. From this time, the
evolution of the fireplace might be said to date,
improvement in its arrangement being worked
out gradually, until to-day it is numbered among
the home's most attractive features. It is in-
teresting to note, in reference to these latter-day
specimens, that many of them are similar in design
[63]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
to those of the Renaissance, Louis Sixteenth, and
colonial periods.
Not a few of the early fireplaces were of the
inglenook type, a fad that has been revived and
is much in evidence in modern dwellings ; and
many of them followed certain periods, such as
the Queen Anne style and the Elizabethan design.
Several, too, were topped with mantels, features
practical as well as ornamental, which are almost
always associated with the fireplaces of to-day.
Many of the old mantels were very narrow, pro-
hibiting ornamentation with pottery or small bits
of bric-a-brac; they were so built, because the
designers of early times considered them suffi-
ciently decorative in themselves without any
additional embellishment, and their sturdiness
and architectural regularity seem to justify this
opinion. Mantels and fireplaces of early Renais-
sance type show in detail an elegance that is
characteristic of all the work of that period, the
Italian designers being masters in their line.
In the baronial halls of Merrie England, we find
huge fireplaces, wide enough to hold the Yule log,
around which, after the chase, the followers
gathered to drink deep of the wassail bowl. Such
pictures must have lingered long in the minds of
[64]
FIREPLACES AND MANTELPIECES
the colonists in their new surroundings, and to us
they are suggestive of the Squire in "Old Christ-
mas," who, seated in his great armchair, close by
the fire, contentedly smoked his pipe and gazed
into the heart of the flickering flames, filled with
the joy of his ancestral possessions.
Life with the early colonists was a stern reality.
The climate here was far more rigorous than that
of the motherland, and a home and a warm fire
were the two necessities first demanded. Logs
from the near-by forest afforded the former, while
rocks taken from the clearings supplied the latter.
The fireplaces of those days were perhaps the
largest ever built in any land, some ten feet or
more in depth, and broad enough to hold the logs
which were stacked just outside the cabin door.
The rude stones which formed the fireplace were
piled wall fashion, the largest at the bottom and
the smallest on top, the chinks between made
strong by daubings of clay. Later, the builders
gave a more finished effect to this feature, and the
hearths were then extended many feet into the
single large apartment, while on either side were
placed rude, home-made benches with high backs,
to shield the inmates from the cold felt outside
the circle of the fire's warmth.
[65]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
At the rear of the fireplace was arranged a huge
backlog, to afford protection to the stones, and also
to throw the heat into the room. This was often
of unseasoned timber, that it might last the longer,
two feet in diameter, and eight feet or more in length.
Firedogs were used to hold the smaller logs, while
creepers were employed for the smallest of all, and
to start the fire, small pine boughs and small tim-
bers were heaped high, flint and tinder serving to
ignite them. Once started, the fire was kept in-
definitely, being carefully covered at night or piled
with peat ; above the blaze swung the soot-black-
ened crane, with its various pots and kettles. Such
was the early colonial kitchen, the fireplace its domi-
nant feature, the light from its glowing logs throw-
ing into relief the sanded floor, bare, unplastered
walls, and the rafters overhead. With the coming
of prosperity, these rude log huts gave way to tim-
ber houses, two stories in height, and with their
advent the better type of colonial fireplaces came
into vogue.
Dating as far back as the earliest fireplaces are
found fire sets, as they were sometimes called, com-
prising the hearth accessories necessary for an open
fire. The oldest of these sets, which were in use
long before coal was burned as fuel, consisted usu-
[66]
FIREPLACES AND MANTELPIECES
ally of a pair of andirons, a long-handled fire shovel,
and a pair of tongs. In some cases more than one
set of andirons was included, for in the great,
cavernous fireplaces of the colonists' log cabins, the
high supports used for the heavy forestick and logs
were not suitable for the smaller wood, and creep-
ers had to be set between the large andirons to hold
the short sticks in place. Bellows were often found
beside the fireplace in those times, but the poker
was rarely if ever included in fire sets, previous
to the introduction of coal as a fuel.
In material and design these fire sets, particularly
the andirons, differed widely. Iron, steel, copper,
and brass were the metals most commonly used
for their construction, although in other countries
even silver was occasionally made into fire irons.
As for design, they ranged from the very simplest
and most unpretentious styles up through the quaint
dogs' heads to the grotesque figures and elaborately
wrought pieces to be found among good collections
of antique hearth accessories.
Andirons for kitchen use were as a rule very plain
and substantial. Sometimes they were merely
straight pieces supported by short legs and having
uprights of either plain or twisted metal, topped by
small knots of some sort. They were probably
[67]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
most commonly made of iron, and not a few were
rudely hammered and shaped on the pioneer black-
smith's anvil. It is consequently little to be won-
dered at that many of the andirons once used in co-
lonial kitchens give one the impression of having
been designed for strength and utility rather than
for ornament.
The better class of andirons in use during the
seventeenth and early part of the eighteenth cen-
turies were for the most part of graceful, but, at the
same time, simple and dignified designs. The finest
ones were of brass, which was kept brightly polished
by the energetic housekeeper. Short knobs or
uprights were often placed a few inches back of the
main uprights and served the double purpose of
holding the forestick in place and of protecting
the shining brass. Occasionally andirons were made
in rights and lefts with the shanks curving outward
from the short knobs where they joined the
straight, horizontal supports.
Among other popular andiron designs of this
period were the twisted flame, the urn topped, the
queer iron and brass dogs with claw feet, the
colonial baluster, and the steeple topped. Of
these, the steeple-topped andirons were perhaps the
rarest, while the colonial baluster pattern with
[681
FIREPLACES AND MANTELPIECES
ball tops was, without doubt, the most popular
and commonly used.
A good example of the style of andirons which
came into favor during the latter half of the
eighteenth century is found in the Hessian design.
They take their name from the fact that the up-
right of each iron is cast in the form of a Hessian
soldier, posed as if in the act of marching. Since
this particular pattern first made its appearance
immediately after the close of the American
Revolution, it is not difficult to comprehend its
significance, for it is a well-known fact that the
patriotic colonists heartily hated the hired allies
in the employ of King George of England who had
fought against them. This humbling of the Hes-
sian to service among the flames and ashes, although
only in effigy, seemed to afford the Americans a
great deal of satisfaction, if the great popularity of
these andirons stood for anything.
Probably no finer collection of colonial hearths
is to be found anywhere than in Salem. The Derby
Street mansions even now show wonderful bits of
the skill which has made Salem a name synonymous
of the best in the architectural world. Mclntyre
designed many of these, following in some cases the
style of the decorator, Adams. Many of the man-
[69]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
tels show a wonderful harmony of contour, capped
by a simple shelf, for the most part unadorned.
One such is seen in the Gove house on Lynde Street,
its straight, simple lines affording dignity and grace
that are most attractive. The decoration is the
head of Washington, fixing the period of its con-
struction about the time of the Revolution.
Other popular decorations were the eagle, which
came into favor at the same period as the Washing-
ton decoration, baskets of flowers, wonderfully
delicate in their carving, garlands, and many such
designs, in all of which Mclntyre shows a versa-
tility that, considering the limitations of his day,
is truly remarkable.
While many of the mantels were of wood, some
few were of marble. Two such of special interest
are to be found, one in the Thomas Sanders's house
on Chestnut Street, and the other in Hon. David M.
Little's residence on the same thoroughfare. The
former shows an exquisite design, supported on
either side by caryatids, gracefully carved ; and
the latter, of the same period, is practically of the
same design. A third marble mantel is found in
the home of the Salem Club, formerly the residence
of Captain Joseph Peabody. This mantel is of
Florentine marble and was imported by the cap-
[70]
PLATE XIX. — Middleton House Steeple Top Andirons, and
Bellows ; Southern Andirons, Atkinson Collection.
FIREPLACES AND MANTELPIECES
tain in 1819. It is particularly beautiful in its
finish, and has served as an inspiration for many
similar mantels to be found in New England.
Belonging to the early type is the quaint fire-
place found in the hallway of the Robinson house
on Chestnut Street. This apartment was for-
merly the kitchen, and the fireplace in its original
condition was discovered in the process of remodel-
ing. Upon investigation, it was found to be a
composite of three separate fireplaces, built one
within the other, and culminating outwardly in a
small grate ; and when opened, it showed portions
of the old pothooks. It was restored to its original
aspect, appearing to-day as it was first constructed,
its narrow mantel adorned with rare bits of pewter.
In what was formerly the home of Mrs. Nathaniel
B. Mansfield in Salem, is a curious mantel, which was
first owned by Mr. Fabens. It is one of the rarest
bits of Mclntyre's work, decorated with his best
wrought and finest planned carving. Another fine
mantel is in the home of Hon. George von L. Meyer
at Hamilton, Massachusetts. This is as historic
as it is beautiful, and was part of the original equip-
ment of the Crowninshield house in Boston.
Many of the later style fireplaces, more especially
of the better class, showed firebacks. These were
[71]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
of iron, and were designed to keep the back of the
fireplace from cracking. Some of these old fire-
backs had flowers for ornamentation, while others
showed decoration in the form of family coats-of-
arms. In the Pickering house on Broad Street,
Salem, is a quaint fireback which was made in the
first iron foundry at Saugus, now Lynn. This has
on the back the initials of the then owners of the
dwelling, John and Alice Pickering, inscribed as
follows, " J. A. P. 1660." This same Alice Picker-
ing was very fond of dress, and an old record of 1650
tells that she wore to church a silken hood. For this
offense she was reprimanded and brought before the
church, but was allowed to go when it was learned
that she was worth two hundred pounds.
By the beginning of the eighteenth century,
fireplaces had come to be considered of great decora-
tive importance, and in an account written in 1750
Isaac Ware says of them : "With us no article in a
well-furnished room is more essential. The eye
immediately falls upon it on entering the room,
and the place for sitting down is naturally near it.
By this means it becomes the most prominent thing
in the furnishing of the room."
The popularity of the fireplace was somewhat
checked in 1745 through the invention of the
[72]
FIREPLACES AND MANTELPIECES
Franklin stove, which immediately came into favor.
These stoves were constructed of iron, with trim-
mings of rosettes and railing and knobs of varying
size ; in appearance they were very similar to the
small, open fireplace with andirons for burning logs.
As heat producers, however, they were a decided
improvement over the old-time hearth, which in
many cases smoked abominably, and sent much of
the heat up the chimney instead of into the room.
The new stoves proved economical, and there was
but little waste of heat through the pipes connect-
ing them with the chimneys.
In the dining room of Harriet Prescott Spofford's
house at Newburyport is one of these stoves, before
which Whittier delighted to sit during his frequent
visits to this old home. It is a fine specimen of its
kind, and as interesting in its way as the quaint
room which it graces. For many years this dwell-
ing served as an inn, kept by one Ebenezer Pear-
son, being one of the favorite resorts for pleasure
parties, and in the old-time dining room much bril-
liant parrying of wit took place, as distinguished
visitors amiably chatted over their teacups.
Later in the eighteenth century, another form of
heating came into vogue. This was the fire frame,
which appeared about thirty years after the inven-
[73]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
tion of the Franklin stove, and in type was some-
thing of a compromise between the open fireplace
and the stove, possessing certain characteristics of
each. It was so arranged that it could be used in a
fireplace that had either been filled in with brick, or
finished with a fireboard, and in appearance was
very similar to the upper part of a Franklin stove.
Unlike the stove, however, it rested directly upon
the fireplace hearth, instead of being raised from the
floor.
When coal first came into use, a Salem man saw
it burn, and so impressed was he with its worth that
he told Dr. George Perkins of Lynde Street about
it. The doctor immediately ordered a barrel of
the fuel to be brought down in a baggage wagon
from Boston, and he also ordered a new-fangled
stove of the hob grate order. The trial took place
in the living-room of his home, and the neighbors
gathered to watch it burn. So great was the success
of the venture that a load of coal was ordered, and
it landed at the North River wharf, where the water
was then so deep that vessels could easily come to
pier there. The cargo consisted of from one hun-
dred and sixty to one hundred and seventy tons,
considered an enormous load at the time.
The first coal burned in a stove was in Wilkes-
[74]
FIREPLACES AND MANTELPIECES
barre, Pennsylvania, where Judge Jesse Fell, in
the main room of the old tavern, in February, 1808,
started the first coal fire. Previous to that time
coal had been burned in open forges, under a heavy
draught, by a few blacksmiths, but it had never
been adapted for household purposes, and the dis-
covery that it could be used changed it from a use-
less thing to something of great value.
In 1812 Colonel George Shoemaker discovered
coal in the Susquehanna Valley, and he took twelve
tons of it to Philadelphia to sell. He disposed of
two tons, but was compelled to give the rest away,
as people considered him a fraud, proving that the
use of coal was not general at this period.
The hob grate came into use in 1750, a few years
after the advent of the Franklin stove, and it proved
especially valuable for the burning of coal, when
that product became popular. At first it was
known as "Cat Stone," but later was called hob
grate, by which name it is known at the present
time.
Fenders of brass or iron were generally used with
these grates, a small one placed close to the fire to
prevent the ashes from falling over the hearth,
and a larger one arranged around the entire fire-
place. Although hob grates were popular in North-
[75]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
ern houses, they were much more frequently used
in the South.
Tiles were little used in America until the hob
grate era, when they seem to have come into vogue.
They were used to surround both hob grates and
Franklin stoves. Some of them showed decora-
tions of religious subjects, while others, like a set
in a Salem house, told in pictures the story of ^Esop's
Fables. There is a tiled fireplace still in existence
in the Saltonstall-Howe house at Haverhill, Mas-
sachusetts, a dwelling originally owned by Dr.
Saltonstall, the first medical practitioner in the city.
This fireplace, in the dining-room, shows a double
row of tiles, depicting a series of Scriptural events,
and it is equipped with a fender of ancient ham-
mered brass, a family heirloom. The date of the
fireplace can be definitely determined without
knowledge of the time of the erection of the house
from the fact of the absence of a mantel above.
Another similar fireplace adorned with quaint
Dutch tiles is shown in the Pickering house living-
room. Like the Saltonstall one, this fireplace has
a beautiful, ancient fender of brass and a pair
of bellows that were made by Rev. Theophilus
Pickering, a preacher in Essex, Massachusetts, who
succeeded the Rev. John Wise.
[76]
FIREPLACES AND MANTELPIECES
The first hob grate ever placed in a Salem home is to
be seen in the Waters house on Washington Square.
It is topped with one of Mclntyre's famous man-
tels, showing that the original fireplace was brought
down to be used with the grate.
Elias Hasket Derby, one of Salem's most famous
merchants, had a beautiful estate where Market
Square now stands. The house, which was a
marvel of elegance, stood in the center of the
square, surrounded with terraced gardens that
swept to the water's edge. After his death the
house was too large and elegant to be kept up,
and it was torn down and the land sold. The
timbers of the house, the wood carving, and man-
tels were purchased by Salem house owners, one
hob grate finding its way to the old Henry K.
Oliver house on Federal Street. This dwelling,
which was built in 1802 by Captain Samuel Cook
for his daughter, who married Mr. Oliver, shows
old-time fireplaces in many rooms, one of brass being
found in the parlor. This was the first of its kind
ever placed in a Salem home, and it has a grate, on
either side of which are brass pillars about three feet
in height, with brass balls on top. A brass band
extends from pillar to pillar below the grate, and
the fender is also of brass. The mantel above is
[77]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
elegantly carved, and came from the Elias Hasket
Derby mansion.
A soapstone fireplace with grate is shown in the
General Stephen Abbot house on Federal Street,
where General Abbot, who served under Washington,
entertained the latter during his visit to Salem.
Behind this, fireplace is a secret closet, large enough
to conceal three men, where, during troublous times,
slaves were hidden.
With the advent of the furnace, many beautiful
fireplaces were closed up, or taken away to be re-
placed by modern ones that lacked in every respect
the dignity and grace of the colonial specimens.
Happily this state of affairs was of short duration,
and to-day the fireplace in all its original charm
is a feature of many homes. To be sure, it is now
a luxury rather than a necessity, but it is a luxury
that is enjoyed not only by the wealthy classes, but
by those in moderate circumstances as well, who
appreciate the great decorative advantages of this
feature. Surely there is nothing more homelike
than the warm glow of blazing logs, and it is a
delight to sit before the sputtering flames, and
enjoy the warmth and glow, as did our ancestors
in the long ago.
78]
CHAPTER VII
OLD-TIME WALL PAPERS
THE records of many old-time features are scanty
in detail, and, in consequence, their meaning is
differently and often wrongly interpreted. Even
one who has spent years in delving into the past
secures facts that differ materially from those
obtained by some one else who has spent a like
time in research, and thus accounts of varying
dependency are propounded for reference. This is
especially true in tracing the origin of the old pic-
ture wall papers that, with the revival of colonial
ideas, are again coming into vogue.
One may prate about the papers of to-day, but
they cannot compare either in style or in effect
with these early types, which show designs pa-
tiently and carefully worked out by men who were
masters of their craft, and who, while lacking the
advantages afforded the designers of the present,
nevertheless achieved results that have never been
surpassed. This fact is especially noteworthy,
and it is wholly to the credit of these old-time
[79]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
craftsmen that their products are to-day an
inspiration to architects and home builders who are
seeking the best in the way of interior decoration.
When wall papers first came into use is uncer-
tain, for various authorities with apparently good
reason set different times. China claims the honor
of having originated them, as does Japan, while
Holland boasts the distinction of having first in-
troduced them into other lands. We know for a
certainty that wall papers fashioned in strips three
feet long and fifteen inches wide were made in
Holland centuries ago and introduced into England
and France, and latter-day specimens, of similar
type, are to be found in the homes of the colonists
in our own land.
The printing of these decorative wall papers was
at first done from blocks, much as books were
printed in early times. While it may not have been
block printing, a unique wall hanging of like type
was to be seen until within the last few years in a
colonial house on Essex Street, at Salem — the
Lindall-Andrews dwelling, built in 1740 by Judge
Lindall. This wall paper, printed and hung in
squares, adorned the parlor at the left of the hall-
way, and before its removal a reproduction was
made by Bumstead for a descendant of the first
[80]
PLATE XX. — Cupid and Psyche paper, Safford House.
PLATE XXI. — Venetian paper in Wheelwright House,
Newburyport.
OLD-TIME WALL PAPERS
owner to use on the walls of a room in her summer
home.
Dr. Thomas Barnard, minister of the First
Church, who succeeded in arranging for a com-
promise at the time of Leslie's Retreat, lived in
this dwelling during his pastorate, and on the
walls of the hallway he caused to have painted by
one Bartol of Marblehead, father of Dr. Cyrus
Bartol, a series of wonderfully realistic pastoral
scenes, that have never been removed and are
still to be seen, although their brightness has
been dimmed by time.
Pictorial wall paper did not come into general
favor in Europe until the eighteenth century, the
period that marked the adoption of the long roll
still in vogue. To be sure, this type had been used
much earlier by the Chinese, but machinery for its
fashioning was not invented until the latter half
of the eighteenth century. Up to this time, wall
paper was made in small squares and laboriously
hung, — a fact that made it expensive and accord-
ingly prohibitive to all but the wealthy classes.
Jackson of Battersea in 1744 published a book
of designs taken from Italian scenes and bits of
sculpture. These were pictures done as panels
and printed in oils, and resulted in the adoption
[81]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
of printed wall paper throughout England. From
that time on, as their cost grew less, wall papers
were extensively used in the motherland, which
fact accounts for the general adoption of this type
of wall hanging by the colonists, as the new land
grew richer, and square, substantial homes were
built.
In the early days of the colonies, there were few
mechanics who were able to furnish settings for
the new homes, and consequently the home
builders were forced to depend on foreign lands
for most of their furnishings. Among these, wall
hangings were not included, due partly to the fact
that there was no place for them in the rude cabins
of early times, and partly because they were not
then in general use. Wall papers were first brought
to this country in 1735, though, owing to their
expensiveness, they were not used to any extent
until many years later. The frugal housewife pre-
ferred to paint the walls either in soft gray tones,
with a mixture of gray clay and water, or with
yellow paint, ornamented with a hand-painted
frieze of simple design, often supplemented by a
narrow border stenciled above the chair rail. The
earliest examples of this work depicted the rose,
the poppy, the violet, or the pink, followed later
182]
OLD-TIME WALL PAPERS
by depictions of human interest, such as Indians,
wigwams, forest scenes, etc. This idea has been
carried out in the recently renovated Kimball
house at Georgetown, Massachusetts, where the
mistress of the home has used for wall adornment
hand-painted friezes of soft-tinted flowers and
emblematic designs.
Later, wall papers were brought here in quanti-
ties, and while a number of these rare old hangings
have been removed and replaced by others of
modern type, yet there are many left, each rich in
memories of bygone days. The stories connected
with them will never be known, save the legends
which have been handed down from generation to
generation, and which the present grandames love
to repeat, as they sit at twilight by the open fire,
and the roaring of the logs recalls to mind the olden
days.
Much of the wall paper brought here was made
to order from accurate measurements, and much
was carefully selected in accordance with previous
instructions. Often special patterns were pur-
chased for a new home by a young lover, and into
their selection went fond and happy thoughts of
the bride-to-be.
Even to this day one occasionally finds, stored
[83]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
away in some old attic, rolls of priceless paper which
had been brought here years ago and never used.
To the student and dreamer such a discovery is
rich in association, and even to the practical home
maker it is fraught with suggestions. There is
something genuine about it, a touch of quaintness
and simplicity that, for lack of a more accurate
term, we call colonial.
From one such attic, not so very long ago, were
brought to light rolls of rare old paper, which had
been hidden away under the eaves for forty years.
Upon investigation this was found to be the Don
Quixote pattern, one of the three rarest types
known, depicting the story of this quaint character
from the time of his leaving his home accompanied
by his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, to the time
of his return, a sadder and wiser man. The scenes
are worked out in soft gray tones, wonderfully
blended, providing a harmonious and attractive
ensemble.
On the walls of a third-story room in the Andrew
house on Washington Square, Salem, is shown a
wonderful wall paper, representing an old-time
English hunt. In the first picture of the series
the soft green of the trees furnishes a contrasting
background for the red coats of the hunters who,
[841
OLD-TIME WALL PAPERS
on prancing steeds, with yelping hounds grouped
about, are ready for the start. Then follow the
run over hill and dale, past cottages where wonder-
ing peasants gape in open-mouthed admiration
at the brilliant train as it flashes by, and the bring-
ing of the fox to bay, ending with the luncheon
upon the greensward, showing the huntsmen and
their ladies fair enjoying a well-earned repast.
When this dwelling was first built, the parlor,
at the right of the hallway, was papered in a rare
old hanging, that was removed when defaced, the
owners at the time giving little thought to its
value. In the room, since its erection, has hung a
great, handsomely framed mirror, occupying an
entire panel space. Behind this mirror, a short
time ago, when the room was to be repapered, a
panel of the first wall covering was discovered, as
distinct in coloring and detail as the day it was
placed there. It is one of twelve panels, — con-
sisting of twenty-six breadths each five feet seven
inches long by twenty inches wide, fifteen hundred
blocks being used in its printing, — depicting the
marriage of Cupid and Psyche, Psyche's lack of
faith, and the sad ending of the romance, and is a
pattern that is numbered among the most noted
designed. The panel found here has been pre-
[85]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
served, and the old mirror hung in place hides it
from view.
Such papers are a keen delight to lovers of the
colonial, for they convey their meaning clearly and
attractively in well-chosen and harmonious color-
ing. Contrasted with present papers, depicting
designs figured or flowered, they show their worth,
and it is little wonder that architects have dis-
covered their fascination, and are having old ideas
in new dress depicted on the walls of many modern
dwellings.
The colonists understood harmony in home
decoration, and their wall hangings as well as their
furniture were carefully chosen. They purchased
papers to suit their apartments, and the colors
were selected with a view to the best effect, so that
the soft white of the woodwork might be in keep-
ing with their pictorial value. Consistency is the
keynote of the colonial interior, and it is this
feature that has given to homes of this type that
touch of distinction that no other period of archi-
tecture possesses.
The old wall papers all represent foreign scenes,
those of France and England predominating, the
latter in a greater degree than the former, though
the French papers were more highly finished than
[861
OLD-TIME WALL PAPERS
the English. When the colonist became prosper-
ous, and the newest fashions of the motherland
were eagerly copied, wall papers of both types were
imported ; many of these are still preserved, showing
shadings done by hand with the utmost care, and col-
orings of lovely reds, blues, and browns, all produced
by the use of from fifteen to twenty sets of blocks.
One of the most exquisite of French papers is
shown in the Knapp house at Newburyport, Massa-
chusetts, built by a Revolutionary hero, at the
time of the erection of the Lee Mansion at Marble-
head. This paper is thought to have been fash-
ioned in the first quarter of the nineteenth century,
and in type it is like that found on the hall of the
"Hermitage," Andrew Jackson's residence near
Nashville, Tennessee. It is produced in wonder-
ful shades of soft green, red, peacock blue, and white,
all undimmed by time, and it represents scenes
from Fenelon's "Adventure of Telemachus," a
favorite novelty in Paris in 1820.
Other fine examples of this type of paper, which
have never been hung, are still preserved in the
home of Major George Whipple at Salem, having
been imported about 1800. These show different
scenes, including representations of gateways and
fountains, with people in the foreground.
[87]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
Natural scenes were favorite themes with many
designers, one such example being a Venetian
scheme still shown on the walls of the Wheelwright
house in Newburyport, a fine, colonial dwelling,
built a hundred years ago by an ancestor of
William Wheelwright, whose energies resulted
in the first railroad over the Andes. This paper
is found in the drawing-room, and another, illustra-
tive of a chariot race, is shown in one of the cham-
bers.
