-
Recent Posts
Archives
Categories
Links
Author Archives: mansionmusings
Made in New York: Recent Gifts from Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Feld, Part I
People often call Bartow-Pell to find out when we are open or if they can schedule wedding photos or a school field trip. But when the phone rang one morning in December of 2011, the voice on the other end … Continue reading
Posted in Mansion Musings
Leave a comment
Profiles and Poetry: Bounty from a Holiday Giving Tree
The old Bartow mansion looks especially beautiful during the holiday season. Bedecked with festive greenery, garlands, twinkling fairy lights, and storybook Christmas trees, the house is a place where dreams really can come true. “What do we need to acquire … Continue reading
Posted in Garden Musings
Leave a comment
What Can You Learn from Old Clothes?
For many, the word “fashion” is synonymous with “superficial.” If something goes “out of fashion,” it is gone quickly; if it is “just a fashion” it does not have much importance and will soon be forgotten. However, looking at past … Continue reading
Posted in Mansion Musings
Leave a comment
The Early Pells: Life in a Colorful 17th Century World
We tend to think of our ancestors – if we think of them at all – as living in a world of black-and-white photos, stiff collars and wooden expressions. But the truth is much more colorful. Our ancestors lived in … Continue reading
Posted in Mansion Musings
Leave a comment
Tools from the Past: A Conversation with the Collector
What does the man who has amassed a collection of over 10,000 antique gardening tools spanning several centuries and originating from more than a few continents and countries NOT have? What does he covet? A terra cotta watering pot circa … Continue reading
Posted in Garden Musings
Leave a comment
A Winter Garden Awakens
I have often wondered what it would be like to awaken a bear in the middle of his hibernating sleep in winter. Would it be a brusque encounter, or would it be peaceful, like a newborn infant awakening on his own … Continue reading
Posted in Garden Musings
11 Comments
Look, Don’t Touch
Look, don’t touch. This was a concept that gave me quite a bit of trouble as a child visiting museums. From carved marble resembling fabric to the brushstrokes of Impressionist paintings, everything begged to be examined with more than just … Continue reading
Posted in Mansion Musings
Leave a comment
A Haunted Mansion?
When working in a historic house museum like Bartow-Pell, a question subconsciously enters your mind, especially during autumn when dusk comes earlier and the air gets colder. The query “Is the house haunted?” suddenly occurs to many visitors taking our … Continue reading
Posted in Garden Musings
Leave a comment
Restoring the Splendor of the Mansion: The Shutter Restoration Workshop
As an intern at the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum I have the rare privilege of experiencing, behind the scenes, what is entailed in operating the museum. In August 2011, I was provided with the opportunity to gain a new and different … Continue reading
Posted in Garden Musings
Leave a comment
Living in Style: A June Day at the Bartow Estate, 1838
Excerpts from a letter by Bartow tutor Augustus Moore to his sister Lydia Moore, June 17, 1838 Mr. Bartow is a very wealthy gentleman, formerly a merchant of New York, now retired from business. He has a splendid situation on … Continue reading
Posted in Garden Musings
Leave a comment
