Category Archives: Mansion Musings

A Storm of Applause and Hisses: The Mob Convention and Women’s Rights, 1853

Posted on March 16, 2023 by mansionmusings

This is the first in a series of posts about headline-grabbing stories in mid-nineteenth-century New York. “Time’s up.” “That’ll do.”“Shut up.” “Go to bed.” “Take a drink.” Hissing. Groans. Stamping of feet. Contemptuous laughter. General uproar and confusion. And countless … Continue reading →

Posted in Mansion Musings | Tagged Abolition movement, Antoinette Brown, Bloomer costume, Bloomers, Broadway Tabernacle, Charles C. Burleigh, Harriot K. Hunt, Horace Greeley, Lucretia Mott, Lucy Stone, Metropolitan Hall, Mob Convention, New York Herald, New-York Tribune, Nineteenth-century reform movements, Reform dress, Sojourner Truth, Temperance movement, Wendell Phillips, William Lloyd Garrison, Woman's Rights Convention 1853, Women's rights movement, Women's suffrage movement | Leave a comment

An Elaborate Pile of Comfort: Making the Bed in the Days of Horsehair, Straw, and Feathers

Posted on March 4, 2023 by mansionmusings

Everyone wants to wake up refreshed in the morning after a good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed. But in the days before memory foam, fitted sheets, and down-alternative comforters—when straw, horsehair, feathers, wool, and sometimes even corn husks, moss, … Continue reading →

Posted in Mansion Musings | Tagged 19th-century bed linens, 19th-century bedding, 19th-century mattresses, 19th-century pillows and bolsters, 19th-century sleeping customs, Bed cords, Bed steps, Canvas sacking on bedsteads, Carpet on antique bed steps, Corn husk mattresses, Feather beds, Feather beds unhealthy, French bedsteads, High-post bedsteads, Horsehair mattresses, Laths or slats on 19th-century bedsteads, Making the bed in the 19th century, Paillasses, Sleeping propped up on pillows and bolsters in the 19th century, Straw mattresses, Wool mattresses | Leave a comment

A Moss-Green Silk Watch Case, Gilded Walnuts, Bird’s-Nest Ornaments, and More: Christmas Crafts in Victorian America

Posted on December 7, 2022 by mansionmusings

Whether it’s a glittering snow globe, a festive popsicle-stick frame, a dazzling sequined bauble for the tree, or a chunky hand-knitted sweater, handmade gifts and ornaments add a warm glow to the holidays. But handcrafted treasures were trendy long before … Continue reading →

Posted in Mansion Musings | Tagged Alum baskets, Christmas crafts in Godey's Lady's Book, Christmas crafts in the 19th century, Christmas handicrafts in Victorian America, Christmas tree candles in the 19th century, Christmas trees in the 19th century, Handmade pocketwatch cases, Handmade Victorian Christmas gifts, Shaving papers, Victorian Christmas customs in America, Victorian Christmas ornaments, Victorian crafts | 1 Comment

Beneath the Grime: A Dazzling Center Table Revealed

Posted on November 11, 2022 by mansionmusings

Decorative arts specialist and BPMM Curatorial Committee Chair Carswell Rush Berlin writes about a center table in Bartow-Pell’s collection and discusses its classical origins, stencil decoration of American furniture in the 1820s and ‘30s, and the table’s recent conservation treatment. … Continue reading →

Posted in Mansion Musings | Tagged Center tables, Classical center tables, Classical furniture in New York, Classical style, Classical taste, Conservation of gilt decoration, Duncan Phyfe, Florence Van Rensselaer, Furniture conservation, Gilt stenciling, New York center tables, Stenciling on American 19th-century furniture | 2 Comments

Beyond Calico and Gingham: Fashion and the Irish-Immigrant Domestic Servant

Posted on September 27, 2022 by mansionmusings

One summer day in 1867, Catharine Burns, “a poor servant girl,” boarded the Fulton Ferry in Brooklyn while lugging a valise full of her clothing, according to the New York Herald (September 11, 1867). She was on her way to … Continue reading →