The Bay of Naples was another favorite theme
with designers ; in fact, it was numbered among
the best-liked subjects. Its faithfulness of detail
and exquisite coloring are no doubt responsible for
this popularity, and then, too, no other subject
could better bear repetition. Other favorite views
were scenes of France, more particularly of Paris,
and these types were in great favor during Wash-
ington's administration and that of John Adams,
though later they lost caste.
The new landscape papers suggest the old ones,
though they are unlike them in tone and character,
except in cases where specimens have been taken as
models and copied with faithful exactness. Such
instances, however, are rare. The best examples
of old specimens of this type date from twenty-five
[88]
OLD-TIME WALL PAPERS
years prior to the Revolution up to about fifty
years afterwards.
Fine examples of such paper are still to be seen
at the Lee Mansion at Marblehead, now the home
of the Marblehead Historical Society. These,
like many others, were made to order in England by
accurate measurements, proof positive of this fact
being gleaned a few years ago when the panel
between the two windows in the upper hall was
peeled off, and on the back was found the following
inscription, "n Regent Street, London. Between
windows, upper hall." They are all excellently
preserved, and constitute probably the most remark-
able set in America. For the most part, they are
done in gray, outlined in black, and depict old
Roman ruins, set like framed pictures, in alterna-
tion with strange heraldic devices, like coats of
arms. In some of the rooms the papers are in
sepia tones, showing castellated scenery, sailboats
gliding over lakes, and peasant figures loitering
along the shore.
Another interesting wall paper is found at Hills-
boro, New Hampshire, in the home of Governor
Pierce, father of Franklin Pierce, fourteenth Presi-
dent of the United States, which is now used as an
inn. The room that it adorns is set apart, and the
[89]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
pattern depicts galleys setting sail for foreign lands,
while to the music of the harpsichord, the gentry
dance upon the lawn. In its prime this estate was
one of the show places of Hillsboro, with beautiful
gardens surrounding the house, and interesting
features in the way of peacocks that proudly dis-
played themselves to the gaze of admiring guests.
Unlike these old-time papers, and yet equally as
distinctive, is the wall covering in the hall of the
Warner house at Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
This is a series of paintings, extending the length of
the staircase, and constituting the most unique
wall adornment in the country. Ever since the
hall was finished, there has been displayed at the
staircase landing, in the broad spaces at either side
of the central window, life-sized paintings of two
Indians, highly decorated and finely executed,
thought to be representations of fur traders of early
times ; but the rest of the series was lost to view
for a long time until about sixty years ago, when the
hall was repaired. During the process of renova-
tion, four coats of paper that had accumulated were
removed, and as the last coat was being torn off,
the picture of a horse's hoof was disclosed. This
led to further investigation, and soon a painting of
Governor Phipps, resplendent in scarlet and yel-
[90]
OLD-TIME WALL PAPERS
low, seated on his charger, was brought to light,
followed by the representation of a lady carding wool
at a colonial spinning-wheel, who had been inter-
rupted in her task by the alighting of a hawk
among chickens. Next came a Scriptural scene,
that of Abraham offering up Isaac, followed by a
foreign city scene, and several other sketches, cov-
ering in all an area of between four and five hundred
square feet. The entire paintings to-day are
presented in their original beauty, and they lend
to the fine hall an atmosphere of interesting quaint-
ness.
But whatever their type, the old wall hangings
are always attractive. Sometimes it is the sub-
ject that most strongly appeals, again it is the
coloring, or it may be the effect, but in any event
each and every one serves the purpose for which
it was intended, and a room hung with old-time
wall paper is undeniably beautiful, affording a
setting that modern effects rarely equal.
CHAPTER VIII
OLD CHAIRS AND SOFAS
THERE is a charm about old furnishings that
cannot fail to appeal to all lovers of the quaint and
interesting, and a study of their characteristics is a
diversion well worth while. Old-time cabinet-mak-
ers understood the value of bestowing upon details
the same consideration they gave main features,
and, as a result, their work shows that harmony
that gives to it £n interest not found in later types,
and which, more than anything else, has helped
bring it into prominence in the equipment of mod-
ern dwellings. While this is true of all colonial
fittings, it is especially true of the chair, for this
article more than any other depicts the gradual
betterment of rudely formed beginnings culmi-
nating in the work of the three master craftsmen,
Chippendale, Hepplewhite, and Sheraton, whose
designs, even to-day, serve as an inspiration to high-
class cabinet-makers.
In the early days of the colonies, chairs were
[92]
PLATE XXIV. — Queen Anne, Fiddle Back; Queen Anne,
stuffed chair; Dutch Chair, carved; Empire Lyre-backed
Roundabout on Chippendale lines, 1825.
PLATE XXV. — Chippendale, Lord Timothy Dexter's Collection,
H. P. Benson; French Chair, showing Empire influence;
OLD CHAIRS AND SOFAS
scarce appurtenances, and the few used, generally
not more than three in number in each home, and
known as forms, were very rudely constructed,
being in reality stools or benches, fashioned after
the English designs then in vogue. Later, these
developed into the high-backed settles, which are
so much used in a modified form to-day.
By the middle of the seventeenth century, chairs
had come into more common usage, the type then
in favor being strong and solid of frame, with seat
and back covered with durable leather or Turkey
work. Generally, the legs and stretches were
plain, though sometimes the legs and back posts
were turned.
Specimens of the turned variety, which are the
first seats that really could be termed chairs, are
very scarce to-day, the best examples being found
at Pilgrim Hall at Plymouth, in the home of Hon.
John D. Long at Hingham, Massachusetts, in
the Heard house at Ipswich, Massachusetts, and
in the Waters collection at Salem, where one
specimen shows a covering which is a reproduc-
tion, having been fashioned to exactly match in
design and texture the original one it replaced
when that one wore out.
The year 1700 marked the introduction of the
[93]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
slat-back chair, which enjoyed a long period of
popularity. The number of slats at the back,
characteristic of this type, varied with the time of
making, the first specimens showing but two,
while later types showed five. These chairs were
solid and strong of frame, and in Pennsylvania
were made curved to fit the back, affording a com-
fortable support. They included, in addition to
ordinary chairs, armchairs, and it was to an arm-
chair of this make that Benjamin Franklin affixed
rockers, thus inventing the first American rocking-
chair and inaugurating a fashion that has never
waned in popularity. This first rocking-chair
and its contemporaries, which did not antedate
the Revolutionary War by any great number of
years, had rockers that projected as far in the
front as they did at the back, — a peculiarity that
makes them easily recognizable to-day. Later,
this objection was remedied, and the present type
of rocking-chair came into fashion.
From 1710 to 1720 the banister-back chair was
much used, though it never enjoyed equal favor
with the slat-back type. Instead of the horizontal
slats typical of the earlier model, the banister-
back chair showed upright spindles, usually four
in number, and generally flat, though sometimes
[94]
OLD CHAIRS AND SOFAS
rounded at the back. Its seat, like that of the
slat back, was of rush, and it was fashioned of
either hard or soft wood, and almost always painted
black. One interesting example of this make is
found at "Highfield," the ancestral home of the
Adams family at Byfield, Massachusetts, having
been brought here in the early days of the dwell-
ing's erection by Anne Sewall Longfellow, who came
here the bride of Abraham Adams, and who
brought the chair herself from her old home across
the fields that divided the two estates, so that no
harm would befall it. It has been carefully treas-
ured by her descendants, and to-day occupies its
original resting place by the side of the wide old
fireplace, where, on the night before the Battle
of Bunker Hill, leaden bullets used in that historic
encounter were cast.
Slightly later than these types came the Dutch
chair, sometimes severely plain in design, and
again pierced and curiously carved. One excel-
lent example of this model, formerly owned by
Moll Pitcher, the famous soothsayer of Lynn,
who told one's fate by the teacup at her home at
High Rock, is now preserved in a Chestnut Street
dwelling at Salem, and shows the straight legs
and straight foot of the best class of the Dutch
[95]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
type, and the usual rush seat. Most Dutch speci-
mens found their way to Dutch settlements,
though many were brought to New England direct
from northern Holland.
Easy chairs which came into style not long after
the slat-back model, proved the most comfortable
type yet invented, and served as a welcome varia-
tion from the straight and stiff-backed chairs up
to that time in favor. They were stuffed at back
and sides, and covered with patch or material of
like nature. Owing to the amount of material
which was used in stuffing and covering them,
their cost was considerable, varying from one to
five pounds, according to the style and quality
of covering used.
The most common and popular chairs of the
eighteenth century were those of the Windsor
type, manufactured in this country as early as
1725, and deriving their name from the town in
England where they originated. The story of their
origin is most interesting. The reigning George
of that day, the second of his name, saw in a shep-
herd's cottage a chair which he greatly admired.
He bought it to use as a model, thus setting the
stamp of kingly approval on this type, and bring-
ing it into immediate favor. It is not related what
[96]
PLATE XXVI. — Chippendale Arm Chair, showing straight, square
legs; Chippendale Chair; Chippendale, one of a set of six,
QnOWincr R r»CRtf #» r}#*cirrn • f^liir*r*f>nrla !#» Arm f^Koir ur««>Vk
PLATE XXVII. — Empire Sofa; Cornucopia Sofa; Sofa in Adams
OLD CHAIRS AND SOFAS
color he had his chairs painted, but the general
coloring employed was either black or dark green,
though some chairs were not painted at all. The
finish of the back of this type was varied to suit
different fancies, some few having a comblike
extension on top as a head-rest, while others had
a curved or bowlike horizontal top piece, like
a fan. These types originated the names comb
back and fan back, by which Windsor chairs of
these types are known. American manufacturers
in general copied the English styles, though they
also developed several variations. Many Ameri-
can Windsors, particularly the fan backs, are
equipped with rockers, the date of their manu-
facture coming after the Revolution.
But Windsor chairs, popular and fine as they
were, by no means were the best type developed
in this century, for this period marked a great
change in the history of cabinet-making, resulting
in the development of wonderful designs, exqui-
sitely blended and finished. First on the list of
the new master craftsmen was Chippendale, who
in 1753 issued his first book of designs, and whose
models were given first consideration for more than
thirty years. Then, in 1789, followed Hepple-
white, and two years later came Sheraton, while
[97]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
lesser lights, such as the Brothers Adam, Man-
waring, Ince, and Mayhew, all contributed their,
share to the betterment of chair manufacture.
The chair seems to have been Chippendale's
favorite piece of furniture, and in its design he
has blended the finest points in French, Dutch,
and Chinese patterns. His first chairs showed
Dutch influence, and for these he used the cab-
riole leg, greatly improving its curving, with the
Dutch or ball-and-claw foot, the latter more fre-
quently than the former. His chair seats were
broad and flat, and in his backs he disregarded
the usual Dutch types, his uprights generally
joining the top at an angle, and his top piece being
usually bow-shaped. His backs were a little
broader at the top than at the bottom, and he used
the central splat carved and pierced.
Next, his chairs showed Louis the Fifteenth char-
acteristics, notably in the splats, which were often
handsomely carved and pierced. During this time
he produced his ribbon-back chair, though his best
chairs, showing this influence, were upholstered
armchairs, with legs terminating in French scroll
feet. Later, he introduced in his chairs Gothic
and Chinese features, even though the backs still
preserved the Dutch and French features. Fi-
[98]
OLD CHAIRS AND SOFAS
nally, the details of the several features became
much mixed, and at length resulted in a predomi-
nance of Chinese characteristics. Most of his
chairs were done in mahogany, which was a favor-
ite wood in his day, and his skill is especially
displayed in the wonderful carving which is typi-
cal of much of his work. Not only are his chairs
excellently proportioned, but they are so sub-
stantially built that even to-day, after more than
one hundred and fifty years' usage, they show no
sign of wear.
Not a little of his work found its way to New
England homes, many fine specimens at one time
gracing the dwelling of "Lord" Timothy Dexter,
Newburyport's eccentric character, who made his
fortune by selling warming pans to the heathen,
who used the covers for scooping sugar, and the
pans for sirup. His home was filled with quan-
tities of beautiful furniture, including many ex-
cellent Chippendale chairs.
Hepplewhite, the second of the master cabinet-
makers, succeeded Chippendale in popular favor
in 1789, and his furniture, while much lighter and
consequently less durable than that of his prede-
cessor, showed a beauty of form and a wealth
of ornamentation that rendered it most artistic.
[991
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
He employed not only carving of the most delicate
and exquisite nature, but inlay and painting as well,
introducing japanning after the style of Vernis-
Martin work.
The shield or heart-shaped back is one of the
characteristics of his chairs, though he also used
oval backs and sometimes even square backs.
They are all very graceful and delicate, with carved
drapery, and many of the shield-shaped type show
for decoration the three feathers of the Prince of
Wales, Hepplewhite being one of the Prince's
party when sentiment ran strong during the ill-
ness of George III. Other decorations employed
by him were the urn, husk and ear of wheat. The
wood he generally used was mahogany, though oc-
casionally he made use of painted satinwood.
Following close upon the heels of Hepplewhite
came Sheraton, the last of the three great masters
in cabinet-work. His designs were delicate, but
strong, and generally his chair backs were firmer
than those of Hepplewhite. When he had ex-
hausted other forms of decoration, he indulged his
fancy for brilliant coloring, mixing it with both
inlay and carving. Later he embellished his work
with the white and gold of the French style, finally
employing features of the Napoleonic period, such
[100]
PLATE XXVIII. — Sheraton, mahogany frame, about 1800; Sher-
aton with solid arms and straight, slender legs; Sheraton,
PLATE XXIX. — Sheraton, about 1800-, Sofa, about 1820; Sofa,
about 1820, winged legs.
OLD CHAIRS AND SOFAS
as brass mounts and brass inlay. His last seats
show the influence of the Empire type, which came
into vogue in the early days of the nineteenth
century, and the curved piece which he brought
in about 1800 served as a model for nearly a cen-
tury, though it was not adorned with the brass
mounts that he had intended.
His greatest glory as a constructor lies in his
skillful workmanship and his excellent choice of
woods, — satinwood, tulipwood, rosewood, apple-
wood, and occasionally mahogany, being his
selection ; and as a decorator in the color and
arrangement of his marquetry, as well as in the
fact that he never allowed consideration of orna-
ment to affect his work as a whole.
Among the chairs he fashioned was one that has
come to be known in this country as the Martha
Washington chair, from the fact that a specimen
of this type was owned at Mount Vernon. Several
excellent examples of his chairs are found at "Hey
Bonnie Hall," in Bristol, Rhode Island, one of
them being the chair in which John Adams is
said to have died.
Chairs of all types are found in any number of
old-time homes, those in Salem being as represent-
ative as any, for to this old seaport more than to
[101]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
any other, in proportion, rare furnishings were
brought. Many of the pieces are of historic in-
terest, such as the old-time chair of Flemish make,
brought over in the ship Angel Gabriel, which
was wrecked off the coast of Maine ; much of its
cargo was recovered, including this old chair,
which was later brought to Salem in another ship.
Another fine old specimen is the armchair, for
many years the prized possession of Hawthorne,
and an heirloom in his family, which he presented
to the Waters family, in whose possession it now
is.
With the passing of Sheraton, Empire models
held full sway, and, while some of these were com-
fortable and graceful, the majority were massive,
stiff, and extreme in style. Early nineteenth-cen-
tury chairs manufactured in America are of this
type, some of them of rosewood, some of mahogany,
and some painted, while many are of mahogany
veneer.
But while chairs were the most common seats
in the colonies, they were not the only ones, for
old-time homes were supplied with sofas as well.
To be sure, these did not come into use until many
years after the advent of the chair, the time of
their appearance being about the year 1760; the
[102]
OLD CHAIRS AND SOFAS
majority shown are the work of the master cabinet-
makers. Sheraton models are those most com-
monly found here, though the earliest specimens
are of Chippendale manufacture, excellent ex-
amples of his work being still found, many of them
characterized by Louis XV features. A special
design of Chippendale's much in favor was "The
Darby and Joan" sofa, in reality a double seat,
which model, as well as many others that became
very popular, was never shown in his catalogue.
Sheraton sofas came in vogue about 1800, their
graceful designs and handsome carving making
them at once favorites. Many of these showed
eight legs, though later, when his designs became
heavier and more elaborate, only four legs were
used. The coverings of these later specimens
were generally haircloth, fastened with brass nails.
The Brothers Adam also made some of the sofas
found here, their designs showing a peculiar slant-
ing or curved leg which is known as the Adam leg,
and which is also characteristic of some of Shera-
ton's pieces.
About 1820 what was known as the Cornu-
copia sofa came into style, the carving at the arms
showing horns of plenty, which design was often
repeated in the top-rail, while the hollow made by
[103]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
the curve of the decoration was filled with hard,
round pillows, known as "squabs." Contem-
poraneous with this type was the Empire sofa, with
winged legs and claw feet, often covered with
haircloth. One example of this model, exqui-
sitely carved, is in the possession of a Salem family.
But whatever their type or characteristic, the
old-time chair and sofa are distinctive, and it is a
tribute to their worth that in the equipment of
modern homes designers are reverting to them for
inspiration. Likewise it is with relief that we
welcome them, after so long harboring the ugly
monstrosities that followed in favor the Empire
types.
[104]
CHAPTER IX
SIDEBOARDS, BUREAUS, TABLES, ETC.
THE present interest in antiques has brought
into prominence the old-time furnishings, and as
a result ancient hiding places have been forced to
give up their treasures, and hitherto little appre-
ciated relics are now reinstated with all their original
dignity. The architect of the twentieth century
is responsible in a great measure for this, for in
his zest to give to modern homes the best that could
be afforded, he has seen fit to revert to early types
for inspiration ; and with the revival in favor of
these specimens, genuine antiques have come to
be appreciated, and their value has correspond-
ingly increased.
Included among these old-time pieces are chests,
which in early days did service for numerous
purposes. In America they were first fashioned
by workmen who came to this country from for-
eign lands, through the efforts of the first governor,
John Endicott, many of them being employed on
[105]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
plantations, where much of their work was done.
These chests were made of the wood of forest trees,
which then grew so plentifully, and are rude and
simple in construction, in striking contrast to the
rich, hand-carved, mahogany chests, which many
of the colonists brought from the motherland,
packed with their clothing, and which, later on,
were shipped here in large numbers. Old inven-
tories frequently mention both these types of
chests, those manufactured here generally being
spoken of as "owld pine chests." They were
principally used in the chamber and at one side
of the fireplace in the general room, the larger ones
to hold family necessities, such as the homespun
clothing and anything else that needed to be covered,
while the smaller ones served as receptacles for
the skeins of wool from which the handy house-
wife fashioned the family wearing apparel.
Such chests were an intimate part of the home
life in those early times, and viewing their quaint-
ness it is not hard to picture the scenes of which
they were a part, when the house mother, in her
homespun gown, busily spun at her old clock
wheel, drawing the skeins from the chest at her
side, while the little ones, seated on rude benches
before the open fire, carefully filled the quills for
[106]
SIDEBOARDS, BUREAUS, TABLES, ETC.
the next day's supply. Mayhap the eldest daugh-
ter fashioned on the big wheel, under her mother's
guidance, her wedding garments, weaving into
them loving thoughts of the groom-to-be, while the
song in her heart kept time to the merry whirr of
the wheel.
Of the larger type of the "owld pine chest" is
the treasured specimen at Georgetown, known for
many generations as the magic chest, and so
called from the feats it is said to have performed
in the early days of its history, such as walking
up and down stairs, and dancing a merry jig when
a deacon sat upon its lid. It stands to-day quiet
and demure, giving no hint of its former hilarious
tendencies, though it is no longer used for its orig-
inal purpose, — the storing of meal for the family
use.
With the betterment of financial conditions, the
rude pine chests went out of fashion, and in their
stead beautiful hand-carved specimens were
brought from foreign countries. Many of these
show exquisite coloring, any number of examples
being still preserved ; sometimes they were placed
in the chamber, but more frequently on the land-
ing at the head of the stairs.
Chests with drawers were in fashion as early as
[107]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
1650, according to the old records, many of them
handsomely carved, and all showing little egg-
shaped pieces upon the drawers. Some of the
finest of these old chests are shown in the Waters
collection at Salem. Generally they were fash-
ioned of oak, and a frequent characteristic was a
lid on top which lifted off, allowing for the packing
of large articles, while the drawers at the front
were used for storing smaller things. Sometimes
chests are found constructed on frames, but not
often. This type was probably fashioned to hold
linen, being the forerunner of the high chest of
drawers which came into vogue in the later days
of the seventeenth century. Up to some time after
1700, chests continued in general use, though it is
doubtful if they were made in any great quantity
after 1720. The number of legs found on these
chests varies with the time of making, some showing
six, while others have but four.
With the advent of the high chest of drawers,
other woods than oak, such as walnut and cherry,
and later mahogany, became popular; the use
of these woods produced a marked change in chest
designs, notably in the massiveness of build.
Many specimens of both types are found through-
out New England, one very fine example of the
f io81
SIDEBOARDS, BUREAUS, TABLES, ETC.
early type showing the drop handle, which is a
characteristic of the early chest, being included
in the Nathaniel B. Mansfield collection. Another
of the later type, now in the Pickering house,
carefully stored away that no harm may befall it,
shows on one side the initials of Colonel Timothy
Pickering, who used it during his army days.
Dressing tables were made to go with these
chests, following the same lines of design, though
constructed with four rather than six legs. These
came to be designated as "lowboys" in distinc-
tion from the chests mounted upon high legs,
which were known as "highboys." Examples
of both were found in the old General Abbot house
at Salem, until a few years ago ; while a highboy,
showing bandy legs, a characteristic of the earliest
high chest, is a prized possession in the Benson
home, also at Salem.
Many highboys and lowboys .show inlay work,
one of the former, of English manufacture, being
found in the Warner house at Portsmouth, while
another, of different style, is shown in the Osgood
house at Salem.
Lowboys were made to correspond with every
style of the high chest, and frequently they were
constructed of maple, beautifully marked, after
[109]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
the fashion of the chests made of walnut and
cherry. Highboys sometimes took the form of a
double chest, showing drawers extending almost
to the floor, and mounted on varied-style feet,
frequently of the claw-and-ball type. These, as well
as lowboys, continued to be regularly used until
well into the last quarter of the eighteenth century.
Hepplewhite's book of designs, published in 1789,
shows models for chests of drawers extending al-
most to the floor, but it is not probable that they
were made in any number after this date.
The desk occupied a prominent place in New
England homes in the early days of the col-
onies, though not to the extent of the other and more
necessary articles of furniture. It varied in size and
design according to the period of its manufacture,
the earliest type being little more than a box that
locked, with flat or sloping top, and placed on the
table when used. This type was often ornamented
with rich carving, and sometimes it was arranged
upon legs, with a shelf beneath.
The form in common use about 1700 was known
as the "scrutoir," being in reality a desk resting
on a chest of drawers; the sloping front opened
on hinges, and afforded a writing desk. One ex-
ample of this type, fitted with ball feet, and show-
[iiol
SIDEBOARDS, BUREAUS, TABLES, ETC.
ing secret drawers and many cupboards, is found
in the Ropes house in Salem, being an inheritance
from the original owner, General Israel Putnam.
Another of equal interest is in the home of Mrs.
Guerdon Howe at Haverhill. This originally
belonged to Daniel Webster, who was at one time
a law partner of Mr. Howe's grandfather. This
desk, which was brought to the house after the
death of Webster, is filled with old and interesting
letters.
The earliest "scrutoirs" were of foreign manu-
facture, chiefly English, but by 1710 they were
being made in this country. These early Ameri-
can "scrutoirs" are very plain in form, generally
made of cherry, though occasionally one is found
constructed of walnut. After the first quarter
of the eighteenth century, American manufac-
turers improved their output, and made some very
handsome specimens of the type known as bureau
desks. One excellent example of the very early
bureau desk of foreign make is found in the pos-
session of the Alden family, having been brought
to this country in the Mayflower by John Alden
himself.
By 1750 the desk in its various forms had come
to be considered an important part of the house-
[in]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
hold equipment, and in their manufacture many
woods were employed, such as mahogany, cherry,
apple, and black walnut, sometimes solid, and some-
times veneered. The following thirty years saw
the advent of many new styles, two of which were
more dominant than the rest; one of these was
the development of the early "scrutoir," and the
other the forerunner of the bookcase desk or sec-
retary.
During this period Chippendale designed several
desk models, the most notable of which was prob-
ably his secretary, characterized by Chinese fret
designs in the glass doors, and an ingenious ar-
rangement of secret drawers. In 1790 Hepple-
white followed with his designs, many of which
were severe in contour, being wholly straight in
front and arranged with two glass doors above,
sometimes fancifully framed. Then Sheraton's
desks and secretaries came into favor ; many of his
models showed practical features and beautiful
finish, and after 1793 were generally character-
ized by inlay work, with the lower portion con-
sisting of a cupboard instead of the usual drawers.
During these latter days of the eighteenth cen-
tury, beautiful secretaries were manufactured in
this country, ranging in form from the very plain
[112]
SIDEBOARDS, BUREAUS, TABLES, ETC.
to the very elaborate, but after 1800, when some few
French Empire desks found their way here, serv-
ing as models for American manufacturers, the
domestic output became less graceful, depending
for beauty on the grain of the veneering used.
Many of all these types of desks are found
throughout New England, one particularly good
specimen being shown in the Noyes house at
Newburyport; This belongs to a period antedat-
ing the Revolutionary War, and shows the oval
which is characteristic of its type. Among its
features are paneled doors one and one half inches
thick.
Though the date of their introduction was not
until well along in the eighteenth century, side-
boards are prominent among the old-time furnish-
ings, and in the highest state of their development
they were articles of beauty and utility. In
reality they are a development of the serving
table, which came into vogue in the first half of the
eighteenth century, and in form are a combina-
tion of the serving table and its accompanying
pieces. At first they were little more than un-
wieldy, unattractive chests of drawers, gradually
developing to their best form, with carved front,
slender legs, and other details. In their con-
[113]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
struction, mahogany was chiefly used, inlaid with
satinwood, holly, tulip, and maple, and veneered
occasionally with walnut; and they showed in
their finished lines the best work of the skilled
craftsman. The last type of the old sideboard
showed Empire characteristics, being more massive
than graceful, but yet containing features of marked
beauty.
While Chippendale is often credited with having
made sideboards, no record of this fact is found
among his designs, though he makes frequent
mention of several large tables, which he calls
sideboard tables. No doubt, many of the side-
boards credited to him were made by Shearer, a
designer to whom belongs the credit of originating
the sideboard, and who included in his designs
pieces with curved and serpentine fronts, a style
which was later perfected by Hepplewhite. There
is no doubt that Hepplewhite made sideboards,
for in his book of designs he shows a sideboard
model, with a deep drawer at each end and a shal-
low one in the center, as well as four different
designs in the table form, without the drawers,
which are similar to Chippendale's work. Hepple-
white's sideboards are characterized by square
legs, often ending in the spadefoot, the ends some-
[114]
SIDEBOARDS, BUREAUS, TABLES, ETC.
times square and sometimes round, the front
swelled, straight, or curved, affording a great
variety to his work. Generally his sideboards
are made of mahogany, and almost invariably
they are inlaid, though occasionally they show
carving.
Sheraton also designed sideboards, and while
in general appearance they somewhat resemble
Hepplewhite's designs, in many respects they are
superior. They were equipped with any number
of devices, such as cellarets, closets for wine
bottles, slides for the serving tray, and racks for
plates and glasses, and many of them are lavishly
ornamented with inlay work, though few show
carving.
Examples of all these types are found in the col-
onies, one of Hepplewhite design showing the
fine inlay work and graceful proportions typical
of his pieces and originally owned by Governor
Wentworth, being in the possession of a Salem
family. Another, of Sheraton make, is preserved
in the Stark home, having been brought here from
the Governor Pierce house at Hillsboro. Another
of like make is found in the Howe house, having
originally belonged to an ancestor of the present
owner, Governor John Leverett, governor of
[115]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
Massachusetts during the time of King Philip's
War.
Shortly after 1800, the style of sideboard greatly
changed, becoming more massive, with the body
placed nearer the floor, and the legs shorter.
French Empire styles influenced the manufac-
ture in this country to a great extent, though carv-
ing and the grain of the wood were still depended
upon for ornament, rather than the French fea-
tures. The best examples of this type are to-day
found in the South; 1820-1830 saw the advent of
a plainer model, being in reality an adaptation of
one of Sheraton's types ; in the following years
other variations were made, all showing the heavi-
ness of the Empire style in a more or less degree,
until about 1850, when the architectural merits
of the sideboard disappeared.
Intimately associated with the sideboard is the
table which probably shows more variety in design
than any of the other old-time furnishings. From
the table board or top used in 1624, square, oval,
or round in contour, evolved the butterfly table
popular about 1700, many examples of which are
found throughout Connecticut. These followed in
form the outline of a butterfly, and were supported
by pieces of wood shaped much like the rudder
[116]
PLATE XXXVI. — Dressing Table, 1760; Mahogany Commode,
collection of Nathan C. Osgood, Esq.
PLATE XXXVII. — Sheraton Sideboard ; Simple form of Sheraton
Sideboard, with line inlay around drawers and doors. Date 1800.
SIDEBOARDS, BUREAUS, TABLES, ETC.
of a ship. Other types popular here were the
Dutch table, the hundred-legged table, the dish-
top table, and the tea table.
The first table used in this country was the
table top, which was literally a board made sep-
arate from its supports, which was taken off and
placed at one side of the room after meals. This
showed different forms, and was known by different
names, one called the chair table, and so constructed
that when not in use it served as a seat, being prob-
ably the most unique. It was invariably fash-
ioned with drawers.
Included in the later designs were writing tables
fashioned by Sheraton, showing elegant carving
at the back, the most decorative of these, known
as the "Kidney" based table, being used either
for writing or as a lady's worktable. Another
model of Sheraton's was a worktable known as
the Pouch Table, arranged with a bag of drawn
silk. These were often fitted with drawers and a
sliding desk, which drew forward from beneath
the table top.
The dining table of this period showed the pillar
and claw style with central leg fixed to a block,
on which the table hinged. This principle re-
ceived the support of the English people for many
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
years, and Sheraton tables of this make had four
claws to each pillar, and castors of brass. So
much did Sheraton designs resemble those of
French artisans that only close inspection will
decide as to which cabinet-maker a certain piece
belongs.
Following this type came the telescopic table,
showing extensions fitted through slides moving
in grooved channels.
Other later tables were card tables, which closed
and could be stood against the wall when not in
use, the pie-crust table of the Dutch style of make,
and the table with scalloped moldings carved from
solid pieces of wood, with legs terminating in
claw-and-ball feet. Tables of Empire design often
have brass feet and lyre supports, while others
show the rope carving and acanthus leaf.
Popular types of the later days of the eighteenth
century were Pembroke tables, small and of orna-
mental design, with inlaid tops and brackets to
supply the two side flaps, as well as Pier tables,
circular or serpentine in shape.
[118]
CHAPTER X
FOUR-POSTERS
AT no time since the days of the Renaissance
has interest been so keen in interior decoration as
it is at the present day, not only as regards the
main living rooms of the home, but the sleeping
apartments as well. This has resulted in a revival
of old-time features, and the chamber fittings of
the present in many cases are similar in type to
those of early times, when purely classical designs
were in vogue, — models that have never been sur-
passed in beauty by later designers, though many
a fine piece of furniture has been made since then
by expert cabinet-makers.
Early specimens showed a delicacy of touch and
a mastery of thought that gave to them a lasting
place in the world of architecture, and while the
coming historian may dilate upon twentieth-cen-
tury models, he cannot make any comparison
that will in any way be derogatory to these wonder-
fully fine old pieces. In early days, labor was a
[119]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
very different problem from what it is to-day,
years being often spent in the making of a single
specimen of furniture, and, indeed, in some coun-
tries, a workman has been known to have spent
his whole life in the fashioning of a single piece.
Taking these points into consideration, one can-
not wonder that early century pieces are still as
perfect as they were the day that they left the
makers' hands, and it is with regret that he views
the hurry and rush of modern times resulting in the
practical abolition of hand carving, and the intro-
duction of machinery that has helped in the deteri-
oration of the art. Reproductions, as they are made
to-day, while in many cases very beautiful, cannot
equal in finish the originals fashioned at a time
when art was the first consideration.
Fortunately, many genuine antiques are still
in existence, and present interest for the most
part centers in their types and periods of manu-
facture. With so many periods and so many
makers, it is not surprising that mistakes in these
respects are sometimes made, especially as regards
the bedstead. For the best of these, one need not
search farther back than the seventeenth century,
for the most valuable specimens were made in the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, many of
[120]
FOUR-POSTERS
these today bringing from two to three hundred
dollars apiece.
Of course, these fine beds were not the first beds
used here, though no doubt the earlier types, as
well as these later specimens, were imported from
England, along with the other household furnish-
ings. If any bedsteads were made here, they
were undoubtedly simple and unpretentious, along
the lines of the settle and board tables.
The articles of furniture devised by people of
different countries for comfort in sleep vary accord-
ing to climate and the progress of civilization. The
bed of our primeval ancestors consisted of dried
mosses and leaves, with a canopy of waving leaves
above. Later, through the need of shelter from
the frost and protection from crawling insects, a
rude structure consisting of a framework of poles,
covered with branches, was substituted. Probably
the first authentic representation of a bed is found
on ancient Egyptian tombs, depicting a long,
narrow receptacle, suited for but one person.
Greek and Roman beds, representations of which
have also been found, are of the single type, resem-
bling in shape the Flemish couches made in the latter
half of the seventeenth century, while the Greek
thalamos, another type, showed a framework of
[121]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
great beauty, curiously carved, and decked with
ivory, gold, silver, and precious stones. Roman
luxury outvied that of Greece, as is shown by speci-
mens that have been found in Pompeii, and the
hangings of the bed, while receiving special atten-
tion, seemed to be less highly prized than the frame,
probably on account of the mildness of the climate.
The eleventh century saw the half-savage people
of northern Europe building beds into the walls
of their rooms, and fitting them with doors and
sliding panels to insure against the cold. These
cupboard couches are reproduced in a modified
form in many summer homes to-day, being ar-
ranged like steamer berths.
After the Norman Conquest, beds of this type
came into favor in England, though they were
quickly superseded by a great oaken bed with
roofed-over top. This was arranged in the center
of the room, and heavily curtained for protection
against the wind that blew in through the cracks
of the poorly hung doors and the unglazed windows,
closed only by loosely fitted shutters. Many of
these beds were of prodigious size, the most historic,
"'The Great Bed of Ware" to which Shakespeare
alludes, being twelve feet square, built of solid oak,
and finished with the most elaborate carving im-
[122]
FOUR-POSTERS
aginable. This bed is known to have furnished
sleeping accommodations for twelve persons at one
time, and it has stood for nearly four centuries in
an ancient inn, located in the town of Ware. In
style, this is a four-poster, and doubtless marks
the induction of this, the most expensive but the
most popular bed of its day.
Old-time four-posters consisted, as do those we
see to-day, of four posts, supporting a tester,
and connected laterally by sidepieces which were
almost always undecorated, as the bedspread was
supposed to fall over the sides of the bed and cover
them. A headboard was considered almost in-
dispensable, although it is absent in some cases.
It was usually rather low and decorated with
carving, more or less elaborate. The footboard
was sometimes used, but was quite often omitted
in the older specimens, and seems to have come into
favor later on, as an additional detail. When the
posts were lowered, the footboard rose into prom-
inence, but this was not until after the first quarter
of the nineteenth century had elapsed.
Many of the beds had a canvas bottom, held in
place either by iron rods or ropes, or sometimes by
both. It was "sackcloth and ashes" at house-
cleaning time in those days, for either kind required
[123]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
the united strength of several muscular arms to
put it together. The hair mattress was unknown
at that period, and in its place was used brown
linen sacking filled with straw and buttoned at
one side, so that the straw could be easily removed
at any time. This formed the lower strata of the
bed, and above it were laid innumerable feather
beds, piled one above the other, so high that often
steps were necessary assistants in getting into bed.
In colonial homes, where bedrooms were fireless,
curtains and hangings were important accessories
of the bed to shield the sleeper from drafts. These
were often made of linen, handspun by some mem-
ber of the household, and while many were white,
some were in colors. One of these, of blue and
white homespun pattern, edged with hand-made
ball fringe, has been in constant use for generations,
and as yet shows not the slightest sign of wear.
It is now owned by a fortunate Salem woman.
Many of these hangings were made of chintz
and hand-embroidered linen, and in homes of
limited means they were also made of patch,
following the style of the quilt. Blankets were
likewise home-made, of handspun wool, adorned
with roses in each corner, which gave them the
name of rose blankets. A blue and white home-
[124]
£
o
2
C3
J5
u
J3
—
"bb
FOUR-POSTERS
spun counterpane added the finishing touch, and
often the hangings of the bed were of this same
material, the curtains being drawn back loosely
so that, on cold nights, they could be permitted
to fall about the bed. Often both counterpane
and hangings were finished with a hand-made
netted fringe, varying in width from five to eight
inches.
While beds were a scarcity in the rude homes of
our early ancestors, still they were sometimes
brought here from over the seas, as is proven
from an account written by Rev. Robert Crowell
in his History of Essex, in which he speaks of two
bedrooms in Darius Cogswell's house. These
were divided off from the main room by handsome
curtains that were stretched the whole way across,
and, in the bed reserved for visitors, the guests of
the night lay inclosed with curtains to exclude the
night air; these, when drawn in the morning,
allowed one to peer through the cracks in the
shrunken logs at the world outside.
Most of our ancestors, however, were content
with much simpler beds than this, for mere frames,
with curtains and valances, were most frequently
used, the beds stuffed with straw or feathers
plucked from live geese, or poultry, and laid on
[125]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
the floor. Among these early types are "Cup-
board" or "Presse" bedsteads, frequently men-
tioned in the inventories from which we gather
much of our information. These, when not in
use, were fastened up against the wall, proving
valuable space savers where space was limited.
Bunks were another type of the early bed in use
here, one specimen, used in early days for slaves
who were in the family, being still shown at the
Adams house at Byfield.
Possibly the early settlers may have used a bed
that is still in fashion among the Kentucky moun-
taineers, known as "Wild Bill." This is a one-
poster, rather than a four-poster, and occupies a
corner of the loft in a log cabin. The side and
end of the cabin serve for headboard and one side
of the bed ; saplings nailed to the solitary post that
runs from roof to flooring supply footboard and
sidepiece ; springy poles, running crosswise, uphold
the home-made straw mattress and feather bed.
Doubtless the rest of the mountaineer who uses
this is sweet, but to one unused to it, it seems a
diabolical bed !
When life in the new country became easier, furni-
ture of all kinds was brought here from England,
much of it of the Queen Anne period. This com-
[126]
FOUR-POSTERS
prised, among other details, four-posters made of
black walnut, this wood having superseded English
oak in popular favor during the preceding reign of
William and Mary. Panelings and moldings that
had done duty during the Jacobean period were
retained in all their splendor, and to these were
added the new feature of the claw-and-ball foot.
Our oldest beds belong to this period, unless we
consider Presse bedsteads or Cupboard bedsteads,
already spoken of, as real beds. The Dutch
name for such contrivances was "slaw-bank,"
and they might be said to be the forerunner of the
latter-day folding bed.
Mahogany was first used in England in the year
1720, and therefore it belongs to the Georgian
period. Four-posters of this material, as con-
structed in the early days of their popularity, had
slender and delicate posts, which were sometimes
fluted and sometimes carved. In these earlier
specimens the headboards were simply made and
left undecorated. At this time great advance in
the designing of furniture was made, for cabinet-
makers published books of designs, and Chippen-
dale, who was doubtless the greatest English
exponent of his craft, designed beds with footpieces
and sidepieces, carefully paneled and carved. He
[ 127 1
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
used tall and slender posts, and carving of the
most elaborate nature. Genuine Chippendale beds
are rare in America, and they are not common in
England, seeming almost as if he had executed
this piece of furniture less frequently than any
other. We have, however, beautiful specimens
which were modeled after Chippendale designs.
In English furniture making, the brothers Adam
held the supremacy from 1775 until the end of the
century. They endeavored to restore the simply
classical styles of Greece and Rome, with Greek
ornamental figures, such as the acanthus, urns,
shells, rosettes, and female heads. They made a
smaller bed than the Chippendale pattern, with
lower posts and less abundant carving.
Hepplewhite's influence culminated some ten
years later than that of the brothers Adam. He
designed four-posters of attractive delicacy, used
carved rosettes and a delicately carved beading
by way of decoration, and delighted to place an
urn-shaped section, lightly festooned with drapery,
on the post where the sidepiece joins the standard.
Sheraton was the last of the noted cabinet-makers
of the Georgian period, commencing to publish
his designs in 1790. They were distinguished for
the use of inlaid work, and later on he developed
[128]
FOUR-POSTERS
painted designs. In his work he introduced many
light woods, such as whitewood, satinwood, and
sycamore, which, when painted green, was termed
harewood. The trend of sentiment at that time
seemed to be toward simplicity and delicacy.
The last great change in the old four-poster was
made, curiously enough, in deference to Napoleon,
for it was through his influence that ancient Roman
decorations, such as the laurel wreath and the
torch, were revived. England had her mental
reservations regarding this type, however, and by
the time the fashion reached America it simply
lowered the bedposts. It was the beginning of the
end, however, and forty years later came the Renais-
sance of black walnut, and with it the relegation
of the old four-posters to attic and storehouse,
or else to the chopping block. Saddest of all,
their owners were glad to see them go, on account
of the difficulty of putting them together. In
the revival of colonial fittings, the four-poster
has again been restored to favor, and in many
modern homes the old four-poster is the chamber's
most pleasing feature.
There are some wonderfully fine old four-posters
in America. One of these, in the Howe house
at Haverhill, showing slender posts, surmounted
[129]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
by the ball and eagle, is made of brass. Originally'
it belonged to the first owner of the dwelling,
Dr. Nathaniel Saltonstall, a contemporary of
George Washington, and a descendant of Sir
Richard Saltonstall. It has never been out of the
family since its importation, the present owner
being the widow of the first owner's great-grand-
son.
Historic through the fact that it once graced
the chamber of Oliver Wendell Holmes is the ex-
quisite four-poster now in a Salem house. This
is characterized by a richness of design that is most
attractive, and the hangings are in keeping with
the exquisiteness of the whole. In this same dwell-
ing is another old poster, this time of the low type,
that came into vogue about 1825. This shows but
little of the carving that is a feature of the older
types.
Other fine old four-posters can be found in Salem.
One is of Hepplewhite make, showing the slender
posts and fluting of his type, while another is con-
sidered one of the best specimens in New Eng-
land, with a drapery of patch that is probably all
of a hundred years old.
At Dunbarton, New Hampshire, in the old
Stark mansion, is a fine example of the Field bed-
[130]
FOUR-POSTERS
stead, standing exactly as it did when Lafayette
occupied it so many years ago, and still known by
the name then given to it, the Lafayette bed.
In the Middleton house at Bristol is a most
interesting four-poster, done in white, the gift to
a bride of long ago. Lately this has been repainted
exactly as it was when first placed in the house,
the design depicted, that of the bow and arrow,
showing as clear and dainty as when first traced. In
another chamber in this same old home is another
four-poster that was brought direct from Leghorn.
Both of these rare specimens have been in the
family since the building of the homestead.
Examples of these fine old beds are growing scarcer
and rarer each year, and their value is correspond-
ingly increasing. Some years ago they could be
had almost for the asking, but with their revival
in favor, their worth has increased. They depict
an era that is associated with the best in the
way of design and craftsmanship, and not a few
of them have historic associations that render
them particularly notable.
CHAPTER XI
MIRRORS
THE heavily freighted ships that came into the
harbor in the days of Salem's commercial prosperity
brought in their holds many valuables, including
mirrors, several of which are to-day found in
Salem homes. Not a few of these are ancestral
heirlooms, closely interlinked with interesting
family histories, and their depths have reflected the
faces of many old-time belles.
Even in the earliest days of the colonies, mirrors
formed a part of the household accessories, for our
Puritan ancestors, scorning as they did all pretence
of personal vanity, did not forbear to glimpse
their appearance before they wended their way to
service on Sabbath morn. Proof positive of their
use at this time is to-day in existence in the form
of inventories that list the prices and tell odd,
descriptive stories concerning them, as, for instance,
a record of 1684 tnat speaks of "a large looking-
glass and brasses valued at two pounds, five
shillings."
MIRRORS
The origin of the mirror is shrouded in mystery
and the time of its invention uncertain, but there is
no doubt that rude reflectors were made to serve
the purpose in South Europe and Asia, at least three
hundred years before the Christian Era. These
were made of metal, varied in shape, and they were
considered necessary toilet accessories. All were
highly polished, and several showed handles elabo-
rately wrought.
Small mirrors of polished iron or bronze were
used by the early Chinese, who wore them as
ornaments at their girdles, attached to a cord that
held the handle or knob. Who knows but these
may have been forerunners of the "vanity case"
in use to-day !
Small circular placques of polished metal known
as pocket and hand mirrors came into vogue
between the twelfth and the fifteenth centuries.
These, too, were worn at the girdle, and placed
in shallow boxes covered with a lid. The cases
were of ivory, beautifully carved with representa-
tions of love, romance, and, less frequently, of the
hunt.
Looking-glasses when first used were fastened
to the wall like panels, but in the fifteenth century
they became movable. These earlier mirrors show
[i33l
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
a great variety of shapes, and were made of differ-
ent kinds of polished metal.
The Venetians undoubtedly made the first look-
ing-glasses, having been the ones to discover the
art of coating plates of glass with an amalgam of
tin foil and mercury. For over a century they
guarded their secret well, and it was not until
1670 that the art became known in England
through the keenness of an Englishman named
Lambert.
Salem merchants sent their ships to Venetian
ports, and an occasional mirror of this make is
found here. One of these is owned in Salem.
It is about a foot and a half in length, its frame of
gilt surmounted by a cornice and gilt pineapple,
with claw feet.
The introduction of glass mirrors gave rise to a
new industry, — the making of mirror frames. In
this occupation, cabinet-makers found a new vent
for their skill, since by far the larger number of
frames were made of wood. Of course, there were
a few odd frames made, such as those of glass
fitted together at the joints with gilt molding,
but the majority were of wood. The different
styles are characteristic of certain periods or de-
signers, and it is upon the frame rather than upon
[I34J
a
MIRRORS
the glass that one must rely for value, as well as
for date of manufacture.
Previous to the Revolution, the colonists manu-
factured little furniture, and were dependent upon
England, Holland, Spain, and France for their house
furnishings, including mirrors. Many beautiful
specimens thus found their way here, and many are
still to be found in colonial homes. One such is
owned in Salem. This is a Bilboa glass, an es-
pecially fine type, one of several still preserved in
New England, principally in Marblehead. There
is a popular legend that these old glasses were
brought from the Bay of Biscay by sailors for
sweethearts at home, though some authorities
insist that they were imported from Italy and paid
for with dried fish. However this may be, they are
certainly excellent illustrations of the early crafts-
men's skill.
The distinctive feature of the Bilboa glass is a
column of salmon-colored marble on either side
of the gilt frame. This marble is glued or cemented
in small sections to the wood, and in some cases
strips of marble form the border around the frame.
It is ornamented on top by a broken arch sur-
mounted by an urn. Grotesque and grinning
heads top the columns, and a narrow bead molding
[i3Sl
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
surrounds the glass and decorates the lower part
in scroll design.
The earliest type of looking-glasses came into
vogue in the first half of the eighteenth century,
during the reign of Queen Anne of England. The
frames of simple wood gave little hint of the extrav-
agant decorations that were to follow, the only
ornamentation being gilded wooden figures and
squat urns, which were occasionally used.
Owing to the extreme difficulty of making large
pieces of glass, and also because it was not deemed
prudent to waste the smaller pieces, many of the
Queen Anne mirrors were made of two pieces of
glass arranged so that one plate overlapped the
other. Later, these parts were joined by strips of
gilt molding. Several of these mirrors are still
in existence, one of the earlier type being owned by
Mrs. Walter L. Harris of Salem, showing a simple
glass with gilt figure ornament.
One of the finest mirror designers was Chippen-
dale, who wrought out Chinese patterns, his
schemes showing a wonderful weaving of birds,
flowers, animals, and even human beings. One
design, typical of his work, shows a flat wooden
frame cut in graceful arches, with a gilded eagle
perched on top with outspread wings. Gilt rosettes
[136]
MIRRORS
and flowers, as well as ornaments strung on wire,
were frequently used by him , and are considered
characteristic of his type.
It was customary for the frames to rest on a pair
of mirror knobs, which were fitted to the lower
edge of the frame and screwed firmly to the wall.
These knobs were often made of brass, but the
most fashionable ones were of copper overlaid with
Battersea enamel, and framed in rings of brass.
Among the most quaint designs which were
carried out on these mirror knobs were heads of
prominent persons such as Washington, Lafayette,
and Lord Nelson. Bright- colored flowers and
landscapes, the American eagle, and the thirteen
stars, representing the original colonies, were also
frequently used, as were the queer designs of the
funeral urn and weeping willow, that seemed to
especially appeal to our ancestors' taste.
By the year 1780 American mirror manufacturers
had evolved a style peculiarly their own, and the
glasses made at that time were known as Con-
stitution mirrors. The frames were not unusual
in design, generally being made of wood, in more
or less elaborate shapes, but they were original in
their decoration, especially in their tops. These
generally were graced by the American eagle, the
[137]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
newly chosen emblem of the Republic, executed
either in plaster covered with gilt, or in wood.
A good example of the Constitution type is shown
in the Lord house at Newton. The top shows the
usual eagle decoration, though the cornice is over-
hanging, fixing the date of manufacture early
in the nineteenth century. This mirror is espe-
cially historic, having belonged to the brilliant
Revolutionary hero, Henry Knox, General Wash-
ington's most intimate friend.
Another handsome mirror of the same period
is one that was originally in the Harrod mansion
at Newburyport. It was one of the few things
saved when the house was burned at the time of
the great fire in 1812. This mirror now hangs
in the home of a lineal descendant of the Harrod
family in Salem. It is in perfect condition, and
shows the eagle top and draped sides.
The overhanging cornice came into vogue early
in the nineteenth century. A mirror characteristic
of this date is shown in the living room at "High-
field," the Byfield home of the Adams family, built
by Abraham Adams in 1703. It has a gilt frame of
the ordinary picture type, and on account of its
association is most interesting.
A specimen of the same period is shown in the
[138]
MIRRORS
Lord house at Newton. This is decorated with the
figure of a goddess sitting in a chariot drawn by
two rams. The frame is of fine mahogany, with
handsomely carved columns, simply ornamented.
Other types of mirrors popular in the days of
our forefathers were the mantel mirrors that
came into favor early in the eighteenth century,
first in England and later in America. Their
greatest period of popularity was from 1760 until
the commencement of the nineteenth century.
Many of these glasses were oval in shape, though
the majority consisted of three panels of glass sepa-
rated only by narrow moldings of wood. This
style was probably originated by some economical
cabinet-maker who, in order to avoid the heavy
expense which the purchase of large plates in-
volved, designed these. They were most favorably
received upon their introduction, and many of the
old glasses to be found at the present day are of
this style.
One of the most valuable of these three-piece
mantel glasses is that in the drawing-room of the
Fierce-Nichols house on Federal Street at Salem,
the frame of which has attracted the attention of
antiquarians all over the country. It was made
for a bride, who in 1783 came to be mistress of
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
this old home, and it shows a finish of gold and
white harmonizing admirably with the surrounding
white woodwork, exquisitely carved by Samuel
Mclntyre, the noted wood-carver. Its principal
features are slender, fluted columns twined with
garlands, which fancy is repeated in the decorations
of the capitals. Above the glass are two narrow
panels, one of white ornamented with gilt, and the
other of latticework over white. Just beneath the
overhang of the cornice is a row of gilt balls, a
form of decoration that came into style during the
latter part of the eighteenth century, and which
continued to characterize a certain class of mirrors
for several decades.