Posted in Mansion Musings | Tagged 19th-century domestics, Bartow estate, Bartow family, Calico dresses, Clarina Bartow Morgan, Domestic servants, Gingham dresses, Irish domestic servants, Irish domestic servants' clothing, Irish immigrants, Irish immigration in America, Irish servants and fashion, Irish servants and finery, John Leech, Robert Bartow family, Servant clothing in the 19th century, Servantgalism, Servants and caps, Servants and fashion, Servants and finery, Servants' clothing, The Servant Question | 3 Comments

Pell Family Portraits: Amelia Grace Pell Craft and William E. Craft

Posted on July 26, 2022 by mansionmusings

A rare pair of portraits depicting Pell descendant Amelia Grace Pell Craft (1806–1888) and her husband, William Edward Craft (1800–1852), are recent additions to Bartow-Pell’s collection. These works, which date to about 1843, were painted by an unknown artist, probably … Continue reading →

Posted in Mansion Musings | Tagged 1840s dresses, 1840s fashion, 1840s men's fashions, 1840s women's fashions, A, Amelia Grace Pell Craft, Fly Market, Hairwork bracelets, John Pell (1769–1819), Joseph Pell, Lawrenceburg Indiana, Lords of the Manor of Pelham, Mary Pell (ca. 1775–1851, Pell family burial ground, Pell genealogy, Pell portraits, Thomas Pell II | 1 Comment

All the Colors of the Rainbow: Ombré Patterns from 1820 to 1850

Posted on March 30, 2022 by mansionmusings

Luminous, colorful, undulating—and sometimes even iridescent—the new French ombré wallpapers and textiles of the 1820s were so vibrant that these nuanced designs in shades of one or more colors were often called rainbow patterns. They were also known as irisé … Continue reading →

Posted in Mansion Musings | Tagged 1820s fashion, 1840s dresses, 1840s fashion, 19th-century dresses in rainbow patterns, 19th-century fashion accessories, American calico imports, American calico trade, British calico trade, Calico patterns in the 1820s to 1840s, Fondu patterns, French irisé wallpapers in the United States, Ingrain carpets, Irisé patterns, Irisé wallpaper, Jean Zuber rainbow patterns, Jean-François Persoz, Manchester calico trade, Ombré patterns, Rainbow patterns, Rainbow patterns in embroidery, Rainbow-printed textiles, Shaded patterns, Venetian carpets | 2 Comments

Nineteenth-Century Women Lean In

Posted on March 4, 2022 by mansionmusings

In honor of Women’s History Month, BPMM Education Committee Chair and board member Joseph P. Cordasco discusses the different lives of two women—both born in the nineteenth century—whose portraits hang at Bartow-Pell. When I tour historic places, I often wonder … Continue reading →

Posted in Mansion Musings | Tagged Domestic Sphere, Mary Jane Merritt MacFarlan, Mrs. Charles Frederick Hoffman, Women in the 19th Century, Women's History Month, Women's rights in the 19th century, Zelia Hoffman | 3 Comments

Baubles and Bling: Holiday Trees Sparkle at Bartow-Pell

Posted on December 6, 2021 by mansionmusings

Sparkling baubles gleam like diamonds and rubies. Treasures from the woods, fields, and shore bring nature’s beauty inside. Handmade ornaments recall a charming childhood Christmas in the Victorian era. Lace adds a touch of delicate luxury. And festive decorations celebrate … Continue reading →

Posted in Mansion Musings | Tagged #bronxjewel, #hiddentreasure, Holiday trees at Bartow-Pell, Holiday trees in the Bronx | 1 Comment

Mourning Marietta: A Family Story in Portraiture

Posted on September 28, 2021 by mansionmusings

Mary Jane and Daniel T. MacFarlan sat for this large double portrait about three years after the death of their young daughter Marietta. What is the story behind this handsome couple? And what can the portrait tell us about mourning … Continue reading →

Posted in Mansion Musings | Tagged 19th-century mourning customs, American portraits, Childhood mortality in the 19th century, Daniel T. MacFarlan, Mary Jane Merritt MacFarlan, Meaning of flowers, Mourning iconography, Mourning in 19th-century America, Mourning jewelry, Mourning portraits, Posthumous portraits, Symbolism in mourning portraiture, Thomas E. Pine, Yonkers New York | 2 Comments