Late in the nineteenth century mirrors known as
bull's-eyes and girandoles came into vogue. These
were circular in form, the glass usually convex, and
they were made by Chippendale, the Adam
Brothers, and others. The fact of their being con-
vex rendered them impractical for common use,
though it allowed for elaborate framing, and they
were employed rather for ornament than for use.
Looking up the old definition, we find these glasses
alone have the right to be called mirrors, and that
all else save "circular convex" should, properly
speaking, be termed looking-glasses.
[140]
MIRRORS
One good example of this type was in the George
house at Rowley, Massachusetts, now demolished.
It showed a heavy gilt frame, surmounted by an
eagle.
Originally, there were shown in Hamilton Hall,
at Salem, two fine examples of girandoles, with glass
pendants, which in the midst of lighted candles
reflected myriad sparkles. Interesting, indeed,
would be the tales they could tell of fair ladies
in powder and patches, and courtly gallants who
in the long ago gathered in this famous hall to
tread the measures of the minuet ! These giran-
doles were the gift of Mr. Cabot, and they are now
replaced by simpler examples, the originals having
been given to the Saltonstall family, in whose
possession they still are.
Of the late colonial looking-glasses, there are
two general types, the earlier dating back to about
1810 and characterized by an overhanging cornice,
beneath which pendant balls or acorns are fre-
quently found, with frames of wood carved and
gilded, or painted. Further decoration is found in
a panel beneath the cornice ornamented with
various designs, such as a horn of plenty, floral
subjects, or classical scenes.
In the later type, the cornice has disappeared,
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COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
and the frame as a rule is more simply ornamented.
The upper panel, however, has been retained, and
almost invariably it shows a painting of some sort.
Until within a comparatively few years, it was not
a difficult matter to secure mirrors of this type, but
the recent fad for collecting old furniture has caused
many of the best specimens to be purchased, and,
in consequence, really good colonial mirrors are
rapidly becoming scarce, and one is a treasured
possession.
The Kittredge house at North Andover, Massa-
chusetts, shows several fine examples of this later
type, and other examples are to be found in the
Lord house at Newton, and in several Salem
residences. These show a great variety of panels,
ranging from pastoral scenes to horns of' plenty,
and from ships to simple baskets of flowers.
It is interesting to note, in connection with
these old-time mirrors, the influence of the period
reflected in the framing, and also how graphically
the frame depicts the social life of its date of manu-
facture, and the country in which it was designed.
There is a marked flamboyancy in the Venetian de-
signs of the early eighteenth century, changed in
the middle of the same century to a heavy splendor
and inartistic grandeur. England, slightly earlier,
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MIRRORS
gave examples of fruit which many think were
designed by Gibbon, but which materially lack the
freedom of his work.
Scrolls and angles, arabesques and medallions, be-
long to the second half of the eighteenth century.
Many such came to New England, and one of these
mirrors is still seen in a Salem home. Its decora-
tions hint of the influence of the Renaissance, and
it shows medallions decorated with grotesque fig-
ures on either side of the upper panel.
Perhaps as interesting as any of the old mirrors
is the Lafayette mirror, one excellent example of
which is seen in the Osgood house at Salem.
This is small in size, surmounted with a painting of
Lafayette, and is one of a great number designed
in compliment to the beloved Frenchman's visit
to Salem in 1784. It is known as the Courtney
Mirror.
Many of the fine old specimens to be seen in
Salem were brought to New England at the time
of the old seaport town's commercial glory, about
the period of the Revolution, and previous to the
restrictions following the War of 1812. These
were halcyon days in Salem, "before the great
tide of East India trade had ebbed away, leaving
Derby Street stranded, its great wharves given over
[H3]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
to rats and the slow lap of the water among the
dull green piles."
Probably there are few of these old-time mirrors
but have been connected with interesting traditions
and events, and it seems a pity that their histories
have never been compiled, but have been allowed
to pass unrecorded, leaving the imagination to
conjure up scenes of joy and sorrow that have
been reflected in their depths. Still, for all their
unwritten stories each and every one possesses
a glamor of mystery that makes the work of col-
lecting them most fascinating. The personal note
so prevalent in nearly all workmanship of past
centuries is particularly noticeable in the looking-
glass, and perhaps it is this very attribute more
than anything else that lends so great a degree
of charm and attractiveness to them.
[144]
CHAPTER XII
OLD-TIME CLOCKS
THERE is something quaintly pathetic about an
old colonial clock. Its sociability appeals to all
home lovers, as it cheerily ticks the hours away,
with a regularity that is almost human.
The first clocks, if so they might be called,
were composed of two bowls connected by an
opening through which water trickled, drop by
drop, from one to the other. Next came a simple
contrivance consisting of a greased wick tied into
knots. The smoldering of the lighted wick
determined the flight of time.
The first clock, which was made in 807, was
given as a present to the Emperor Claudius. It
was a small clock of bronze inlaid with gold, and
was fitted with twelve small doors. Each one of
these opened at a given time, and allowed tiny
balls to roll out, differing in number according to
the hour represented. Promptly at the strike of
twelve, toy horsemen came prancing out, and
closed every open door. This was a marvel of
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
clock-making that attracted a great deal of atten-
tion.
In 1335, a monk, Peter Lightfoot by name,
constructed a wonderful clock, which he presented
to Glastonbury Abbey. During the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries, many and varied kinds of
clocks were made, and we are assured that this
was a successful venture, even in the early ages,
from the fact that in 1500 a clock-makers' union
was formed.
To one who is interested in the history of clocks,
there is no better place to view them than in
Europe, where the most skilled clock-makers lived
during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Marseilles, Exeter, and Westminster Abbey are
the homes of some of the most wonderful clocks
in the world.
Some of the most beautiful of these were made
by Chippendale and Sheraton, the former manu-
facturing specimens that stood nine feet high and
measured twenty-five inches across. On the door
was placed a reliable thermometer, while on the
inner circle, the signs of the Zodiac were marked,
the outer circle showing the movable features by
means of a sliding ring.
The manufacture of clocks in America began
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OLD-TIME CLOCKS
early in the eighteenth century. Among the
earliest clock-makers was one Benjamin Bagnall,
who learned his trade in England and settled in
Boston in 1712. A record of a meeting of the
selectmen of the town on August 13, 1717, reads :
"that Mr. Joseph Wadsworth, William Welstead,
Esq., and Habijah Savage, Esq., be desired to
treat with Mr. Benjamin Bagnall about making
a Town Clock," and according to the record in
September of that year he was paid for it.
The earliest Bagnall clock on record is of the
pendulum type, in a tall case of pine; on the
inside of the lower door was written : "This clock
put up January 10, 1722." Another, very similar
to this type, belongs to the New England His-
torical Genealogical Society of Boston. The case,
though plain, is handsome and unusual, being
made of solid black walnut. Most of the cases,
however, were made of pine, veneered. The use
of this wood was characteristic of old American-
made cases, while those of old English make were
veneered on oak.
A particularly fine Bagnall clock is in the Hos-
mer collection at Hartford, Connecticut. It is a
black walnut veneer on pine. A peculiarity of
the Bagnall make is the small dial, only twelve
[147]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
inches square. Above the dial is an arched ex-
tension, silvered and engraved with the name of
the maker. Samuel B agnail, son of Benjamin,
has left a few good clocks, thought to be equal to
the work of his father.
The clocks of Enos Doolittle, another colonial
maker, are not numerous enough to give him a
prominent place among the great manufacturers.
Nevertheless, he deserves much praise for the few
good clocks which he has left behind. One of
them is at Hartford, Doolittle's native town.
The case is of beautifully carved cherry, orna-
mented with pilasters on the sides of the case and
face; the top of the case is richly ornamented
with scrolls and carvings. A circular plate above
the dial has the legend "Enos Doolittle, Hartford."
There were many small clock-makers in colonial
days, one, we might say, in every town, who left
a few examples of their work; but none of them
left the number or quality produced by the great
clock-makers, the Willards. Benjamin Willard,
who had shops in Boston, Roxbury, and Grafton,
made a specialty of the musical clock, which he
advertised as playing a tune a day and a psalm
tune on Sundays. Aaron Willard, a brother,
made tall, striking clocks. One of his produc-
[148]
OLD-TIME CLOCKS
tions, owned by Dr. G. Faulkner of Boston, has
run for over one hundred and twenty years. On
the inside of the case is written : "The first short
timepiece made in America, 1784." It is a de-
parture from the ordinary Aaron Willard clock,
because it is so short. The case of mahogany
stands only twenty-six inches high; and there
are scroll feet, turning back. A separate upper
part, with ogre feet, which can be lifted off, con-
tains the movements. Simon Willard, another
brother, in 1802 patented the "Improved time-
piece " which later was known as the " banjo "
because of its resemblance in shape to that in-
strument. The "banjo" which Willard manu-
factured had a convex glass door over the face, a
slim waist with brass ornaments running parallel
to the curve of the box, and a rectangular base,
which was sometimes built with legs for a shelf,
sometimes with an ornamental bracket on the
bottom, in which case the clock was intended for
the wall. The construction of these clocks was
simple; the works were of brass, and capable of
running eight or nine days. There was no strike,
but this clock was a favorite, because of its
accuracy.
Hardly less famous than the Willards was Eli
[I49l
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
Terry, born April, 1773, in East Windsor, Con-
necticut. Before he was twenty-one, he was
recognized as having unusual ingenuity at clock-
making. He had learned the trade from Thomas
Harland, a well-known clock-maker of the times,
had constructed a few old-fashioned hanging
clocks and sold them in his own town. He moved
to Plymouth and continued to make clocks, work-
ing alone till 1800, when he hired a few assistants.
He would start about a dozen movements at a
time, cutting the wheels and teeth with saw and
jack-knife. Each year he made a few trips through
the surrounding country, carrying three or four
clock movements which he sold for about twenty-
five dollars apiece.
Felt tells in his annals that "in 1770, Joseph
Hiller moved from Boston to Salem and took a
shop opposite the courthouse on the exchange."
Later on, in 1789, we learn that Samuel Mullikin
made an agreement to barter clocks for both
English and West Indies goods, and also in ex-
change for country produce. So popular did
they become that we learn that in 1844 there were
in Salem ten clock-makers and eleven jewelers
all working at this trade.
While the colonists still imported many of their
[150]
OLD-TIME CLOCKS
clocks, yet in 1800 clock-making had become such
a thriving industry that wooden cases were con-
stantly being made, the manufacture of the works
being a separate field.
One of the most interesting is a tall grandfather's
clock, showing the moon above the face, at the
Stark house in Dunbarton. This clock formerly
stood in the old Governor Pierce mansion at Hills-
boro. It is very handsome, showing fine inlaid
work on the case.
Varied in shape and size were the numerous
clocks which were found in colonial homes in New
England. They ranged from the tall grandfather's
clock to the smaller wall and bracket pieces. One
kind that was in use, though rarely seen to-day,
is the table clock, a type highly prized by the
colonists, and recorded as a fine timekeeper.
By the early nineteenth century we find the
making of American clocks had become so uni-
versal that they were to be found not only in
many New England houses, but throughout the
South and Middle states as well. Many of the
rarest and oldest were at the plantation manors
of Virginia and Kentucky as well as in New
England.
There are to-day in many houses colonial
[151]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
clocks valued not only for their worth, but for
association's sake. One of these is in the home
of Mr. John Albree at Swampscott, Massachu-
setts. It is considered one of the oldest of its
kind in the United States, and was brought from
England in the year 1635 by one John Albree,
and has been in the family ever since. It is known
as the weaver's clock, and has one hand only.
These clocks are very rare, only a very few being
known of.
Singularly enough, few people, even those who
are the most interested in clocks and their making,
know much about their early history and con-
struction. The purchase of a clock at the present
time means not only the case, but the entire works
as well. It was, however, far different in the early
days, at least while the tall clocks were so popu-
lar. Transportation was difficult, so the clock
peddlers contented themselves by slinging half a
dozen clock movements over the saddle and start-
ing out to find purchasers. After the works were
purchased, and the family felt they had twenty
pounds to spare, they called in a local cabinet-
maker, and often the whole of the amount went
into the making of the case. Naturally, a certain-
shaped case was made to fit a certain movement,
OLD-TIME CLOCKS
so that definite types of clocks were found, but it
must be remembered that the case gave no indi-
cation of the period of the maker of the movements.
One of the first types of clocks made in America
was the wall clock. This was set on a shelf
through which slits were cut for the pendulum
and weight cords to fall. These were known as
"lantern," "bird cage," or "wag-at-the-wall," later
replaced by the more imposing "Grandfather,"
which served a double duty as timekeeper and as
one of the "show pieces" of furniture.
The first known Terry clock was made in 1792.
It was built with a long, handsome case and with
a silver-plated dial, engraved with Terry's name.
This clock, just as it was when Eli Terry set it
going for the first time with all the pride which
he must have had in his first accomplishment, is
now in the possession of the Terry family.
There was an interesting clock of this type in
the General Stephen Abbot house on Federal
Street, Salem, and another is still in the possession
of Mr. Henry Mills of Saugus, Massachusetts.
Terry introduced a patent shelf clock, with a
short case. This made the clock much more
marketable, because it was short enough to allow
of easy transportation and at the same time
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COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
offered the inducement of a well-made and in-
expensive case.
The patent shelf clock was a surprise to the
rivals of Terry, because this change in construc-
tion had produced an absolutely new and im-
proved model, — an unheard-of thing in clock
making. The conservatism before shown by the
colonial makers had stunted the growth of clock
improvements in many ways, hence Terry's new
invention produced a sensation.
The change was such as to allow the play of
weights on each side and the whole length of the
case. The placing of the pendulum, crown wheel,
and verge in front of the wheels, and between the
dial and the movement, was another space-saving
device, as was also the changing of the dial wheels
from the outside to the inside of the movement
plates. The escapement was transferred by hang-
ing the verge on a steel pin, instead of on a long,
heavy shaft inside the plates. This allowed the
clock to be fastened to the case in back, making
the pendulum accessible by removing only the
dial. Thus Terry fairly revolutionized small-
clock making, by introducing a new form, more
compact, more serviceable, and cheaper than any
of the older makes.
[154]
OLD-TIME CLOCKS
In 1807 Terry bought an old mill in Plymouth
and fitted it up so as to make his clocks by ma-
chinery. About this time several Waterbury men
associated themselves to supply Terry with the
materials, if he would make the clocks. With this
steady income from machine-made clocks, and
the profits from extra sales, he made, in a very
short time, what was then considered quite a
fortune.
In 1808 he started five hundred clocks at once,
— an undertaking which was considered foolhardy.
People argued that there weren't enough people in
the colonies to buy so many clocks, but neverthe-
less the clocks sold rapidly. In 1810 Terry sold
out to Seth Thomas and Silas Hoadley, two of
his head workmen. The new company was a
leader in colonial clock manufacturing for a num-
ber of years, until competition brought the prices
of clocks down to five and ten dollars.
All these years Terry had been experimenting,
and in 1814 he introduced his pillar scroll top
case. This upset the clock trade to such an
extent that the old-fashioned hanging, wooden
clocks, which hitherto had been the leading type,
were forced out of existence. The shape of the
scroll top case is rectangular, the case, with
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COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
small feet and top, standing about twenty-five
inches high. On the front edges of the case are
pillars, twenty-one inches long, three quarters of
an inch in diameter at the base, and three eighths
at the top, having, as a rule, square bases. The
dial, which takes up a half or more of the whole
front, is eleven inches square, while below is a
tablet about seven by eleven inches. The dial
is not over-ornamental and has suitable spandrels
in the corners. The scroll top is found plain as
well as highly carved, but always the idea of the
scroll is present.
Terry sold the right to manufacture the clock
to Seth Thomas for a thousand dollars. At first
they each made about six thousand clocks a year,
but later increased the output to twelve thousand.
The clocks were great favorites and sold easily for
fifteen dollars each.
Another conservatism of the colonial clock-
makers was the sharp division which they made
between the use of wood and brass in the manu-
facture of the movements. The one-day clocks
were made of wood throughout, and this pre-
vented their use on water Or even their exporta-
tion, because the works would swell in the damp-
ness and render the clock useless. The eight-day
[ 156 ]
OLD-TIME CLOCKS
clocks were made of brass, but the extra cost of
the movements sufficient to make the clock run
eight days excluded many people, who had to re-
main content with the one-day clock.
It was not till 1837 that it occurred to any of
these ingenious makers of timepieces to produce
a one-day clock out of brass. To Chauncey
Jerome, the first exporter of clocks from America
to England in the year 1824, the honor was re-
served of applying the principle of the cheap wire
pinion to the brass, one-day clock. Thus began
the revolution of American clock manufacturing,
which has placed this country before all the world
as a leader in cheap and accurate watch and clock
making.
"The whirr and bustle of hundreds of factories
of to-day, which manufacture watches and clocks
at an output of thousands per year, is a strong
contrast to the slow and laborious construction of
the old colonial clocks. And not only is there a
contrast in their manufacture, but when one
compares the finished products of the year 1700
and 1900 side by side, one is conscious of con-
flicting emotions. There is naturally a decided
feeling of admiration for the artistically designed
timepiece of the twentieth century on the one
[157]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
hand, and, on the other, an irresistibly sentimental
sensation when standing before a dignified, an-
cient, tall clock, on the door of which one reads : —
" I am old and worn as my face appears,
For I have walked on time for a hundred years,
Many have fallen since my race began,
Many will fall ere my race is run.
I have buried the World with its hopes and fears
In my long, long march of a hundred years."
[158]
"*T
PLATE XLIX.— Whale Oil Lamps with Wicks; Mantel
Lamps, 1815 ; Paul and Virginia Candelabra.
CHAPTER XIII
OLD-TIME LIGHTS
SINCE the introduction of gas and electric light,
the old-time lamp has ceased to be a necessity,
though in many instances it still does service as
the receptacle for the gas jet or electric bulb.
Likewise, candlesticks and candelabra are still in
use, not, of course, as necessities, as they were a
century ago, but yet doing efficient service in the
homes of people who realize that the soft glow
of the candle affords an artistic touch that noth-
ing else can give. Undeniably, there is a pecul-
iar fascination about candlelight that few can
resist, and in whatever room it is used, that room
is benefited through its attractiveness.
It is only when harking back that one realizes
the strides that have been made in house light-
ing. In the early days, when the country was
new, the only light was firelight, candlewood, or
pine torches. To be sure, there was always the
punched lantern, hung on the wall ready for use
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
at a moment's notice, but this was for outside
rather than inside lighting.
The earliest artificial light used by the colonist
was candlewood, or pine torches. These torches
were cut from trees in near-by forests, and were
in reality short sections of dry, pitch-pine log
from the heart of the wood, cut into thin strips,
eight inches in length. The resinous quality of
the wood caused these little splinters to burn like
torches, hence their name. The drippings from
them were caught on flat stones, which were laid
just inside the fireplace; and to make a brighter
light several torches were burned at one time,
their steady flame, combined with the flickering
blaze of the roaring logs, casting into the room
just enough light by which to accomplish the
simple tasks which had to be performed after
nightfall.
Even this rude means of lighting was not avail-
able in some homes, for it is not uncommon to
read in old chronicles of lessons being learned by
the light of the fire only. While such a state of
affairs would be looked upon as a calamity to-day,
it was not without compensation, for the merry
flames of the huge logs, as they flickered and danced
on the hearth, cast a cheerful light on the closed
[160]
OLD-TIME LIGHTS
shutters, and against the brown walls, much to
the delight of the little ones, who, seated on rude
benches close at hand, threw hickory shavings into
the fire to make it flame faster, or poked the great
backlog with the long iron peel to make the sparks
fly upward.
Candlewood fagots were in use throughout New
England until the early part of the eighteenth
century, and it was customary each fall to cut
enough wood to supply the family demand for a
year. In some Northern states, these fagots were
commonly used until 1820, while in the South
they are used in a few sections even to-day, being
often carried in the hand like a lantern.
When candles were first used here, they were
imported from England, but their cost was so
high that they were prohibitive save for festive
occasions. The scarcity of domestic animals in
the new land barred their being killed save for
meat, and thus was lost an opportunity for candle
making that was seriously felt. Some people, in-
cluding Governors Winthrop and Higginson, in
1620 sent to England for supplies of tallow or
suet to make their own candles, but the majority
had to be content with candlewood. These first
candles were fashioned without wicks, being pro-
[161]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
vided instead with pith taken from the common
rush and generally known as rush light, — a light-
ing which possessed disadvantages, inasmuch as
it burned but dimly and lasted but a short time.
Even in 1634 we find that candles could not be
bought for less than fourpence apiece, — a price
above the limited purses of the majority. For-
tunately, the rivers were abundantly stocked with
fish, and these were caught and killed, and their
livers tried out for oil. This oil, which was crude,
was principally used in lanterns, the wicks being
made of loosely spun hemp and tow, often dipped
in saltpeter.
The earliest lamp was a saucer filled with oil,
and having in the center a twisted rag. This
rude form of wick was used for over a century.
Then came the Betty lamp, a shallow receptacle,
in form either circular, oval, or triangular, and
made of pewter, iron, or brass. Filled with oil, it
had for a wick the twisted rag, which was stuck
into the oil and left protruding at one side. This
type came into use before the invention of matches,
and was lighted by flint and steel, or by a live
coal.
A most unique specimen of the early lamp is
seen in a Salem home. It stands about six inches
[162]
OLD-TIME LIGHTS
high, with a circumference of about twelve inches,
and is an inch thick. It is made of iron, showing
a liplike pitcher, while at the back is a curved
handle. It is arranged to be filled with oil, and
the wick is the twisted rag, which rests on the
nose. Tradition relates that this lamp was used
at the time of the witchcraft delusion, to light
the unfortunate prisoners to jail.
When whale-fishing became the pursuit of the
colonists, an addition to the lighting requisites was
discovered in the form of sperm secured from the
head of the whale. This proved very valuable in
the manufacture of candles, which gave a much
brighter light than the older type. So popular
did this oil become that in 1762 a factory was
established at Germantown, at that time a part
of Quincy, to manufacture sperm oil from its
crude state ; and candles made from this oil were
later sold in Salem by one John Appleton.
At this period, candle making was a home in-
dustry, being included in the fall work of every
good housewife. At candle season, two large
kettles, half filled with water, were hung on the
long iron crane over the roaring fire in the kitchen,
and in this the tallow was melted, having to be
scalded twice before it was ready for use. Across
[163]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
large poles placed on the back of two chairs,
smaller ones, known as candle rods, were laid,
and to each one of these was attached a wick.
Each wick in turn was dipped into the boiling
tallow and then set away to cool. This way of
making candles was slow and tedious, and it re-
quired skill to cool them without cracking, though
an experienced candle-maker could easily fashion
two hundred a day.
Bayberry candles, so much in favor to-day, were
also made in early times. The berries were
gathered in the fall, and thrown into boiling
water, the scum carefully removed as it formed.
At first a dirty green color was secured, but as
the wax refined, the coloring changed to a deli-
cate, soft green. Candles of this type were not
so plentiful as those of tallow, for the berries
emitted but little fat, and they were therefore
carefully treasured by their makers. To-day these
candles are the most popular of all makes, emitting
a pungent odor as they burn, but their cost some-
times makes them prohibitive. Instead of the
housewife always attending to this tedious task,
it was sometimes performed by a person who
went from house to house, making the winter's
supply of bayberry candles. It was customary
[164]
OLD-TIME LIGHTS
for every housekeeper in those days to have quan-
tities of these in her storeroom, often as many as a
thousand.
With the increase in sheep, many were killed,
and the tallow obtained used for candle making.
Such candles were provided with wicks made from
loosely spun hemp, four or five inch lengths being
suspended from each candle rod. The number
of wicks used depended largely on the size of the
kettle of boiling water and tallow. First the
wicks were very carefully straightened, and then
dipped into the tallow, and when cold this process
was repeated until the candle had attained the
right shape. Great care had to be exercised in this
respect, and also that the tallow was kept hot,
the wicks straight, and that the wicks were not
dipped too deep in the boiling tallow. In drying,
care was taken lest they dry too quickly or too
slowly, and also that a board was placed under-
neath to catch the drippings. These drippings,
when cool, were scratched from the board and
used over.
The introduction of candle molds lessened the
task of candle making to a great extent, and, in
addition, secured a better-shaped candle, and one
that burned longer than the old dip type. With
[165]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
their advent came into vogue professional candle-
makers, men who traveled all over the country,
taking with them large molds. In two days' time,
so rapidly did they work, they could make the
entire stock for a family's winter supply. These
candles, when complete, were very carefully packed
away in wooden boxes to insure safety from
mice. They were a jolly set of men, these candle-
makers, who pursued the work for love of the
roving life it afforded, as well as for the money it
netted. They came equipped with the latest
gossip, and their presence was a boon to the tired
house mother, whose duties did not allow of
much social intercourse.
Ordinarily, candles were very sparingly used,
but on festive occasions they were often burned
in great quantities. At Hamilton Hall, in Salem,
built at a cost of twenty-two thousand dollars,
this mode of lighting was a feature, and in the
early part of the nineteenth century, when the
hall was the scene of the old assemblies, it was
lighted by innumerable candles and whale-oil
lamps, so many being required to properly illu-
mine it that it took John Remond, Salem's noted
caterer of that period, several days to prepare
them for use. In those days, informal parties
[166]
OLD-TIME LIGHTS
were much in vogue, commencing promptly at six
and closing promptly at twelve, even if in the
midst of a dance. The dances then enjoyed were
of the contra type, waltzes and polkas being at
that- day unknown. The gentlemen at these gay
assemblies came dressed in Roger de Coverley
coats, small-clothes, and silken stockings, while
the ladies were arrayed in picturesque velvets and
satins, the popular fabrics of the period.
Candlesticks seem always to have been con-
sidered a part of the house furnishings in America,
for we find accounts of them in the earliest records
of the colonies. Many of these were brought
from England, and in colonial dwellings still stand-
ing we find excellent specimens still preserved.
The first candlesticks extensively used here were
rudely fashioned of iron and tin, being among the
first articles of purely domestic manufacture found
in New England. Later, with the building of
more pretentious homes, candlesticks made of
brass, pewter, and silver came into vogue, the
brass ones being the most commonly used, as well
as candelabra, and in the homes of the wealthier
class were found brass wall sconces that were
imported from London and France.
A particularly fine pair of these sconces is
[167]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
found in the Osgood house on Chestnut Street,
Salem. Here the brass filigree work is in the form
of a lyre encircled with a laurel wreath, and sur-
mounted by the head of Apollo. The tree branches
curve gracefully outward from the wreath and
below the lyre.
In the early part of the eighteenth century,
snuffers and snuffer boats, as the trays in which
the candlesticks rested were known, came into
use. These were sometimes of plain design, and
sometimes fanciful, made either of brass or silver.
Pewter was also used for this purpose, and later
it became a favorite metal for the manufacture of
hall lamps and candlesticks.
Lanterns next came into style and were a promi-
nent feature of the hallway furnishing. Many of
these were gilded and many were painted, and
their greatest period of popularity was during the
first part of the eighteenth century. About 1750
the first glass lamps came into favor. These were
not like those of a later period, being very simple
in form, and not particularly graceful.
In 1782 a Frenchman, named Argand, intro-
duced the lamp which still bears his name. This
marked the beginning of the lamp era, and while
at first these lamps were so high in price that they
[168]
OLD-TIME LIGHTS
could only be afforded by the wealthier classes,
later they were produced at a more reasonable
figure, when they came into general use.
The last half of the eighteenth century marked
the adoption of magnificent chandeliers, many of
which are still preserved. One such is found in
the Warner house at Portsmouth, in the parlor
at the right of the wide old hall, a room wherein
have assembled many notable gatherings, for the
Hon. Jonathan Warner was a generous host. This
specimen is among the finest in the country, and
is in keeping with the other fine old-time fittings.
About the beginning of the nineteenth century,
candelabra and lamps with glass prisms were
much used, some of them very simple in design,
being little more than a plain stick with a few
prisms attached, while others were very elabo-
rate. Many of these candlesticks and candelabra
are still preserved, together with the other old-
time lights. In a Jamaica Plain home are some
very valuable specimens of lighting fixtures that
once stood on the mantel in the Sprague House
on Essex Street, Salem, having been brought to
this country by the first owner at the time the
dwelling was being furnished for his bride.
With Fashion's decree that lamps and candelabra
[169]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
should be hung with cut-glass prisms, they attained
great popularity, and sets of three came to be
regular ornaments of the carved mantelpieces.
These sets consisted of a three-pronged candela-
brum for the middle, and a single stick on either
side. The stand was of marble, while the stand-
ards were of gilt. At the base of each candle a
brass ornament, like an inverted crown, supported
the sparkling prisms, which jingled and caught
rainbow reflections at every slight quiver. In the
lamps, frequently the side portions were of bronze,
the lamp for holding the oil being surrounded by
prisms which depended from the central standard.
The flaring chimneys of ground glass softened and
shaded the light, while they also kept it from
flickering in case of sudden draughts.
Up to the year 1837, flint and steel were the
only mode of ignition, and their long association
with old-time lights makes them an intimate part
of them. At first both flint and steel were very
crudely made, but later on, some of the steels
were very ornamental. With them was used a
tinder box, with its store of charred linen to
catch the tiny flame as it leaped toward the steel,
and this, too, must be considered in the review of
old-time lights.
[170]
E
PLATE LII. — Pierced, or Paul Revere Lantern ; Old Hand
Lantern; English Silver Candlesticks; Brass Branching
Candlesticks, Chippendale, 1760.
OLD-TIME LIGHTS
Examples of these and the old forms of lighting
are found in every part of New England and
throughout the South, though perhaps the largest
collection in any single section is found in Salem,
the home of excellent examples of all things
colonial. As one views them, he cannot but be
impressed with their quaintness, and while no
doubt he is thankful for the strides in science
that have made possible the brilliant illumination
of the present, yet in his heart he must acknowl-
edge that the present lights, though in many in-
stances undeniably beautiful, lack the charm of
the old-time types.
CHAPTER XIV
OLD CHINA
CHINA constituted an important part of the
household equipment in colonial days, and while
not as antique as pewter and wooden ware, it
outrivaled both in beauty and popular favor.
Its daintiness of coloring, variety of make, and
exquisiteness of texture afforded a welcome change
from the somber-colored and little varied ware
hitherto used ; and its fragility proved of won-
drous interest to the careful housewife, causing
her to bestow upon it her tenderest care and to
zealously guard it against harm, since it was her
delight to boast that her sets were intact. To-day
it is equally appreciated, and it is displayed on
the shelves of built-in cupboards, with all the
pride of possession exhibited by its original owners.
Old cupboards are somehow always associated
with old china in this country, and in most in-
stances they are worthy of the admiration in which
they are held. In colonial times, cupboards
formed a decorative feature of the house furnishings,
[172]
OLD CHINA
and they were fashioned with as much regard for
shape and finish as the rooms in which they were to
be placed. In time they came to be considered
almost indispensable adjuncts, and with their
increase in favor, their development became
marked. Perhaps the finest type is that with the
shell top, some excellent examples of which are
still preserved, notably in the Brown Inn at Hamil-
ton and in the Dummer house at Byfield, Massa-
chusetts.
Of all the old wares used here, salt glaze is most
rarely found, most collections including not even
a single specimen. This is probably due in a great
measure to its fragility; it is not owing to its
scarcity of import, as large quantities of this ware
were brought here in early times. Examples now
found are principally of Staffordshire manufacture,
made between 1760 and 1780, though much of the
ware that was made about 1720, belonging to the
so-called second period, was shipped here.
A study of all forms of salt glaze is of interest,
but that of English manufacture is of most impor-
tance to American collectors, for it is that type that
the colonists imported, and with which American
collections are most closely associated.
The process of salt glaze manufacture was known
[173]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
in England as early as 1660, and a familiar legend
as to its origin was that it was accidentally discov-
ered through the boiling over of a kettle of brine, the
salt running down the outside of the earthen pot,
and, when cold, hardening upon it, forming a glaze.
This theory has been discredited by later scientists,
and it is not unlikely that it was the invention of
some imaginary individual, but however that may
be, the ware in itself is of unusual attractiveness, and
records show that upon its introduction into Staf-
fordshire, it superseded in favor the dull lead glaze.
The first ware finished by this method was coarse
and brown, a type that remained in vogue until
the early years of the eighteenth century, when a
gray ware was produced. Some of this latter
found its way to America, but the type most famil-
iar here is that manufactured in the closing years
of the eighteenth century, — a ware with a white or
nearly white body, thin and graceful in contour,
and characterized by a very hard saline glaze.
Pepper pots, soup tureens, plates, and pitchers
were among the most common pieces manufactured,
though teapots in various shapes, bottles, vases,
etc., were also made. Some of these pieces have a
plain center and decorated border, while others show
an entirely decorated surface.
[174]
OLD CHINA
Another output of the Staffordshire factories,
now much valued here, are the old toby jugs, many
excellent examples of which were brought here and
have been carefully preserved. In their way
they are as interesting as the finest china bits, their
gay coloring and quaint shape affording a striking
contrast to the delicately tinted and daintily shaped
Lowestoft and like wares.
The first tobies were in reality scarcely more than
hollow figures to which a handle had been attached,
but as time went on they grew more and more like
mugs, and while at first the cap or hat lifted off,
forming a cover, the succeeding style had the hat
incorporated into the mug.
Tobies are broadly classed as Staffordshire, and
while this is probably true of a large portion, Dutch
and German tobies as well as French ones are not
uncommon. A supposed example of the last
named is included in the Page collection at Lynn,
and is known as the Napoleon toby. It is thought
to be French from the fact that the likeness of the
little corporal is not a caricature. English potters
delighted to depict Bonaparte, but they seldom
gave him the attractive countenance of this jug.
They made him tall and thin, or short and abnor-
mally fat, and they decked him in queer clothes,
[i7S]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
and labeled him "Boney." This jug depicts Na-
poleon in a very pleasant guise, suave of counte-
nance and very well dressed. There is a smoothness
of texture and finish about the work which marks
it as distinct from the English tobies, which un-
fortunately frequently lacked these desirable quali-
ties.
English tobies are sometimes classified as young
and old tobies. The terms are expressive, for the
young toby is a figure standing, as if full of vigor
and life, with a jovial, happy-go-lucky expression,
while the old toby is represented seated, with a
worldly-wise face that has the appearance of having
experienced life to the fullest. Both types always
carry a mug in one hand, or both hands, from
which a foaming liquid is about to issue. The
coloring of the old toby is principally yellow, while
the young toby is a combination of brown and
yellow. Of course, both these colorings are varied
with others.
Tobies show considerable variety in modeling
and decoration. Some are jovial in appearance,
others placid, and still others leering. In fact,
every kind of a toby is represented, except a dry
one. In addition to depicting the figures of human
beings, some tobies represented animals, and not a
[176]
PLATE LIV. — Liverpool Pitcher, showing Salem Ship ; Old Chelsea
Ware; Canton China Teapot; Wedgwood, with Rose decora-
PLATE LV. — Gold Luster Pitcher; Staffordshire Pitcher with Rose
decoration; Peacock Delft Pitcher; Jasper Ware Wedgwood
Pitcher. Blue and White.
OLD CHINA
few were in the form of teapots. The latter were
generally finished in blue, with a band of green and
a bit of copper luster, and in height they varied
from twelve to eighteen inches.
Although these drinking mugs were made in
many factories, none bear hallmarks, save those
made at Bennington, and, in consequence, those
are more highly prized by connoisseurs. A unique
specimen among the output of this factory has no
mug in the hand, the arms being arranged close
to the body, which has the appearance of having
no arms at all.
Delft ware, which is at the present time enjoy-
ing great favor among collectors, made the country
where it originated famous, and its history is in
reality the history of Holland's commercial rise.
Besides its age, old Delft has the charm of indi-
viduality. As the designs were handworked, the
ware lacks the precision in drawing that later
stamped pieces have, and shows softened outlines
instead of sharply defined pictures. Nor is old
Delft ware so intense in coloring as its descendants
of to-day. Comparing them side by side on a
plate rail, or hanging on the wall, old Delft is told
by its soft, beautiful blue. Then there is the
charm of association. Coming from a nation of
[177]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
thrift and exemplary housekeeping, Delft, much
more than fragile glass, aristocratic china, or cu-
rious foreign objects, appeals to the collector as a
cheerful, comfortable, homelike thing to collect.
There are undoubtedly many good specimens in
this country to-day, but many more are inacces-
sible. Connecticut, as well as New England
generally, has considerable, for the merchant
princes who brought so many other treasures to
Eastern ports brought also Delft. How much more
of this charming old ware is hidden under peaked
roofs of story-and-a-half farmhouses in some of the
old Dutch settlements along the Hudson and on
Long Island, is unknown, but perhaps we shall
know in another generation or so.
Among our specimens we find more of the Eng-
lish than the Dutch Delft. The latter, which is
the original ware, took its name from the town of
Delft, where the ware was first produced, and
which, for several centuries, continued to be the
chief center of the Delft industry. Although it was
probably made as early as the latter part of the fif-
teenth century, but little is known of it until about
one hundred years later. Its origin was an attempt
on the part of Dutch potters to imitate, in a cheaper
form, Chinese and Japanese wares. At that time
[178]
OLD CHINA
were made large importations of Eastern wares,
and Holland, as the only European power allowed
a port by Japan, had a great variety of types to
copy. The first potteries were established at
Delft about the year 1600, and almost from its
inception the industry was protected by a trust.
For nearly one hundred and fifty years, the pro-
tection of this trust or "Guild of St. Luke" made
Delft an important manufacturing center, giving em-
ployment to nearly one twelfth of its inhabitants.
The best examples of this old Dutch Delft are beau-
tiful copies of Chinese and Japanese porcelain,
which are hardly distinguishable from the Oriental.
A fact worth noting in connection with the
rapid rise and great popularity of Delft is that the
combination or Guild which was instrumental in
the prosperity of the industry was also at least
partly responsible for its downfall. In Holland,
an independent maker could not flourish, but the
progressive English made it very well worth while
for workmen to emigrate.
There was another and perhaps more potent
factor in the decline of the Dutch Delft industry ;
the very success of Delft potters became their
ruin. The market was glutted with their prod-
ucts, and there ceased to be the same demand
[179]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
for it as formerly. Gradually, the English ware,
made of better clay, although cheaper in price, sup-
planted the Dutch ware, even in Holland, and as
early as 1760 the struggle for existence began among
the Dutch potteries. Of the thirty establishments
existing in the beginning of the century, only eight
were working in 1808, and most of these soon after
stopped.
The most common pieces made, in point of
numbers, were the Delft plates. Some excellent
examples of these are found in the Page collection
at Newburyport, one, a peacock plate, being a good
example of Dutch Delft in one of its most popular
patterns. Another shows the design of a basket of
flowers, and this same adornment is on an old
English platter, a piece that deserves not only a
compliment to its beauty, but also a tribute to its
Dutch-English durability, since within a few years
it has been used to hold all of a New England boiled
dinner.
Delft tile was produced almost as commonly
as plates, although at first it was used to illustrate
many designs essentially Dutch, and also religious
subjects. It is on record that the Boston News
Letter of 1716 advertised the first sale of "Fine
Holland Tile" in America, and in that same paper,
[180!
OLD CHINA
three years later, is a notice of "Dutch Tile for
Chimney." From that date on, all through the
century, one may find recurring advertisements
of chimney tiles, on the arrival of every foreign
ship. They must have been imported in vast num-
bers in the aggregate, and they were not expensive,
yet they are rare in New England.
Americans have always been patrons of Delft
ware, and as a result a representative lot of the
very best types is found here, and while it is to be
regretted that the old tiles are not included in any
great numbers in this list, yet those preserved are
eminently satisfactory.
An English writer has said that controversy
always makes a subject interesting. Lowestoft
was already so enchanting a topic that the search-
light of exposition was scarcely needed to reveal
additional charms.
Of the several wares that have been labeled
Lowestoft, there seem to be four distinct varieties.
There is the Simon-pure, soft-paste, Lowestoft
china, made and decorated in the town of Lowe-
stoft; there is the so-called Lowestoft, which is
purely Oriental, being both made and decorated
in China ; there is probably ware made in China
and decorated in Lowestoft ; and there is probably
[1*1]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
ware made in Holland and decorated in Lowestoft.
All of these may bear the printed name of the town,
since members of the company which traded in
them resided at that place. Doubt has been cast
upon every one of these four wares, but the first
two, at least, seem to be cleared of all uncertainty.
For the last half of the eighteenth century, a
factory existed at Lowestoft. This is true, beyond
the shadow of a doubt. It was, however, a small
factory, employing at its best but seventy hands,
and having but one oven and one kiln. It is simply
impossible that great quantities of hard-glaze
porcelain should have been brought from over-
seas, to be decorated, and then fired in this one
small kiln. If the whole output charged up to
Lowestoft had been really hers, the factory must
needs have been the largest in England, which it
certainly was not.
The first ware produced was of a dingy white,
coarse, and semi-opaque. The glaze was slightly
"blued" with cobalt, and speckled with bubbles
and minute black spots, which seemed to show
careless firing. When viewed by transmitted light,
the pieces had a distinctly yellowish tinge. There
was never any distinctive mark, as in the case of
Crown Derby.
[182]
OLD CHINA
About 1790 a change for the better took place
in the character of the ware. Certain French
refugees, driven from their own country by the
lawlessness of the great Revolution, began to come
into England. One of these men, who was named
Rose, obtained employment at the Lowestoft works,
where he soon became head decorator, and intro-
duced taste as well as delicacy of touch into the
product. Underneath many Lowestoft handles
will be found a small rose, which denotes that the
work was done by him. The rose is his mark, but
before this was known, people supposed that it
merely represented the coat of arms for Lowestoft
borough, which was the Tudor rose.
Roses set back to back appear on the highest
grade of Lowestoft china ; and at its best the ware
was finer than any sent out by Bow and Chelsea.
The Lowestoft red is of a peculiar quality, varying
from carmine to ashes of roses, and often approach-
ing a plum color. Roses and garlands of roses in
these lovely hues of pink and purple distinguish
this china. Dainty and familiar are the flowers
and sprigs in natural colors, with delicate borders
in color and gold.
A familiar style of decoration was that of the dark
blue bands, or dots, or other figures, heavily over-
[183]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
laid with gold and often with coats of arms. This
ware is a hard-paste porcelain, and was doubtless
made and decorated in China. The fact that some
of it bears the mark of "Allen Lowestoft," and that
Mr. Allen was manager of the Lowestoft works at
this time, proves nothing beyond the fact that when
the dealer sent his order to China to be filled, he
ordered his name marked on the bottom. Small
quantities of undecorated ware may have been
brought from China and Holland to be painted, but
we have no record of any such transactions ; the
duty was heavy, and the amount of such ware
imported must have been inconsiderable. China
was doing this same work for other countries, and
it is only reasonable to suppose that the managers
of the Lowestoft factory sent the greater part of
their orders to China to be filled by Chinese work-
men upon Chinese material.
This also explains the failure of the company.
It is recorded upon good authority that the ruin
resulted partly from the sharp competition with the
Staffordshire wares, but was precipitated in 1803
by the wreck of one of the vessels carrying a cargo
of porcelain, and by the burning of the Rotter-
dam warehouse by the French army.
Rotterdam, where Lowestoft ware was stored,
[184]
OLD CHINA
was the seat of an immense commerce between
Holland and China. It seems but natural that their
trade in common Delft wares should lead the
Lowestoft company into communication with
wholesale importers of Chinese porcelain, from
whom they could purchase large supplies; and
should also lead them into the establishment, in
England, of a more highly remunerative branch of
their business, through underselling the Dutch
East India Company.
It was customary for the Dutch firms to send over
to their foreign settlements shapes and designs
obtained from European sources, to be reproduced
by native hands. The Lowestoft people did what
all other merchants had done before them, and
through the same channel forwarded to China the
designs of coats of arms, English mottoes, and ini-
tials that were to be printed upon the porcelain
which they had undertaken to supply.
And so the great conflagration of the Lowestoft
controversy was furnished with fuel, and there is
no knowing where it will end, because conclusive
proof is so slight in each case and the partisans
so eager and aggressive. Meantime, our grand-
mother's sprigged china remains a joy and a delight,
whether or no we dare to call it genuine Lowestoft.
[185!
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
There is no mystification about Crown Derby,
but the old ware, which along with Lowestoft was
beloved of the colonists, is as distinctive as any,
and fortunate indeed is the individual who can
boast of having in his possession a specimen. The
works of Derby were established by a French
refugee, named Planche, who had been sojourning
in Saxony until the death of his father, when he
came to Derby in 1745, bringing with him the secret
of china manufacture, as he had learned it in Sax-
ony. We have reason to suppose that he made in
Derby many china figures of cats, dogs, shepherd-
esses, Falstaffs, Minervas, and the like, which Wil-
liam Duesbury, who was an expert enameler in
London, colored for him. Unfortunately, none of
this early output of the factory was marked, and
in consequence it has become sadly confused, not
only with the work of Bow and Chelsea, but with
that of Lowestoft as well. After 1770, a mark
was adopted, and the ware after that date is easily
distinguishable.
William Duesbury bought out Blanche's inter-
est in the Derby works, though he did not dispense
with Blanche's services. Keenly artistic, with a
taste at once discriminating and appreciative,
Duesbury combined a winning personality with his
[186]
OLD CHINA
intellectual gifts. He possessed the faculty of
securing the services of potters of unusual worth,
and throughout his management, which continued
until his death in 1796, he maintained in his output
a standard of pure English art work of the highest
order.
Prominent in the group of potters in his employ
stands the name of William Billingsley, who was
connected with the factory from 1774 to 1796.
At Derby he established his reputation as a painter
of exquisite flowers, and his work is characterized
by a singularly true perception of intrinsic beauty
and decorative value, being original and unham-
pered by traditional technique. The rose was his
favorite flower ; he invariably painted the back of
a rose in his groups, and his justly famed "Billings-
ley Roses" are exceedingly soft in their treatment.
Another favorite of his is the double-flowered stock,
either yellow or white, and always shaded in gray.
In 1785 Duesbury associated with himself his
son, the second William Duesbury, and then
followed the most successful period of the work,
being in reality the Crown Derby epoch par ex-
cellence. After the death of the elder Duesbury,
the second William Duesbury became sole owner of
the Derby works, but failing health compelled him
[187]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
to take Michael Kean into the firm as partner.
After the death of the younger Duesbury, Kean
assumed control of the whole works, but his mis-
management soon resulted in the sale of the factory
to Robert Bloor in 1810.
This marked the commencement of a new dis-
pensation, and after this date the trademark became
"Bloor-Derby." For a time things went on in the
old way, but soon Bloor, in his eagerness to amass
a fortune, yielded to temptation and began to put
on the market ware that had been accumulating
in the storehouse for sixty years, and which Planche
and the Duesburys had considered of inferior
quality and discarded. This ware he decorated
with so-called Japan patterns, to hide defects;
and, to make a bad matter worse, he used for
coloring the flowing under-glaze blue, which was
wholly unsuited to the soft glaze of the Delft
ware, and was sure to " run " in the glost oven.
The train of ruin was now well laid, and by 1822
Bloor was forced to resort to auction sales in the
factory, in order to dispose of his output. The
result was an utter loss of reputation for factory
and product, and before the manufacture had
reached the century mark of its existence, Derby
china was relegated to the past.
[188]
OLD CHINA
Many beautiful specimens of Crown Derby were
imported to this country, one of the finest being in
Mrs. William C. West's collection at Salem, showing
the head of Bacchus with grapevine and wreath
decoration, the whole beautifully colored.
Expressive of the greatest heights which Eng-
lish pottery reached, is the ware of Wedgwood, and
a review of his achievements forms the most
interesting chapter in the history of England's
ceramic art. Of a family of potters, Josiah Wedg-
wood early exhibited the traits which later made him
so justly famous, and a review of his life from the
age of eleven years, when he was put to work in the
potworks, as a thrower, until his death in 1795,
covering a period of fifty-four years, is a review of
the most remarkable story of progressiveness in a
chosen profession ever recorded.
During the early days of his pottery making,
about five years after his apprenticeship had ex-
pired, Wedgwood became associated with Thomas
Whieldon, a potter who had attained considerable
success in the manufacture of combed and agate
wares, and the period of their partnership, which
ended in 1759, was of benefit to both. One of
Wedgwood's first successes was made at this time,
in the invention of a green glaze which Whiel-
[189]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
don used with excellent effect on his cauliflower
ware.
With the expiration of this partnership, Wedg-
wood returned to Burslem, where he soon pur-
chased an interest in the Ivy Works, where he
worked independently, and laid the foundation
for many of his future successes. Among other
things he experimented in perfecting the coarse
cream wares then on the market, and six years
after his coming to the Ivy Works he succeeded in
producing his first real achievement, "Queen's
Ware."
The success of this ware was most pronounced,
and its popularity caused Wedgwood to realh
that a division of labor which would allow him to
look after the creative part and supply some one else
to care for the commercial side of the undertaking
was most important. In 1768, Thomas Bentley
was taken on for this purpose, and at the new
works, to which Wedgwood had previously re-
moved, and known as the Bell House or Brick House,
the new regime went into effect. The popularity
of Queen's Ware had netted him enough to allow
him to make finer productions, and after the finis!
of several schemes, in 1769, he removed to the fa-
mous factory known as Etruria, where his fmesi
[190]
PLATE LVII. — Venetian and English Decanters; Toddy
glasses, about 1800; English Glass with Silver
Coasters. Vert old.
OLD CHINA
work was accomplished, and at which place he re-
mained until his death.
The several wares he manufactured are as varied
as they are beautiful, and, in addition, he pos-
sessed the power to reproduce in a remarkable
degree. This is best exemplified in his replica
of the famous Portland Vase, which is so perfect
that it has often deceived even connoisseurs. An
amusing incident is related in connection with one
of his reproductions, a Delft piece of a dinner set,
which had become broken, and which he fashioned
and sent to the owner by a messenger. The mes-
senger started for his destination, which was but
a short distance, but he did not appear again for a
week. Upon his return, Wedgwood questioned him,
and learned that the family was so delighted with
the reproduction that they had kept the messenger,
feasting him the entire time.
While old Wedgwood in all its forms is appre-
ciated in this country, for some reason or other
cream ware and jasper ware are especially favored
among American collectors. Fine pieces of both
are included in the Rogers collection at Danvers,
the jasper piece being an especially fine specimen.
A review of old china would not seem complete
it including the luster wares, several excellent
[191]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
examples of which are in American collections.
Silver-tinted comes first in point of rarity, though
the rose-spotted Sunderland luster is a close second
in this respect, and really commands a higher
price. Originally, silver luster was a cheap imita-
tion of silver, and first specimens were lustered
inside as well as out, to further increase the de-
ception. When the ware became common, and
the deception was well known, silver luster was
used only on the exterior of vessels in decorations,
and occasionally in conjunction with gold luster.
After 1838, which year marked the introduction of
electroplating, silver luster declined in favor, and
shortly after the completion of the first half of
the nineteenth century ceased to be manufactured.
Numberless beautiful articles were made of this
ware, including quaint candlesticks, teapots, cream
jugs, bowls, salt cellars, and vases.
Copper and gold luster are likewise shown in
a variety of attractive forms, and these, unlike
silver luster, were never made as shams. Wedg-
wood is credited with having first made the copper-
and gold-lustered wares, but authentic proof of
this is lacking. Jugs were often lustered with gold
and copper, the latter usually characterized by bands
of brilliant yellow or colored flowers, sometimes
[192]
OLD CHINA
printed and sometimes painted. The gold luster
was especially fine, and it is this type, together with
copper luster, that is most commonly found. Ex-
cellent specimens of gold-lustered ware are found
in a collection at Lynn, one piece of exceptional
interest having been secured at the time of the
Civil War by a party of Northern soldiers while
devastating a Southern plantation.
[193]
CHAPTER XV
OLD GLASS
OF all the old-time wares, glass, until recently,
has been most rarely collected, and in consequence,
whereas specimens of silver and pewter are com-
paratively abundant, examples of glass are scarce.
There are several reasons for this, the principal
being its fragility; and then, too, the date of il
manufacture is very uncertain. To be sure, the
shape and finish of a glass piece determines in
measure the period of its make, but it is not pi
positive, any more than are the traditions hand<
down in families as to the time of purchase
certain specimens. Yet, notwithstanding all this,
the price of old glass is constantly increasing, an<
within the last few years has almost doubled.
The first glass made was of a coarse type, cru<
in shape, and of greenish coloring, with sand an<
bubbles showing on its surface, detracting from il
finish. Examples of this type are very scai
to-day, bringing prices wholly at variance with theii
attractiveness. Up to the eighteenth century, al
[194]
OLD GLASS
glass was very expensive, making it prohibitive to
all but the wealthy classes, but since that time its
cost has been greatly reduced, and beautiful speci-
mens, of exquisite design, can now be purchased at
prices within the means of almost every one. Of
course, these later specimens do not possess the
quaintness of old-time pieces, and to the collector
they are of no interest whatever. The fad of
collecting has brought into favor the old types,
and throughout the country the regard for old
glassware is constantly increasing, although it
will be some time before it comes into prominence
here in the same measure that it has in England.
While the origin of glass is not definitely certain,
yet specimens are in existence which are known to
have been made before the coming of Christ, such
as the celebrated Portland Vase, a Roman product,
now seen in the British Museum. After the de-
cline of glass making in Rome, the craft was gradu-
ally taken up in Venice and Bohemia, the output
of the former country ranking among the finest
made, and including, among other things, the
exquisite Venetian drinking cups, which are un-
rivaled in beauty.
So important was the craft considered in these
early times that manufacturers received great
[195]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
attention from the government, were dubbed
"Gentlemen," and were looked upon with awe
by the common people. Naturally, great secrecy
surrounded the plying of the craft, and this secrecy
led to the circulation of mysterious tales. One
legend was that the furnace fire created a monster
called the salamander, and it was firmly believed
that at stated intervals he came out of the furnace,
and carried back with him any chance visitor.
People who glanced fearfully into the furnace de-
clared that they saw him curled up at one side of
his fiery bed, and the absence of any workmen was
at once attributed to this monster's having caj
tured him.
The early green glass of the Rhine and Holland,
while made by German-speaking people, cannot be
considered as characteristic of German glass.
These people lived on either side of the mountains
which gird Bohemia on three sides, and divide that
kingdom from Silesia, Saxony, and Bavaria respec-
tively, and the glass they made was painted ii
beautiful colors, the finer kind being engraved in
the upland countries, where water was abundant.
Gilding was also much employed by them, anc
we learn that in the seventeenth and eighteentl
centuries this decoration was fixed by a col<
[196]
OLD GLASS
process ; that is, by simply attaching the gold leaf
by means of varnish. This form of decoration was
only lasting when applied to the sunken parts of
the glass.
Very little of this glass was used in the section
where it was manufactured, nearly the whole
product being exported to Austria, Germany,
Italy, the East, and even to America. The in-
dustry was popular in Bohemia, for it furnished
labor to a part of the population, helping to keep
them from want, and it procured for the rich land-
owners a revenue from the use of their woods.
The factories, which were rudely built, were
located in the center of forest tracts, and they
produced, in addition to ordinary glass pieces,
articles that were intended to be highly worked or
richly engraved, also colored glass, decorated with
gilding and painting. Long experience in the manu-
facture of colored glass had made these workmen
expert in this branch, and any advice they needed,
they obtained from men of information who made
their living by seeking out and selling secrets con-
cerning processes and improvements in glass manu-
facture. All capital required was advanced by
rich lords, who were eager to insure the success of
industries established upon their premises.
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COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
Glass cutting and luster making were regarded
as special trades, being carried on in huts beside
small streams ; and engraving, gilding, and paint-
ing likewise formed separate branches, all paid by
the very lowest wages. Products of all the fac-
tories were collected by agents from commercial
houses, and by them distributed among the various
markets.
Comparison between the Bohemian product and
the older glass upon the market resulted strongly
in favor of the former. It was clear, white, light,
and of agreeable delicacy to the touch, and no other
glass as purely colorless was made until the modern
discovery of flint glass, made by the use of lead.
Through the invention of one Gasper Lehmann,
improved engraving on Bohemian glass became
possible, opening a field for decorative art that
hitherto had been undreamed of. With his pupil
George Schwanhard, he improved designs, and the
world went engraved-glass mad. Nothing but this
type would sell, and as material became scarce,
Venetian pieces, already a hundred years old, were
brought into requisition and engraved.
At the commencement of the seventeenth cen-
tury, some of the Bohemian manufacturers were
producing vases of various shapes enriched with
[198]
OLD GLASS
engraved ornaments, representing scenes, and fre-
quently portraits. Some of the former type are
shown in the wonderful collection owned by Mr.
W. J. Mitchell at Manchester, Massachusetts.
With the pronounced popularity of the Bohemian
engraved vases, artists in other countries began
decorating their ware in like fashion, those of
France employing interlaced flowers. These were
etched on, rather than engraved, however, and
cheapened the ware ; in other countries the results
obtained were no better, all failing to compare
with the Bohemian specimens, for the art of en-
graving here had been learned from long experi-
ence by workmen who were experts in their line.
Many Bohemian pieces showed an original dec-
oration in the way of ornamentations in relief on
the outside, while the art of cameo incrustation
was also first used by Bohemian workers, who
sometimes varied it to obtain odd and pleasing
effects by engraving through an outer casing of
colored glass into an interior of white, transparent,
or enameled glass. One such specimen, a salt
cellar, is shown in the Mitchell collection.
Ruby coloring was a characteristic of many fine
Bohemian pieces, and its acquirement was a source
of despair to any number of workers, it being hard
[199]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
to hit on just the right combination to produce
the desired shade. So important did this feature
become that we learn of one Kunckel, an artist,
being given sixteen hundred ducats by the elector
of Brandenburg to assist in attaining perfection in
this shade of coloring. The ware of this type was
made in the last half of the seventeenth century,
and specimens were the admiration of all beholders.
It is a ware that possesses a strange attraction.
No other type of glass is more a favorite with
collectors than this, and no other encourages the
amateur to greater endeavor in its pursuit, no
matter how discouraging it may be at first. Then,
too, no matter how large the collection may be,
it is never monotonous, for the various specimens
show a great diversity of form and ornamentation.
The collection of Bohemian glass shown at the
Mitchell house at Manchester, contains some
wonderful examples of the art, including decanters
with long and slender stems, odd salt cellars in
frames of silver, bonbon dishes, and numerous
other pieces, some in the rare ruby coloring, and
others in white and gilt.
Other fine pieces are found at the Nichols house
on Federal Street, Salem, and in the Atkinson
collection, also at Salem, while at Andover, at
[200]
PLATE LVIII. — Russian Glass Decanter and Tumblers; Note
the exquisite cutting on this Decanter.
_
*cu
>^
JS
OLD GLASS
the old Kittredge house, many rare bits are to
be seen. All of these specimens are heirlooms,
those in the Kittredge house having been in the
family since the home was erected, in the latter
part of the eighteenth century.
While examples of all types of glass are to be found
in America, perhaps the most common specimens
are of English make, brought to the new country
after business had become firmly established, along
with the other fine household equipments. Among
these are many fine decanters and tumblers of
various designs, particularly interesting from the
part they shared in the long accepted belief that
glass drinking vessels of every kind, made under
certain astronomical influences, would fly to pieces
if any poisonous liquid was placed in them; and
also that drinking glasses of colored ware added
flavor to wine, and detracted materially from
its intoxicating quality. Some of these drinking
glasses, known in England as toddy glasses, were
the forerunners of our present tumblers.
English collections, of course, include much
earlier specimens of the ware than do American,
for it was not until the latter part of the eighteenth
century, when the seaport towns of New England
were at the height of their prosperity, that sea
[201]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
captains brought here from England and other ports
all kinds of glass. Some of the finest of this found
its way to Salem, and in the Waters house, on
Washington Square, are stored some of the rarest
of these specimens. These have all been collected
by Mr. Fitz Waters, who has devoted years in
research of old-time things, and they represent
not only the different periods of manufacture, but
the output of the different countries as well. In-
cluded are many engraved pieces, decanters which
cannot be duplicated, and rare and wonderful
bits, such as toddy glasses and numberless other
glasses of varying kinds, many of them beautifully
engraved with delicate tracery and the tulip of
Holland.
Many beautiful wine glasses and tumblers can
be classified by their name, such as the white
twist stem, made between 1745 and 1757, — the
twisted appearance of the stem being the result of
a peculiar process, — the baluster stem, and the
air twist stem, some of the latter showing domed
feet.
Several of the best types of glasses are shown in
the West collection in Salem. The cutting of the
stems of several of these fix the date of manufacture
at about 1800, while others of unusual shapes
[202]
OLD GLASS
show bird and shield designs, also the wreath and
flower. It is by the design more than anything
else that the date of manufacture is fixed, determin-
ing the choiceness of the piece, and the money it
should bring.
While England has furnished most of the pieces
shown here to-day, yet in the Northend collec-
tion in Salem are several fine Russian specimens.
These are deeply cut, and were brought to this
country from Russia by one John Harrod about
the year 1800. For many years they were stored
in the old Harrod house at Newburyport, finding
their way to their present abode when the Harrod
dwelling was dismantled, the owner being a
descendant of this family. One piece, which is
most unusual, is a deep punch bowl with a cover.
Curiously enough, the first industrial enter-
prise undertaken in America was a factory for the
manufacture of glass bottles. It was built very
early in the history of the Virginia colony, and stood
about a mile from Jamestown, in the midst of a
woodland tract. Later, other factories were erected,
many of them manufacturing glass beads to be used
in trading with the Indians. The oldest glass
plant still doing business, which has been continu-
ous since its beginning, is located at Kensing-
[203]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
ton in Philadelphia, having been established in
1711.
To many it may be still unknown that Bohemian
glassware has been manufactured in this country,
and at a very early period. From Mannheim,
in Germany, in the year 1750, came a certain Baron
Stiegel, whose parents had dubbed him William
Henry. He laid out, in Pennsylvania, the village
which bears the name of his native place, and
there he established ironworks and glassworks, and
deeded a plot of ground to the Lutheran congre-
gation, in consideration of their annual payment,
forever, of one red rose. The glasshouse was dome-
shaped, and so large that a coach-and-six could
enter at the doorway, turn around inside, and drive
out again. He brought skilled workmen from the
best factories in Europe, and made richly colored
bowls and goblets, which have the true Bohemian
ring, and which are now in the possession of local
collectors.
His works did not continue for any length of
time, as he failed in business about five years after
he started, but the old Stiegel house is still standing
in the heart of the town, distinguished by the red
and black bricks of which it is built. And there
still, in the month of June, is often celebrated the
[204]
OLD GLASS
Feast of Roses, one feature of which is the payment
of a great red rose by a church officer to the baron's
descendants.
But of all the old glass made here, perhaps the
bottles form the most interesting portion. For the
first seventy years of the nineteenth century, fancy
pocket flasks and bottles were manufactured in
the United States. The idea of the decorations
probably came, in the first place, from the fact that
English potters were decorating crockery with lo-
cal subjects, in order to catch the American trade.
This glassware, however, was wholly the result of
our own enterprise. The objects here shown were
blown in engraved metal molds, which had been
prepared by professional mold cutters.
Colors and sizes vary too much to be a test of
age. The scarred base and the sheared neck are
the surest sign of age. In all the older forms, the
neck was sheared with scissors, leaving it irregular
and without finishing band ; also, the base always
showed a rough, circular scar, left by breaking
the bottle away from the rod which held it while
the workman was finishing the neck.
Smooth and hollow bases were made between
1850 and 1860 by means of an improvement called
a "snap" or case, which held the bottle. At
[205]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
the same time, a rim was added to the mouth.
The designs were worked out in transparent white,
pale blue, sapphire blue, light green, emerald
green, olive, brown, opalescent, or claret color.
Twenty-nine of these historic flasks bear for orna-
ment some form of the American eagle ; nineteen
different designs display the head of Washington,
and twelve the head of Taylor.
Their shapes varied with the passing of time.
The very earliest were slender and arched in form,
with edges horizontally corrugated; then came in
vogue oval shapes, with edges ribbed vertically.
The next pattern was almost circular in form, with
plain, rounded edges ; and at this time some speci-
mens show a color at the mouth. Then appeared
the calabash, or decanter form, no longer flattened
and shallow, as the others had been, but almost
spherical, with edges that showed vertical corruga-
tion, ribbing, or fluting; with long, slender neck,
finished with a cap at the top; with smoothly
hollowed or hollowed and scarred base.
These were superseded by bottles arched in form,
deep and flattened, having vertically corrugated
edges, a short and broad neck, finished with a
round and narrow heading, and a base either
scarred or flat. Last of all appeared the modern
[206]
OLD GLASS
flask shape, also arched in form, with a broad
shoulder, a narrow base, plainly rounded edges,
and a return to the flattened and shallow type of
the earliest manufactures. The neck had a single
or double beading at the top, and the base was
either flat or smoothly hollowed.
All the Kossuth and Jenny Lind bottles were
made about 1850. The Taylor or Taylor and
Bragg bottles belong to the period of the Mexican
War, and were probably blown in 1848. One of
these bears Taylor's historic command, "A little
more grape, Captain Bragg," as delivered at the
battle of Buena Vista. Another has a portrait
of Washington upon one side, and that of Taylor
upon the other, with the motto, "Gen. Taylor
never surrenders." This shows the circular, can-
teen shape.
One of the very oldest forms known to have been
decorated in this country is the one which bears
in relief a design of the first railroad, represented
by a horse drawing along rails a four-wheeled
car heaped with cotton bales and lumps of coal.
This picture runs lengthwise of the bottle and
bears the legend "Success to the Railroads" about
the margin of the panel. This could not have been
produced earlier than 1825. Some of the Washing-
[207]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
ton designs belong to earlier periods, as do the
eagle and United States flag. Most of the Masonic
decorations belong between 1840 and 1850.
The log cabin designs are connected with the
notable Harrison "hard cider" campaign of 1840,
as are the inkstands made in the form of log cabins,
cider barrels, and beehives. The dark brown
whisky bottles in the shape of a log cabin are
souvenirs of the same period of political excite-
ment, and were made by a New Jersey glass firm
for a certain liquor merchant in Philadelphia.
The Jackson bottles belong to the period of the
stormy thirties. The "Hero of New Orleans"
is represented in uniform, wearing a throat
cutting collar which entirely obscures his ear.
A Connecticut firm, in the late sixties, sent out a
bottle of modern shape, decorated with a double-
headed sheaf of wheat, with rake and pitchfork,
having a star below. At about the same time a
firm in Pittsburg put upon the market a highly
decorated flask, similarly modern in outline, having
upon one side an eagle, monument, and flag ; upon
the reverse, an Indian with bow and arrow, shooting
a bird in the foreground, with a dog and a tree in
the background.
Some bottles of unknown origin were decorated
[208]
PLATE LX. — Bohemian Glass. The center one is rare,
showing figure of Peacock in Red and White ;
English Cut Glass Wineglasses, 1790; English Glass
Decanters. Very fine and rare.
PLATE LXI. — Pewter half-pint, pint and quart Measures, one
hundred years old; Three unusual-shaped Pewter Cream
Jugs ; German Pewter, Whorl pattern.
OLD GLASS
with horns of plenty, vases of flowers, panels of
fruit, sheaves of wheat, a Masonic arch and em-
blems, ship and eight-pointed star, and a bold Pikes
Peak pilgrim with staff and bundle to celebrate
the passage of the Rocky Mountains.
Among the early curio bottles shown are numer-
ous fancy designs in the form of animals, fishes,
eggs, pickles, canteens, cigars, shells, pistols,
violins, lanterns, and the like. To this class
belongs the Moses bottle, which also goes by the
name of Santa Claus. It is of clear and colorless
glass, with a string fastened about the neck and
attached to each end of a stick which crosses
the top.
Should the collector enlarge his fad so as to take
in bottles from foreign lands, he would find that
his collection would gain much in beauty. In
the Metropolitan Museum of New York there
is a very comprehensive exhibit of rare Venetian
glass bottles and vials, which was the gift of James
Jackson Jarves. These are the most brilliant and
elegant types of their kind, graceful and refined,
dainty and ethereal.
[209]
CHAPTER XVI
OLD PEWTER
THERE is a charm about old pewter that is well-
nigh irresistible to the collector of antiques, its
odd shapes, mellow tints, and, above all, its rarity,
luring one in its pursuit. In the days when it was
in general use, — after the decline in favor of the
wooden trencher, — it was but little valued, and
our forbears quaffed their foaming, home-made
ale from pewter tankards, and ate their meals from
pewter dishes with little thought of the promi-
nence this ware would one day attain, or the prices
it would command. To-day pewter represents a
lost art, and the tankards and plates and chargers
which our ancestors used so carelessly are now
pursued with untiring energy, and, if secured, are
treasured as prizes of priceless worth.
Intrinsically, the metal is of little value, being
nothing more than an alloy of tin and lead, with
sometimes a sprinkling of copper, antimony, or
bismuth, but historically it is hugely interesting.
[210]
OLD PEWTER
Like many other old-time features, records of its
early history are scanty, affording but little knowl-
edge of its origin, though proving beyond a doubt
that it was in use in very early times. When it
was first used in China and Japan, — those countries
to which we are forced to turn for the origin of so
many of the old industries, — it is impossible to
ascertain, but it is certain that pewter ware was
made in China two thousand years ago, and there
are to-day specimens of Japanese pewter in
England, known to be all of eleven hundred years
old, these latter pieces being very like some shown
in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Some
old chroniclers claim that the ware was used by the
Phoenicians and early Hebrews, and all agree
that it was manufactured, in certain forms, in
ancient Rome. Proof positive of this fact was
gleaned some years ago, when quantities of old
pewter seals of all shapes and sizes were discovered
in the county of Westmoreland, in England, where
they had evidently been left by the Roman legions
centuries before. It is indeed deplorable that,
owing to their making excellent solder, all these
seals should have been destroyed by enterprising
tinkers in the neighborhood.
As early as the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries,
[211]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
pewter was produced in quantities in France,
Germany, Holland, and Switzerland, and a very
little in Italy and Spain. The year 1550 marked
the period of the most showy development in the
first-named country, of which Francis Briot was
the most celebrated worker. His most noted pro-
ductions were a flagon and salver, with figures,
emblems, marks, and strapwork. These exquisite
pieces were cast in sections, joined together, and
then finished in the most careful manner, in delicate
relief. Briot was followed by Gasper Enderlein,
Swiss, and. by the year 1600 the Nuremberg workers
entered the field with richly wrought plates and
platters. France continued to hold high rank in
pewter manufacture until 1750, after which time
the quality of her output considerably deterio-
rated.
In the sixteenth century the trade sprang up in
Scotland, many excellent pieces of the ware being
produced here, and during the seventeenth century
Dutch and German pewter came to the fore,
being considered, during this period, the best
made. Nuremberg and Ausberg were the cen-
ters of the industry in Germany, while in
Scotland, Edinburgh and Glasgow appear to have
been the chief trade centers. The ware made in
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OLD PEWTER
Spain never seems to have attained any great
degree of perfection, and records of its progress
in this country are extremely scarce. Barcelona
seems to have been the center of the industry,
but just when or where the craft had its inception,
research has been unable to disclose. Certain
it is that no trace of any corporation or guild has
been found prior to the fifteenth century.
English pewter dates back as far as the tenth
century, though few pieces are now in existence
that antedate the seventeenth century. Here, as
in other European countries, the ware was at first
made solely for ecclesiastical purposes, its manu-
facture for household use not becoming popular
until many years later. From the twelfth to the
fifteenth centuries, the ware gradually grew in
importance through northern Europe, though
domestic pewter was used only by the clergy and
nobility up to the fourteenth century. Just when it
became popular for table and kitchen use is not
definitely known, though it is certain that it sup-
planted wooden ware some time in the fifteenth
century.
Pewter reached the height of its popularity
during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries,
though its use for household purposes continued
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COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
throughout the eighteenth and the first part of the
nineteenth centuries. In the sixteenth century the
artistic quality of the ware was greatly improved,
for by an act of James VI the ware was divided
into two grades, the best to be marked with a crown
and hammer, and the second with the maker's
name. Specimens of this century are to-day ex-
tremely scarce, those few examples that do remain
being for the most part found in museums or in
old English castles, where they have remained in
the same family from generation to generation. No
doubt, specimens would have been more plentiful had
not the greater part of the church plate in England
and Scotland been destroyed during the Reformation.
After 1780 pewter was but little used among the
wealthy classes, except in their kitchens and serv-
ants' quarters, where it held sway for a considerable
length of time. In fact, in some of the larger es-
tablishments, it continued to be used regularly
until within the last thirty-five years, and even now
it is used in the servants' hall in two or three of the
large old country houses. It lingered longest in
the taverns and inns, and in the London chop-
houses, being used in the last named until they
were forced out of business through the introduc-
tion of coffee palace and tea rooms.
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OLD PEWTER
English pewter differs materially from that made
in other countries, the workmen employing designs
characterized by a sturdiness and sedate dignity
that raised the ware above that made in other
lands. Almost every conceivable domestic utensil
was made of pewter as well as garden ornaments,
and it is interesting to note, in connection with the
latter, that several urns were designed by the broth-
ers Adam.
The history of pewter making in England might
almost be said to be that of the London Guild or
Worshipful Company of Pewterers, so closely is
the ware allied with it. For a long time this
company or guild controlled the manufacture and
sale of the ware in England, and during the days of
its greatest influence it did much to improve the
quality. At one time it attempted to make
general the employment and recording or marks,
but the rule was not enforced, and an excellent
opportunity of insuring the exact date of manufac-
ture of a certain piece was thus lost.
Several private touch marks were registered at
Pewterers' Hall, but these, together with im-
portant records that the company had compiled,
were destroyed in the great London fire of 1666.
Very few pieces now in existence bear any of these
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COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
touch marks, though occasionally a piece will be
found that shows the regulation London Guild
quality mark, a rose with a crown. The touch
mark was the mark of the maker. This was gener-
ally his name alone, though sometimes his name
was combined with some device, like an animal or
flower.
Scotland boasted a guild at Edinburgh that at
one time enjoyed a fame second only to that of the
celebrated London Company. Touch plates of the
pewterers that were registered here are no longer
in existence, and, indeed, much of the pewter made
in this country bears no mark at all. The usual
hallmark was a thistle and a crown, though there
were several local marks that were frequently used,
which are sometimes found on Scotch pieces.
France, too, had its guilds, but they were abol-
ished by Turgot on the ground that the free right
to labor was a sacred privilege of humanity. Grad-
ually the influence of all the guilds was less keenly
felt, and in time the majority were abolished. After
this the quality and use of pewter steadily de-
clined, and with the coming into favor of china and
other ware, pewter grew to be considered old-
fashioned, and its use was discontinued during the
first years of the nineteenth century.
[216]
OLD PEWTER
The old-time metal played a prominent part in
the first colonial households in America, it being in
many cases the only available ware, but after
a time, as the population and strength of the
young colonies increased, it had to give way, as
in England, to the introduction and steadily
increasing popularity of china. During the seven-
teenth century several English pewterers came to
America to find employment, settling principally
in Boston, Salem, and Plymouth County, and
during the eighteenth century the manufacture
of the ware here became quite common. It is
interesting to note that the greater part of the
American-made pieces bear the name of the maker.
English and Continental pewter was also exten-
sively used here, and, in consequence, American
collections of the present include specimens from
these countries. Most of the pieces now preserved
belong to the eighteenth and early nineteenth
centuries, though there are some few pieces which
are of earlier manufacture.
The value of pewter, like all other antiques,
varies, and a piece is really worth what one can
obtain for it. In England, the highest prices
are paid for sixteenth-century pewter, while in
our own country the product of the eighteenth
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COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
century is that most sought after, and the best
prices are paid for pieces of this period. Eccle-
siastical pewter is rare here, and therefore is
valuable, but it does not hold such high favor in
the collector's regard as do the simple pieces that
once graced the quaint dressers in colonial homes.
The fad for pewter has been productive of much
imitation ware. This is especially true of certain
types which are particularly popular, and, indeed,
were it not for this demand, it would hardly pay to
imitate the old metal, even at the prices now paid
for the same. It costs considerable to make up
spurious bits that are almost entirely like the old-
time pieces, in composition, and, besides, they
must be put through several processes to make
them look old. Consequently, it is safe to assume
that at the present time the number of imitation
pieces on the market is comparatively small, and
in this country there are really few pieces that are
entirely counterfeit. To be sure, plain pieces of
the genuine metal are sometimes ornamented to
increase their value, but lately collectors seem to
regard plain pieces with the greatest favor, and this
form of counterfeiting will no doubt soon dis-
appear.
To-day, in America, there is one manufacturer,
[218]
OLD PEWTER
and perhaps more, who is reviving some of the
original forms and producing pewter reproductions
which are being put on the market as such. For the
modern colonial dining-room these are especially
attractive, serving in every particular the purpose
of decoration, but to the collector they are of no
interest.
America boasts of several fine collections of this
ware, especially in the New England states, where
the chief ports for the trade were located. The
Bigelow collection at Boston includes, besides
plates and platters, rare bits of odd design, many
of them characterized by markings. One such
piece is a hot-water receptacle, showing a shield
decoration on which are marked the initials "H. H.
D." and the date "1796." The lid is ornamented
with two lines and the initials "R. G." Several
quaint lamps are other prized possessions in this
collection, some of them made about 1712, and most
of them of American manufacture. One of them,
the smallest of the group, is marked "N. Y. Moli-
neux." Tankards of the "tappit hen" type are
also preserved here, though they are not precisely
the same shape as the measures of Scotch make
which went by that name ; other pieces included
in the collection are cream jugs, milk pitchers,
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COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
spoons, forks, a water urn, and several odd tan-
kards.
Equally as interesting is the Caliga collection at
Salem. Here are to be seen quantities of this
rare old ware, worked up into almost every con-
ceivable device, and several of the pieces are num-
bered among the choicest in the country. A
squatty little teapot with wooden handle is among
the most interesting specimens, and its history is in
keeping with its quaintness. It was secured by
Mr. Caliga in a little German town during his
residence abroad, and soon after it came into his
possession, it was much sought after by a collec-
tor, who offered a large sum of money for its ac-
quirement. Mr. Caliga refused to part with it,
and later he learned that it was indeed a very rare
piece, being a part of a set which the collector
was endeavoring to obtain for the Duke of Baden,
who owned one of the three pieces, the would-be
purchaser having the second. This teapot has
for a hallmark an angel ; a quaint sugar bowl of
like design, also in this collection, shows a crown
and bird.
An odd pewter lamp, known as a Jewish or
Seven Days' lamp, is included in this collection,
the receptacle for oil being in the lower portion.
[220]
OLD PEWTER
There are two large pewter plates, also, one of
which has the royal coat of arms in the center,
and is surrounded by the whorl pattern. These
plates measure about twenty inches across, and
one has the hallmark of three angels on the back.
Perhaps the rarest bit of pewter in existence to-
day is that owned by a Massachusetts lady. It is of
Japanese manufacture, and is a family heirloom,
through generations back. It first came into pos-
session of the owner's ancestors in 1450; even
at that date it had a history, and, indeed, its bat-
tered sides speak eloquently and forcibly of a past.
It is said to have been the possession of a French
nobleman, who, for some cause or other, was com-
pelled to flee from his native land, and who sought
refuge in England, where he met and married an
English girl. The precious bit remained with
his descendants until the year above mentioned,
when the last of his race, dying without issue,
bequeathed the old relic to his dearest friend, of
whom its present owner is a direct descendant.
But whatever its type and origin, the old ware
is always interesting. To be sure, even at its
best it is plain, relying on its form for its pleasing
appearance, but no other metal better repays its
owner for the care expended upon it. No doubt
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COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
it costs an effort or two to keep it bright and shin-
ing, but who does not feel repaid for the time
and energy expended, when the slow gleams of
silver-like hue that gradually appear on the sur-
face greet one in appreciation, like the smile of
an old friend !
[222]
CHAPTER XVII
OLD SILVER
THERE is a widespread and growing interest in
all old silver, especially in such pieces as can be
traced back to colonial origin. Salem, whose
commercial prosperity was well established by the
middle of the seventeenth century, has some won-
derfully good pieces of colonial silver, many of
which are family heirlooms.
The early American silverware, like our early
furniture and architecture, is thoroughly charac-
teristic of the tastes and mode of life peculiar to
that period in America. It is simple in design
and substantial in weight, thus reflecting the
mental attitude of the people. Social conditions
here would not warrant any imitation of the mag-
nificent baronial silver which was then being made
and used in England. Many of the pieces in
these collections come to us hallowed by a hundred
associations and by traditions recalling the lives
of our forefathers in all their manifold phases.
The sight of the silver communion service recalls
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COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
the early history of our New England churches,
and reminds us of the devotion of the people to
the institutions about which revolved both the
social and political life.
Only the identity of the maker is revealed by
the hallmark on American silver. There is no
trace of the date letter, so prevalent upon English
pieces of the same period, although various em-
blems appear, which were used as trademarks,
peculiar to the owner. In cases where the crown
appears above the initials, it was merely a passing
fad to copy the mark of certain English silver-
smiths who enjoyed royal patronage.
The business of making silverware in the col-
onies seems to have been profitable from the first.
The earliest silversmith of whom we have any
record is John Hull, born in 1624 and dying in
1683, who amassed much wealth through his
appointment as mintmaster for Massachusetts
in the old days of the pine-tree shillings. His
name, together with that of his daughter Betsey,
has been immortalized by Hawthorne.
That Captain Hull did not have a monopoly
of his trade is proved by the fact that a beaker,
which was presented to the Dorchester church
in 1672, was made by one David Jesse. Also, a
'[224]
OLD SILVER
certain Jeremiah Dummer, brother of Governor
William Dummer, was apprenticed to John Hull,
to learn the silversmith's trade, in 1659, and sent
out much work stamped with his own name. He
also taught his trade to his brother-in-law, John
Cony, who engraved the plates for the first paper
money that was ever made in America.
Most famous of all New England silversmiths
was Paul Revere. Besides the historic associa-
tions connected with his name, his works are most
attractive in themselves, showing an exquisite
finish and great beauty of workmanship; there
are no certain marks to distinguish his work from
that of his father, as each used the stamp "P.
Revere."
Of the many silversmiths of New York, none
are so early in point of time as these New England
men whom I have mentioned. Not until the
middle of the eighteenth century did a certain
George Ridout come over from London, and set
up business "near the Ferry stairs." He has left
us beautiful candlesticks, marked with his name,
and by these he is remembered. At about the
same time Richard Van Dyck, tracing his lineage
to the Knickerbockers, made very handsome flat-
chased bowls, and Myer Myers, seemingly of
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COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
similar origin, set his stamp upon finely propor-
tioned pint cans, having an ear-shaped handle
and a pine-cone finial.
At a later date, shortly subsequent to the Revo-
lution, a silversmith named Tragees made beau-
tiful sugar bowls with urn-shaped finials ; and
Gary Dunn, who held a position in the custom-
house, designed exquisitely engraved teapots, hav-
ing the cover surmounted by a pineapple as the
emblem of hospitality. These early makers
stamped their names plainly upon their work,
so that the task of approximating their age is
thus rendered easy.
In most families silver spoons of various pat-
terns have been preserved for generations. Some
of these were brought from England with other
treasures of family silver, and are excellent ex-
amples of seventeenth-century ware. Up to that
time, teaspoons had been made with very deep
round or pear-shaped bowls and very short handles.
Toward the middle of the seventeenth century,
they assumed more nearly their present form,
having handles twice as long as they had previ-
ously possessed, and bowls oval or elliptical. The
new style was sometimes dubbed the "rat-tail
spoon," in derisive comment upon its long and
[226]
c/5
IH
o
PLATE LXIII. — Several old Silver pieces ; Collection of Salem
Silver, almost all inherited; Wonderfully fine Silver Bowl.
OLD SILVER
slender handle. It will be observed that many
of our earliest teaspoons were no larger than the
present after-dinner coffee spoons.
It is probable that no other type of spoon pos-
sesses the interest, not to say the money value,
of the old Apostle spoons, which came into fashion
in the sixteenth century. At that time it was an
English custom for the sponsors to present these
spoons, as baptismal gifts, to the children for
whom they made themselves responsible. A
wealthy godparent would give a complete set of
thirteen, but a poor man generally contented him-
self with giving simply the one spoon which bore
the figure of the child's patron saint.
The complete set consisted of the "Master"
spoon and twelve others. The "Master" spoon
has upon the handle a figure of Christ, holding in
one hand the sphere and cross, while the other
hand is extended in blessing. A nimbus sur-
rounds the head, in all these spoons. Each apostle
is distinguished by some emblem. Saint Paul
has a sword, Saint Thomas a spear, and Saint
Andrew a cross. Saint Matthias carries an ax
or halberd, Saint Jude a club, Saint Bartholomew
a butcher's knife, and Saint Philip a long staff
with a cross in the T. Saint Peter appears with a
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COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
key, Saint James the Greater with a pilgrim's
staff, Saint James the Less with a fuller's hat,
and Saint Matthew with a wallet. Saint John
has one hand raised in blessing, while the other
holds the cup of sorrow.
Whole sets of these spoons are very rare. In
fact, there are said to be but two whole sets in
existence, with another set of eleven. One of
these sets sold in 1903 for twenty-four thousand
five hundred dollars, while another set of less an-
cient date brought five thousand three hundred
dollars. A single Apostle spoon, bearing upon its
handle a figure of Saint Nicholas, and upon its
stem the inscription, "Saint Nicholas, pray for
us," sold in London for three thousand four hun-
dred and fifty dollars, a few years ago. This is
said to be the highest price ever paid for one single
spoon.
The oldest hallmarked Apostle spoon is dated
1493, while the most modern of which we have any
record bears the date of 1665. It is probable that
the custom of giving these baptismal presents
began to go out of fashion at that period.
Other spoons of great interest, although not so
old as the earliest Apostle spoons, are the curious
little "caddy spoons," which came into vogue
[228]
OLD SILVER
with the first popularity of tea drinking more
than two centuries ago. The tea was at first
kept in canisters, whose lids served as a measure.
Then came into use the quaint and dainty tea
caddy, with its two-lidded and metal-lined end
compartments, and a central cavity to be used as
a sugar bowl. A favorite and poetic custom of
the old sea captains, upon visiting China, was to
have their ships painted upon China caddies by
Chinese artists, as gifts for wives or sweethearts
at home.
Now since the sugar bowl was a part of the tea
caddy, the use of the caddy spoon or scoop became
immediately popular. All of these spoons have
very short stems and handles, with bowls of fan-
ciful design, perforated, or shell-shaped, or fluted.
A few were made like miniature scoops, with
handles of ebony; while others were perfect imi-
tations of leaves, the leaf stem curling around
into a ring, to make the handle.
In this country, caddy spoons came into use
after the Revolution. Until very recently, they
have been neglected by collectors, and were to be
bought at a low figure ; but all that is changed,
and the price is from fifteen dollars upward in
most cases, besides which the purchaser must
[229]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
take his chances as to the genuine worth of his
bargain, as many imitations are being put upon
the market. It is no proof of genuine worth that
the spoon may be bought in an antique shop on
a quiet street of some sleepy old seaport town.
This is just the spot likely to be chosen for per-
petrating a fraud. The most common counter-
feit is made by joining a perfectly new bowl to
the handle of a genuine Georgian teaspoon that
bears an irreproachable hallmark. The unusual
length of handle betrays the cheat, which can be
further proved by the presence of a flattened spot
similar to a thumb print, where the bowl joins the
handle.
Still another fraudulent specimen has a false
hallmark. These counterfeits were probably
made outside of this country, perhaps not even
in England. The hallmark is the stamp of a head
that bears no particular resemblance to George
III, for whom it is possibly intended ; a lion that
may, perhaps, be near enough in design to pass
for the royal British brute ; and signs and letters,
half-effaced, which, in conjunction with the king's
head and the lion, make up an imitation of the
Birmingham hallmark. Of course it would not
deceive, for an instant, the experienced buyer in
[230]
OLD SILVER
a good clear light ; but the shops are often dark-
ened to a kind of twilight, and the inexperienced
amateur detects nothing wrong about the spoon,
which is usually made after some uncommon and
attractive style.
As this fraud is of recent date, no examination
would be necessary for spoons known to have
been in a certain family for some years. These
spoons were made of Wedgwood ware, china, glass,
agate, or tortoise-shell, as well as of silver. There
are beautiful silver ones in the shape of a hand or
of a flower. In two cases, I have seen the spoon
made to match the caddy. One of these sets was
of decorated china, and the other of tortoise-
shell set in silver.
Another spoon, which passed out of date with
the caddy ladle, was the so-called caudle spoon.
It might be well to explain to the present genera-
tion that caudle was a preparation of wine, eggs,
and spices which was commonly fed to invalids,
in the latter part of the eighteenth century. The
caudle spoon, perforated or entire, but with a
longer handle and smaller bowl than the caddy
spoon, was employed to stir the mixture. It is
now obsolete, as is the snuff spoon, another relic
of the whimsical customs of yore. There was a
[231]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
season when it was stylish to carry a snuffbox,
and to take a pinch one's self, now and then, or to
offer it to a friend. The snuff spoon was used to
avoid dipping the fingers into the powder, which
would of course stain both finger nails and cuticle.
As the caddy was the companion piece of the
caddy spoon, so the caudle bowl is associated with
the caudle spoon. A Salem specimen stands six
inches high, and has a capacity of three pints. It
has two handles, and is embellished by a broad
chasing at the base, and by fluted chasing about
the body. The caudle cup used with it is severely
plain, but has a good outline.
Tankards both with and without covers were
in common use, toward the close of the seventeenth
century. In size, they varied from a capacity
of one quart to three. They were often fitted with
a whistle, by the blowing of which the butler's
attention could be called to the fact that the tank-
ard needed filling. From this custom arose the
old saying, "Let him whistle for it." The singu-
lar expression, "A plate of ale" comes from the
fact that in old inventories, tankards are listed
as "ale plates."
The largest Salem specimen has a capacity of
one quart only, and is beautifully chased around
[232]
OLD SILVER
the body and upon the cover in a rose-and-pine-
apple design. This chasing is much worn, not
only by the passage of time, but also by the piti-
less polishing of the methodical New England
housekeeper. This is a straight-sided tankard,
with a well-curved top, which necessitates a long
and tapering thumb piece. The handle is large
and well-tapered, extending well above the rim.
All these specimens belong to the Revolutionary
epoch.
The style of silver made and used in this country
during the first half of the nineteenth century is
well typified by the sugar, creamer, and teapot
contained in an old-time collection. The teapot
and sugar bowl are adorned with a pineapple
finial. This style was originated by Gary Dunn
of New York at the close of the Revolution, and
won immense popularity. The pineapple, which
is its most notable decoration, has always been
accepted as the emblem of hospitality; while the
primrose pattern about base and body is neat and
tasteful. The lines in these designs are less se-
verely simple than in some, but are excellent,
nevertheless.
Another favorite style of this same period is
shown in a graceful little pitcher in another col-
[233]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
lection, having for sole ornament a rosette where
the handle joins the body. Rosettes were high
in favor in the early part of the nineteenth cen-
tury, and were shown in the furniture of that day
as well as in the silverware.
Another charming pitcher which stands upon
three legs is a veritable prize, literally as well as
figuratively. During the War of 1812, our Salem
privateers seized many a valuable cargo. Among
the confiscated treasures was this dainty little
silver pitcher, handsomely engraved, and bearing
the coat of arms of a prominent English family.
In the division of the confiscated goods, this ar-
ticle fell to an ancestor of the owner, who received
it by inheritance.
Another interesting bit of silver, belonging to
the same period as the pitcher, is a cruet stand.
Fifty years ago these were in common use upon
the tables of our ancestors. Fashion has rele-
gated them to the sideboard or to the top shelf,
where the old-fashioned, high silver cake basket
keeps them company in exile. To the same period
belongs the teapot showing a rosette bowl, and
mushroom-shaped finial, which was among the
bride's presents at a wedding in 1804, while the
sugar and creamer included in the same collec-
[234]
OLD SILVER
tion belong to a later date, as they were bridal
presents received in 1867. The beauty of the
lines in these two specimens falls far short of the
standard set by American manufacturers of co-
lonial times.
Still in use and highly prized is the wonderful
old bowl which is in another collection. For many
years this bowl was lost, and though diligent search
was made for it, it was not discovered until one
day the owner and some friends, riding through a
rural district, stopped at a well in a farmhouse yard
for a drink. Close at hand a pig was eating from
a peculiar-looking receptacle, which, though black-
ened and mud-stained, yet showed an interesting
contour. Negotiations were entered into with
the house owner for the purchase of this recep-
tacle, and it was secured for twenty-five cents.
When polished, it was found to be the long-missing
bowl, which has since then been called the hog
bowl.
Other specimens still preserved include a tall
sugar bowl, mounted upon a standard, which is
more than a hundred years old, as are the tongs
used with it, with their delicate acorn-cup pattern.
In the larger piece, the rings which form the
handles pass through the mouth of a dog's head,
[235]
COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS
upon each side. The feet which support the stand-
ard suggest the work done in the furniture of that
day by Chippendale, Sheraton, and their followers.
To the latter days of the eighteenth century be-
long an endless yet interesting variety of patterns
of porringers, salvers, sugar bowls, perforated
baskets for loaf sugar, tea and coffee pots, and in-
numerable table utensils.
Another article which is now found but rarely
is the nutmeg holder or spice box. The interior
of the lid was roughed for use as a grater, and few
were the "night caps" but had a final touch added
through its use. While the usefulness of the spice
box and the snuffbox has long since passed away,
yet they are treasured because of the pictures
they bring to the mind's eye of the old days of the
Georges. No product of the present can outvie
the charms of such old silver.
All things colonial, whether house or accessory,
are distinctive, and to the designers and crafts-
men of that period the world owes a debt that no
amount of tribute can ever wholly repay. Co-
lonial is synonymous of the best, and objects
created during its influence are always of a higher
degree of perfection than the best of other periods.
Looking about for a reason for this, we are con-
[236]
OLD SILVER
fronted with the realization that the work of that
time was carefully planned and carefully finished,
craftsmen giving to their output the best their
brains could devise, and allowing no reason, how-
ever urgent, to interfere with the completion of a
certain object as they had originally planned it to
be. Therein lies the real reason of the superiority
of things colonial. Later-day artisans sacrificed
quality to quantity; they complied with the de-
mand of public opinion, and as that demand be-
came more urgent, carelessness of detail became
more marked. The simplicity of the colonial
era gave way to the highly decorative and often
ugly ornamentation characteristic of late nine-
teenth-century manufacture, and it was not until
a few craftsmen found courage to revive colonial
features that the beauty of that type of construc-
tion was truly appreciated. To-day, colonial in-
fluence is again dominant, and it is a relief to note
that in modern homes it is usurping in favor its
hitherto prized successors. It is only to be hoped
that its influence will be lasting, for surely of all
types it is the most worthy of emulation.
[237]
INDEX
Abbot, General, 25.
house, 78, 109, 153.
Adam brothers, 98, 103, 128, 140, 215.
Adams, Abraham, 95, 138.
family, 95, 138.
John, 88.
the decorator, 69.
Albree, John, 152.
Alden, John, in.
Allen, John Fiske, 51.
house, 51, 52.
of Lowestoft, 182.
Amesbury, Mass., 37.
Andirons, 67-69.
Andrews, John, 21, 101.
house, 13, 21, 84, 85.
"Angel Gabriel" (ship), 102.
Appleton, John, 163.
Architects, English, 8.
Architecture, Dutch, 2.
Gothic, 4.
Architrave, decoration of, 18.
Argand, Mons., 168.
Assembly house, 18, 24.
Atkinson collection, 200.
Ausberg, Germany, 212.
Austria, 197.
Bagnall, Benjamin, 147.
Samuel, 148.
Barcelona, Spain, 213.
Barnard, Dr. Thomas, 81.
Bartol, Dr. Cyrus, 81.
Bavaria, 196.
Bay of Biscay, 135.
Bedrooms, 122, 125.
Beds, accessories of, 124.
Adam, 128.
antique, 120.
bunk, 126, 127.
carved, 27.
Chippendale, 127, 128.
cupboard, 122, 126.
Egyptian, 121.
Field, 131.
Flemish, 121.
folding, 127.
four-poster, 123-131.
"Great Bed of Ware," 122, 123.
Greek, 121.
hangings, 124.
Hepplewhite, 128, 130.
inlaid, 128.
mahogany, 127.
oak, 122.
paneled, 127.
"Presse," 126, 127.
primeval, 121.
Queen Anne, 126.
Roman, 121.
Sheraton, 128.
"slaw-back," 127.
"Wild Bill" or one-poster, 126.
Benson house, 109.
Bigelow collection, 219.
Billingsley, William, 187.
roses, 187.
Bishop, Bridget, 26.
Black Point, Maine, 43.
Blankets, home-made, 124.
Bloor, Robert, 188.
Bohemia, 196, 197.
239]
INDEX
Boston, Mass., 5, 43, 7«i 74, 147,
bowl, 232.
148, 149, 217, 219.
cup, 232.
Bottles, 203, 205-209.
spoon, 231.
arched, 206.
Candles, 159, 160-165.
bases of, 205.
bayberry, 164.
calabash, 206.
dip, 165.
canteen, 207.
makers, 166.
circular, 206.
making, 163, 164, 165.
curio, 209.
molds, 165.
decorated, 207-209.
sperm, 163.
designs on, 206.
suet, 161.
flask, 207.
tallow, 161, 165.
Jackson, 208.
wickless, 161.
Jenny Lind, 207.
Candlesticks, 159, 167.
Kossuth, 207.
brass, 167.
liquor, 208.
iron, 167.
Moses, 209.
pewter, 167.
oldest American, 207.
silver, 167.
oval, 206.
tin, 167.
rim of, 206.
Cape Cod, 42.
Santa Claus, 209.
Capen house, 55.
signs of age in, 205.
Carving, art of, 18.
spherical, 206.
Ceilings, low, 3.
Taylor and Bragg, 207.
raftered, 66.
Venetian, 209.
Cellar, large, 10.
Bow, England, 183, 186.
Chairs, arm, 94, 98.
Bradford, Governor, quoted, 42.
banister-back, 94.
Bricks, Dutch, 9.
brass mounted, 101.
gray-faced, 13, 14.
carved, 95, 98, 99, 100.
Briot, Francis, 212.
Chinese type, 98, 99.
Bristol, R. I., 12, 60, 101, 131.
Chippendale, 97, 98.
Brown Inn, 173.
comb back, 97.
Bumstead, 6, 80.
Dutch, 95, 98.
Byfield, Mass., 95, 126, 138, 173.
early colonial, 93.
Empire type, 101, 102.
Cabins, log, 2.
fan back, 97.
Cabot, Mr., 141.
forms, 93.
house, 7, 22, 53.
French types, 98, 100.
Joseph, 7, 22.
heart-back, 100.
Caliga collection, 220.
Hepplewhite, 97, 99, 100.
Cambridge, Mass., 37.
inlaid, 100.
Candelabra, 167, 169, 170.
japanned, too.
Candle, 231.
Louis the Fifteenth type, 98.
[240]
INDEX
Chairs, Martha Washington, 101.
painted, 95, 97, 102.
ribbon-back, 98.
rocking, 94.
rush seated, 95.
settles, 93.
Sheraton, 97, 100, 101.
shield-back, 100.
slat-back, 94.
stuffed easy, 96.
turned, 93.
Windsor, 96, 97.
Chandeliers, 169.
Chelsea, England, 183, 186.
Chests, 105-110.
drop handle, 109.
hand-carved, 107.
highboys, 109, no.
imported, 106, 107.
legs of, 1 08.
linen, 108.
lowboys, 109, no.
"magic," 107.
mahogany, 106.
on frames, 108.
"owld pine," 106, 107.
size of, 106.
use of, 106.
with drawers, 107.
Chimney pots, 19.
Chimneys, catted, 2.
central, 7.
China, Empire of, 80, 181, 184, 185,
211, 229.
China, 172, 216.
caddies, 229.
cream ware, 191.
Crown Derby, 182, 186-188.
Delft, 177-180, 185.
jasper, 191.
Lowestoft, 175, 181-185.
luster, 191.
salt glaze, 173, 174.
Staffordshire, 173-176.
toby jugs, 175-177-
Wedgwood, 189-191.
Chippendale (designer), 92, 97, 98,
99, 112, 114, 127, 128, 136, 140,
146, 236.
Choate, Joseph, 22.
'Christmas Carol," 22.
Claudius, Emperor, 145.
Clocks, American, 146, 148, 150, 151,
153-157.
Bagnall, 147.
banjo, 149.
"birdcage," 153.
cases, 151.
Chippendale, 146.
construction of, 149, 150, 152, 154,
155, 156-
Doolittle, 148.
first, 145.
grandfather's, 151, 153.
hangings, 150.
"lantern," 153.
Makers' union, 146.
making in Salem, 150.
musical, 148.
of Europe, 146.
one-day, 157.
patent shelf, 153, 154.
pillar scroll top case, 155.
Sheraton, 146.
striking, 148.
table, 151.
Terry, 150, 153.
"wag-at-the-wall," 153.
wall and bracket, 151, 153.
water, 145.
weaver's, 152.
wick, 145.
Willard, 148, 149.
Coal, discovery of, 75.
first use of, 74.
Cogswell house, 125.
[241]
INDEX
Collections, Atkinson, 200.
Bigelow, 219.
Caliga, 220.
Hosmer, 147.
Mansfield, Nathaniel B., 109.
Metropolitan Museum, 209.
Middleton, n, 131.
Mitchell, 199-200.
Page, 175, 180.
Rogers, 191.
Waters, 93, 102, 108, 202.
West, 189, 202.
Colonial products, superiority of,
236, 237.
Columns, Corinthian, 12.
Grecian, 17.
plain, 21, 122.
Common, Salem, 21, 25.
Cook, Captain Samuel, 77.
Dr. Elisha, 15.
Cony, John, 225.
Counterpane, homespun, 125.
Craigie house, 37.
Crowell, Rev. Robert, 125.
Crown Derby, 182.
" Bloor-Derby," 188.
decline of, 188.
early output of, 186.
epoch par excellence, 187.
factory, 186, 187, 188.
Crowninshield house, 38, 71.
Cupboards, colonial, i, 72.
shell-top, 173.
Cupola, 9.
Danvers, Mass., 5, 10, 19, 44, 46, 49,
60.
Delft, Holland, 178, 179.
Delft ware, best examples of, 179.
decline of Dutch, 179, 180.
Dutch, 177, 178, 179, 180.
English, 178, 180.
first potteries, 1 79.
old, 177.
origin of, 178.
plates, 180.
tiles, 180.
Derby, Elias Hasket, farm, 47, 49, 50.
Elias Hersey, 50.
house, 77, 78.
Desks, bookcase, 112.
bureau, in.
Chippendale secretary, 112.
French Empire, 113.
Hepplewhite secretary, 112.
"scrutoir," no, in.
Sheraton secretary, 112.
Devereux, Humphrey, house, 52.
Dexter, "Lord" Timothy, house,
99.
Dickens, Charles, quoted, 39.
Doolittle, Enos, 148.
Doorways, narrow, 22, 25.
pineapple, 27.
Downing, Emanuel, 4.
George, 4.
"Dr. Grimshaw's Secret," 24.
Dressing tables, 109.
Duesbury, William and son, 186, 187,
188.
Duke of Baden, 220.
Duke of Devonshire's house, 39.
Dummer, Governor William, 225.
house, 173.
Jeremiah, 225.
Dunbarton, N. H., 8, 130, 151.
Dunn, Gary, 226, 233.
Dutch architecture, 2.
East India Company, 185.
ware, 177, 178, 179, 180.
East Windsor, Conn., 150.
Edinburgh, Scotland, 212, 216.
Elector of Brandenburg, 200.
Elizabethan period, 4.
Embargo, the, u.
[242]
INDEX
Enderlein, Gasper, 212.
Endicott, Governor John, 2, 4, 44,
105.
farm, 44.
house, 10.
England, 2, 3, 8, 9, 35, 39, 41, 43, 64,
80, 82, 86, 128, 134, 135, 136,
139, 142, 147, 152, 157, 161, 167,
174, 183, 185, 201, 202, 203, 211,
214, 215, 217, 221, 223, 226, 230.
Etruria factory, 190.
Exeter, England, 146.
Fabens, Mr., 71.
Faulkner, Dr. G., 149.
"Feast of Roses," 205.
Fell, Judge Jesse, 75.
Felt, Captain Jonathan P., 49.
Felt's Annals, quoted, 150.
Fenders, 75, 76, 77.
Fireback, 71-72.
Firedogs, 66.
Fire frames, 73-74.
Fireplace, accessories, 65, 66, 67.
brass, 77.
colonial, 64, 65.
construction of, 65.
Elizabethan, 64.
Gove, 70.
inglenook, 64.
Louis Sixteenth, 64.
modern, 63, 64.
of Middle Ages, 63.
of Renaissance, 63, 64.
Queen Anne, 64.
Robinson, 71.
soapstone, 78.
tiled, 76.
Fire sets, 66, 67.
Flint and steel, 170.
Floor, sanded, 66.
Forrester house, 21.
France, 80, 86, 135, 167, 212.
Franklin, Benjamin, 94.
stores, 73, 74, 75, 76.
Gardens, n, 13, 41.
Allen, 51, 52.
at Indian Hill, 48.
at Oak Knoll, 47.
Cabot, 53.
Captain Peabody's, 46.
Derby, 50.
features of old-fashioned, 44, 45.
Humphrey Devereux, 52.
location of, 45, 46, 51.
Mrs. Perry's, 48.
nucleus of, 43.
of George Heussler, 49, 50.
Salem, 49.
Gardiner house, 21.
George house, 141.
George II, 96.
George III, 69, 100, 230.
Georgetown, Mass., 83, 107.
Georgian period, 127.
Gerard, quoted, 44.
Germantown, Mass., 163.
Germany, 197, 212.
Gibbon (designer), 143.
Glasgow, Scotland, 212.
Glass, baluster stem, 202.
beads, 203.
blown, 205.
Bohemian, 195, 197-199, 204.
bonbon dishes, 200.
bottles, 203, 205-209.
bowls, 203, 204.
cameo incrusted, 199.
choiceness determined, 103.
colored, 197, 201.
cutting of, 198.
decanters, 200, 201, 202.
drinking, 201.
English, 201.
engraved, 196, 197, 198, 202.
[2431
INDEX
Glass, etched, 199.
factories, 197, 198, 204.
first made, 194.
French, 199.
gilded, 196, 197.
goblets, 204.
green German, 196.
historic flasks, 206.
legend of, 196.
making in Rome, 195.
origin of, 195.
painted, 196, 197.
Portland Vase, 192, 195.
ruby colored, 199-200.
Russian, 203.
salt cellar, 199, 200.
toddy, 201, 202.
tumblers, 201-202.
vases, 198, 199.
Venetian, 195, 198.
white twist stem, 202.
wine, 202.
Glastonbury Abbey, 146.
Gothic architecture, 4.
Gove house, 70.
Governor's Field, 4.
Island, 42.
Grafton, Mass., 148.
"Guild of St. Luke," 179.
Hallway, Capen house, 55.
colonial, 54.
eighteenth and nineteenth
tury, 56, 57.
entry, 61.
finish of, 59.
"Hey Bonnie Hall," 60, 61.
Lee, 58, 60.
Old English, 55, 58.
paneled, 56, 57, 59-
papered, 59.
spacious, 57, 58.
Stark, 56.
Warner, 56, 57, 90-91.
Wentworth, 58, 59.
Hamilton, Mass., 71.
Hamilton Hall, 141, 166.
Hangings, bed, chintz, 124.
linen, 124.
patch, 124, 130.
Harland, Thomas, 150.
Harris, Mrs. Walter L., 136.
Harrod house, 138, 203.
Hartford, Conn., 147, 148.
Harvard College, 4.
Haverhill, Mass., 76, 129.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 24, 26, 37,
102, 224.
Heard house, 93.
Hearth accessories, 66, 67.
Hepplewhite (designer), 92, 97, 99,
ico, no, 112, 114, 115, 128.
"Hermitage," 87.
Heussler, George, 49.
" Hey Bonnie Hall," 11,60,61, 101.
Higginson, Governor, 161.
Rev. Francis, quoted, 41.
"Highfield," 95, 126, 138.
High Rock, Mass., 95.
Hillsboro, N. H., 89, 90, 115, 151.
Hinges, wrought-iron, 9.
Hingham, Mass., 93.
"History of Essex," 125.
Hoadley, Silas, 155.
Hoffman, Captain, 52.
Holland, 2, 9, 41, 43, 80, 96, 135, 177,
179, 180, 182, 184, 185, 196, 2ia.
Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 130.
Hosmer collection, 147.
"House of Seven Gables," 37.
Houses, Abbot, General, 78, 109, 153.
Albree, 152.
Allen, 52.
Andrews, 13, 21, 84, 85.
Assembly, 18, 24.
Bell or Brick, 190.
[244
INDEX
Houses, Benson, 109.
Maryland Manor, u.
brick, 3, 13, 14, 19, 56.
May, 37.
Brown Inn, 173.
Meyer, 71.
Cabot, 7, 22, 53.
Middleton, 131.
Capen, 55.
Mount Vernon, 131.
Cogswell, 125.
Nichols, 200.
colonial, 7.
Noyes, 113.
Craigie, 37.
Oak Knoll, 47, 60.
Crowninshield, 38, 71.
of 52 rooms, 10.
Derby, 77, 78.
Oliver, 77.
Devereux, Humphrey, 52.
Osgood, 109, 143, 168.
Devonshire's, Duke of, 39.
Page, 5, 6.
Dexter, 99.
Pickering, 4, 5, 72, 76, 109.
Dummer, 173.
Pierce, 89, 115, 151.
Endicott, 10.
Pierce-Jahonnot, 25.
finest, 8.
Pierce-Nichols, 139.
Forrester, 21.
Robinson, 71.
frame, 2, 55.
Ropes, in.
gambrel-roofed, 3, 10, 19, 55.
Salem Club, 70.
Gardiner, 21.
Saltonstall-Howe, 76.
George, 141.
Sanders, 70.
Gove, 70.
Silsbee, 21.
Hamilton Hall, 141, 166.
Southern, 12.
Harrod, 138, 203.
Sprague, 169.
Heard, 93.
Stark, 8, 56, 115, 130, 151.
"Hermitage," 87.
Stearns, 6.
"Hey Bonnie Hall," 11,60,61,101.
Steigel, 204.
"Highfield," 95, 126, 138.
Warner, 9, 56, 90, 109, 169.
historic, 5, 6, 8, 12.
Waters, 38, 77, 202.
Howe, in, 115, 129.
Wentworth, 10, 58.
"Indian Hill," 12, 48.
Wheelright, 88.
Johnson's, Dr., 39.
Whipple, 7, 25, 87.
Kimball, 18, 83.
White House, n.
Kittredge, 142, 201.
Whittier, 37, 47, 60.
Knapp, 87.
Howe, Mrs. Guerdon, HI.
Lee, 8, 58, 60, 87, 89.
house, in, 115, 129.
Lindall- Andrews, 80, 81.
Hull, Betsey, 224.
Little, 70.
John, 224.
log cabin, 2.
Long, 93.
Ince (designer), 98.
Lord, 22, 138, 139, 142.
"Indian Hill," 12, 48.
Mansfield, 71.
Indians, 203.
mansion, 3, 8, 10, 19, 56.
Ipswich, Mass., 5, 7, 93.
[24S]
INDEX
Ironworks, American, 204.
Italy, 135, 197, 212.
Ivy Works, Burslem, 190.
Jackson, Andrew, 87.
of Battersea, 81.
Jacobean period, 127.
Jamaica Plain, Mass., 169.
James VI, 214.
Jamestown, Va., 203.
Japan, 80, 179, 211.
Jarves, James Jackson, 209.
Jerome, Chauncey, 157.
Jesse, David, 224.
Johnson's, Dr., house, 39.
Josslyn, John, quoted, 43.
Kean, Michael, 188.
Kensington, Philadelphia, 203.
Kimball house, 18, 83.
King Philip's War, 116.
Kitchen, colonial, 66.
Kittredge house, 142, 201.
Knapp house, 87.
Knockers, antique, 35.
brass, 22, 30, 33, 34.
disappearance of, 31.
eagle, 35, 36, 37.
English, 9.
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries,
30-
garland, 35.
Georgian urn, 35, 36.
Gothic, 33.
historic, 37.
horseshoe, 36.
invention of, 29.
iron, 7, 30, 33, 36.
lion and ring, 35.
London, 38-39.
May house, 37, 38.
medieval, 33.
Mexican, 36.
plate or escutcheon, 33, 34.
price of, 34.
Renaissance, 33, 37.
reproductions of, 34.
thumb latch, 8, 22, 35, 38.
types of, 29.
Knox, General, 25.
Henry, 138.
Kunckel (artist), 200.
Lafayette, General, 24.
Lamps, Betty, 162.
glass, 168.
unique specimen, 162.
whale-oil, 166.
wick, 162.
with glass prisms, 169, 170.
Lanterns, 162.
gilded, 168.
painted, 168.
Larcom, Lucy, 6.
Latches, thumb, 8, 22, 35, 38.
Lean-to, 3, 7.
Lee, Colonel Jeremiah, house, 8, 58,
60, 87, 89.
Leghorn, Italy, 131.
Lehmann, Gasper, 198.
Leslie's Retreat, 7, 81.
Leverett, Governor John, 115.
Thomas, 15.
Lightfoot, Peter, 146.
Lights, candelabra, 167, 169.
candle, 159, 160, 161, 163-166.
candlewood, 159, 160, 161.
chandeliers, 169.
electric, 159.
fire, 159, 160.
from flint and steel, 170.
gas, 159-
lamp, 162, 169.
lantern, 162, 168.
pine torch, 159, 160.
rush, 162.
[246]
INDEX
Lindall, Judge, 80.
Lindall-Andrews house, 80, 81.
Little, Hon. David M., house, 70.
Little Harbor, N. H., 10, 58.
London, 167, 214, 215, 225.
London Guild or Worshipful Com-
pany of Pewterers, 215.
Long, Hon. John D., 93.
house, 93.
Longfellow, Anne Sewall, 95.
Lord, Nathaniel, 23.
house, 22, 138, 139, 142.
Lowestoft, 181, 1 86.
coat-of-arms, 183.
controversy, 185.
decoration of, 183, 184.
factory, 182, 184, 185.
first ware, 182.
Holland, 182.
Oriental, 181.
red, 183.
Luster ware, 191.
copper, 192, 193.
gold, 192, 193.
jugs, 192.
silver-tinted, 192.
Sunderland, 192.
Lynn, Mass., 72, 95, 175, 193-
Macpheadris, Captain, 9.
Mary, 9.
Mclntyre, Samuel, 18, 47, 69, 70,
71, 77, 140.
Manchester, Mass., 56, 199, 200.
Mannheim, Germany, 204.
Pa., 204.
Mansfield, Mrs. Nathaniel B., 71.
collection, 109.
Mantlepieces, 63, 64, 70.
in Little house, 70.
marble, 70.
narrow, 64.
Oliver house, 77.
Renaissance, 64.
Salem Club, 70.
Sanders house, 70.
Man waring (designer), 98.
Marblehead, Mass., 8, 60, 81, 87, 135.
Historical Society, 89.
Marseilles, France, 146.
Maryland Manor, n.
"Mayflower," the, in.
Mayhew (designer), 98.
May house, 37.
Merchant princes, 19.
Metropolitan Museum, 209.
Mexican War, 207.
Meyer, Hon. George von L., 71.
Middleton, Moses, n.
collection, n, 131.
house, 131.
Militia, first company of, 7.
Mills, Henry, 153.
Mirrors, Adam, 140.
Bilboa, 135.
bull's-eye, 140.
Chippendale, 136, 140.
Constitution, 137.
"Courtney," 143.
frames, 134.
girandole, 140, 141.
glass, 134.
knobs, 137.
Lafayette, 143.
late colonial, 141, 142.
mantel, 139-140.
metal, 133, 134.
origin of, 133.
paneled, 141, 142, 143.
Queen Anne, 136.
Venetian, 134, 142.
with cornice overhanging, 138, 141.
Mitchell collection, 199-200.
Money, first paper, 225.
Mount Vernon, 131.
Mulliken, Samuel, 150.
[247]
INDEX
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 211.
Myers, Myer, 225.
Nashville, Term., 87.
Newburyport, Mass., 48, 49, 73, 87,
88, 99, 113, 138, 180, 203.
New England Historical Genealogi-
cal Society of Boston, 147.
Newton, Mass., 37, 138, 139, 142.
Nichols house, 200.
North Andover, Mass., 142.
Noyes house, 113.
Nuremberg, Germany, 212.
Oak Knoll, 47, 60.
"Old Christmas," 65.
Old Tom, Indian chieftain, 12.
Oliver, Henry K., house, 77.
Osgood house, 109, 143, 168.
Page, Colonel Jeremiah, 6.
collection, 175, 180.
house, 5, 6.
Mistress, 6.
Panels, handmade, 9.
Parties at Salem, 167.
Peabody, Captain Joseph, n, 46, 70.
Elizabeth, 24.
Joseph Augustus, 46.
Sophia, 24.
Peacock Inn, 4.
Pearson, Ebenezer, 73.
Perkins, Dr. George, 74.
Perry, Mrs. Charles, 48.
Pewter, 71, 162, 167, 168, 194, 210.
American, 217.
chargers, 210, 219.
collections of, 219, 220.
composition of, 210.
development in France, 212.
Dutch, 212.
ecclesiastical, 213, 218.
English, 213, 215, 217.
flagon, 212.
French, 216.
German, 212.
guilds, -2 1 5, 216.
historic teapot, 220.
household, 213, 214, 219.
imitation, 218-219.
in Rome, 211.
in sixteenth century, 214.
Japanese, 211, 221.
lamps, 219, 220.
marks on, 214-221.
old, 211.
origin of, 211, 213.
plates, 210, 219, 221.
rarest in existence, 221.
salver, 212.
Scotch, 212, 216.
seals, 211.
Spanish, 213.
tankards, 210, 219.
use discontinued, 216.
value of, 217.
where used, 213-214.
Pewterer's Hall, London, 215.
Philadelphia, Pa., 28, 51, 75, 208.
Phipps, Governor, 90.
Pickering, Alice, 72.
house, 4, 5, 72, 76, 109.
John, 4, 5, 72.
Rev. Theophilus, 76.
Timothy, 5, 109.
Pierce, Franklin, 89.
Governor, 89.
house, 89, 115, 151.
Mr., 25.
Pierce- Jahonnot house, 25.
Pierce-Nichols house, 139.
Pilasters, fluted, 22.
Pilgrim Hall, 93.
Pillars, carved, 8.
packed with salt, 14.
Pitcher, Moll, 95.
248
INDEX
Planche, Mons., 186, 188.
Plants and flowers, 41, 42.
azaleas, 52.
camellias, 52.
night-blooming cereus, 50.
oxeye daisy, 44.
peonies, 53.
pitcher plant, 43.
tulips, 53.
Victoria Regia, 51.
whiteweed, 44.
wild, 42.
woadwaxen, 44.
Plymouth, Conn., 155.
County, 217.
Mass., 93.
Poore, Major Benjamin Perley,
Porcelain, Chinese, 179, 185.
Japanese, 179.
Lowestoft, 184.
Porch, Andrews, 21.
Assembly House, 24.
circular, 13, 17, ai.
construction of, 17.
contour, 17.
Dutch, 25.
Gardiner, 21.
hand-carved, 17, 18, 24.
historic, 20, 24.
inclosed, 23, 54.
Lord, 22.
Middle States, 9.
New England, 17, 19, 28.
oblong, 17.
Philadelphia, 28.
Pickman, 27.
Pierce- Jahonnot, 25-26.
Robinson, 14.
. side, 14, 22, 23.
Southern, 17, 19.
square, 17.
three-cornered, 17.
types of, 19, 20.
Portland Vase, 195.
replica of, 192.
Portsmouth, N. H., 9, 10, 90, 109,
169.
Poynton, Captain Thomas, 27.
Putnam, General Israel, in.
Quincy, Mass., 163.
Redmond, John, 166.
Reformation, the, 214.
Revere, Paul, 225.
Revolution, the, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 19,
35, 69, 89, 94, 97, 113, 135, 143,
226, 229, 233.
Rhode Island, n.
48. Ridout, George, 225.
Robinson, Nathan, 14.
house, 71.
Rogers collection, 191.
Rome, Italy, an.
Roof, flat, 20.
gambrel, 8, 9.
pitched, 7.
thatched, 2.
Ropes, Caleb, 51.
house, in.
Rose (potter), 183.
mark, 183.
Rotterdam, china warehouse at,
184.
Rouseley, England, 4.
Rowley, Mass., 141.
Roxbury, Mass., 148.
Salem, Mass., 4, 6, 7, n, 13, 18, 20,
23» 24, 25, 28, 36, 38, 46, 49, 60,
69, 70, 71, 72, 74, 77, 80, 84, 93,
95, 101, 102, 108, 109, 130, 132,
138, 139, 141, 143, 150, 153, 162,
164, 166, 168, 169, 189, 200, 202,
203, 217, 220, 223, 232.
Salem Club, 70.
[2491
INDEX
Saltonstall, Dr. Nathaniel, 76, 130.
family, 141.
Sir Richard, 130.
Saltonstall-Howe house, 76.
Sanders, Thomas, house, 70.
Saugus, Mass., 72, 153.
Saxony, 186, 196.
Schwanhard, George, 198.
Sconces, in Osgood house, 168.
wall, 167.
Scotland, 9, 212, 214.
Sharp, William, 52.
Shearer (designer), 114.
Sheraton (designer), 92, 97, 100-102,
112, 128, 146, 236.
Shoemaker, Colonel George, 75.
Sideboards, 113, 114.
Chippendale, 114.
Empire, 116.
Hepplewhite, 114.
inlaid, 115.
Shearer, 114.
Sheraton, 115.
Silesia, 196.
Silsbee house, 21.
Silver, American, 223, 224.
baronial, 223.
beaker, 224.
bowls, 225, 226, 232, 233, 234, 233.
caddy, 229, 232.
cake basket, 234.
candle bowl, 232.
candlesticks, 225.
cans, 226.
chased, 232, 233.
communion service, 223.
creamer, 234.
cruet stand, 234.
English, 224.
engraved, 226, 232.
hallmarks on, 224, 226, 230, 231.
"hog" bowl, 235.
of Paul Revere, 225.
pitcher, 233.
plates, 225.
snuffbox, 232, 236.
spice box, 236.
spoons, 226-232.
table utensils, 236.
tankards, 232, 233.
teapots, 226, 233, 234.
tongs, 235.
Simpson, Dr. James E., 52.
Snuffer boats, 168.
Snuffers, 168.
Sofas, 97, 102.
Adam, 103.
Chippendale, 103.
Cornucopia, 103.
Darby and Joan, 103.
Empire, 104.
haircloth, 103.
Louis XV, 103. «
Sheraton, 103.
Spain, 135, 212, 213.
Spofford, Harriet Prescott, 73.
Spoons, "Apostle," 227, 228.
"caddy," 228, 229, 231, 232.
candle, 231.
imitations, 230, 231.
"rat-tail," 226.
snuff, 231.
teaspoons, 226.
Sprague, Joseph, 6.
house, 169.
Staffordshire factories, 173, 175, 184.
Staircase, 55, 59.
balusters, 59.
"Hey Bonnie Hall," 6x.
"Oak Knoll," 60.
spiral, 60.
winder, 60.
Stark, Charles Morris, 9.
Major Caleb, 8.
house, 8, 56, 115, I3°» IS*-
State House, Boston, 15.
[2S0]
INDEX
Stearns house, 6.
Steigel, Baron, 204.
house, 204.
Stogumber Church, Somerset, 39.
Stoves, " Cat Stone," 75.
Franklin, 73, 74, 75, 76.
hub grate, 75, 76, 77.
Summer house, 44.
on Peabody estate, 46-47.
Susquehanna Valley, 75.
Sutton Mills, Andover, 47.
Swampscott, Mass., 152.
Switzerland, 212.
Tables, butterfly, 116.
card, 118.
chair, 117.
dining, 117, 118.
dish-top, 117.
Dutch, 117, 118.
Empire, 118.
hundred-legged, 117.
Kidney, 117.
Pembroke, 118.
pie-crust, 118.
Pied, 118.
pouch, 117.
Sheraton, 117.
table-top, 117.
tea, 117.
telescopic, 118.
writing, 117.
Terry, Eli, 150, 153, 154, 155.
family, 150.
Thomas, Seth, 155, 156.
Tiles, 76, 180, 181.
Tobies, Bennington, 177.
Dutch, 175.
French, 175.
German, 175.
Napoleon, 175, 176.
old, 176.
Staffordshire, 175.
teapot, 177.
young, 176.
Topsfield, Mass., 55.
Tracy, John, 49.
Tragees (silversmith), 226.
Trees, on Derby farm, 50.
on Indian Hill, 48.
on Peabody estate, 46.
Turgot, Mons., 216.
Van Dyck, Richard, 225.
Vineyard and orchard, 42.
Wall papers, "Adventures of Telem-
achus," 87.
"Bay of Naples," 88.
block printing of, 80, 81.
chariot race, 88.
"Cupid and Psyche," 85.
"Don Quixote," 84.
English, 86, 87.
English hunt, 84.
foreign scenes, 86, 88.
French, 86, 87.
importation of, 82.
landscape, 88, 89.
made to order, 83, 89.
origin of, 80.
panels of, 81.
Parisian views, 88.
picture, 79, 81.
roll, 81.
Roman ruins, 89.
squares of, 81.
Venetian scenes, 88.
Walls, painted, 81-83, 9°» 9*«
thick, 9.
unplastered, 66.
Ware, Isaac, quoted, 72.
Ware, wooden, 213.
Warner, Hon. Jonathan, 10, 169.
house, 9, 56, 90, 109, 169.
War of 1812, 143, 234.
[251]
INDEX
Warren, Russell, n.
Washington, George, 10, 25, 88, 130,
138.
quoted, 25.
Washingtonian period, 19.
Waterbury, Conn., 155.
Waters, Fitz, 202.
collection, 93, 102, 108, 202.
house, 38, 77, 202.
Wayland, Mass., 35.
Webster, Daniel, 23, in.
Fletcher, 23.
Wedgwood ware, 189.
cream, 191.
jasper, 191.
Portland Vase, 192, 195.
Queen's ware, 190.
Wedgwood, Josiah, 189, 190, 191,
192.
Well room, the, 12.
Wentworth, Governor Benning, 10,
"5-
house, 10, 58.
Sir John, 12.
West, Mrs. William C., 189.
collection, 189, 202.
Westminster Abbey, 146.
Westmoreland County, England,
211.
West Newbury, Mass., 12, 48.
Wheelwright, William, 88.
house, 88.
Whieldon, Thomas, 189.
Whipple, Major George, 87.
house, 7, 23, 87.
White, Captain Joseph, 22.
Stephen, 23.
White House, Washington, xi.
Whittier, John Greenleaf, 47, 73.
garden, 47.
house, 37, 47, 160.
Wilkesbarre, Pa., 75.
William and Mary, 127.
Willard, Aaron, 148.
Benjamin, 148.
Simon, 149.
Windows, bull's-eye, 57.
diamond paned, 13.
dormer, 9.
fanlight, 61.
leaded, 5.
Lutheran, 9.
Windsor, England, 96.
Winthrop, Governor, 42, 161.
Wise, Rev. John, 76.
Witchcraft days, 26.
Woods used, apple, 101, 112.
cherry, 108, in, 112, 148.
forest trees, 106.
hard, 59, 95.
harewood, 129.
holly, 114.
mahogany, 59, 61, 99, zoo, 101,
102, 106, 108, 112, 114, 115, 127.
maple, 109, 114.
oak, 108, 147.
pine, 147.
rosewood, 101, 102.
satinwood, 100, 101, 114, 129.
soft, 59, 95.
sycamore, 129.
tulip, 101, 114.
walnut, 60, 108, in, 112, 129, 147.
white, 2, 129.
Yule log, 64.
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