Parlor
Gas parlor heater, circa 1890's.
The windows in this gas heater are clear mica, which is less temperature-sensitive than glass. The gas is turned on with a removable key at the bottom right of the appliance and lit by hand with a match.
The windows in this gas heater are clear mica, which is less temperature-sensitive than glass. The gas is turned on with a removable key at the bottom right of the appliance and lit by hand with a match.
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Cast iron match holder
Mounted on the wall behind the gas heater, for easy access even in the dark. |
Chinese carpet (circa 19th century): This beautiful carpet is an heirloom passeed down from Gabriel's grandmother, Miriam Chrisman (affectionately known to her grandchildren as "Gogi.") Gogi came from wonderfully traditional old New England, blue-blooded stock, and felt that persian carpets were gauche because simply everyone had them. Instead of being so trite as to buy a Persian carpet, she travelled to China and bought a Chinese carpet, which was already an antique when she purchased it. There is one worn spot on the carpet, over the brown islands in the blue ocean: this is where Gogi's cat, Queen Hatshepsut, sat for her nap every day - so long that she wore through the carpet! The spot seems to hold a special attraction for felines: when our neighbor's cat used to come visit, he liked to sit in precisely the same place!
Queen Hatshepsut's spot on the carpet.
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Antique chairs (circa 1880s): Eastlake Gothic style (note the beasts: medieval imagery was popular in Victorian Eastlake styling.)
My first introduction to William Morris and his Aesthetic Movement was a pair of parlor chairs Gabriel located soon after we moved in to our new home. Even a fast glance would tell a person that they are a matched set, even though they are by no means identical. Both have cushions several inches thick on their seats, and both chairs are dark wood with straight, uncushioned backs. Snarling beasts are carved atop each chair's back, and these creatures are so stylized they resemble something out of the Book of Kells - vague representations of medieval beasts that could resemble anything from lions to gryphons. Each chair is intended to be occupied by a single sitter, but whereas one is of a typical size a person could expect for a sole occupant and is bounded by two armrests, its companion is significantly longer, with an armrest on only the right-hand side. Gabriel explained that this is the lady's chair, with room on the side to lay down a sewing project.
My first introduction to William Morris and his Aesthetic Movement was a pair of parlor chairs Gabriel located soon after we moved in to our new home. Even a fast glance would tell a person that they are a matched set, even though they are by no means identical. Both have cushions several inches thick on their seats, and both chairs are dark wood with straight, uncushioned backs. Snarling beasts are carved atop each chair's back, and these creatures are so stylized they resemble something out of the Book of Kells - vague representations of medieval beasts that could resemble anything from lions to gryphons. Each chair is intended to be occupied by a single sitter, but whereas one is of a typical size a person could expect for a sole occupant and is bounded by two armrests, its companion is significantly longer, with an armrest on only the right-hand side. Gabriel explained that this is the lady's chair, with room on the side to lay down a sewing project.
Photo courtesy Estar Hyo-Gyung Choi, Mary Studios.
Armchair - late 19th-century. This armchair (which was a Christmas present from me to Gabriel our third Christmas in our house) displays heavy influence of the near-East, which was popular in Victorian exotic imagery.
Sofa, circa 1890s.
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Flat wick lamp in wall-mounted cast iron sconce with mercury-glass reflector, and the same lamp when lit.
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Mercury thermometer
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Our mechanical clock, which Sarah winds every morning.
Curiosity piqued?
There is a lot more information about our home in Sarah's book,
This Victorian Life.
Happy reading!
This Victorian Life
Modern Adventures in Nineteenth-Century Culture,
Cooking, Fashion and Technology
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In a seaport town in the late 19th-century Pacific Northwest, a group of friends find themselves drawn together —by chance, by love, and by the marvelous changes their world is undergoing. In the process, they learn that the family we choose can be just as important as the ones we're born into. Join their adventures in
The Tales of Chetzemoka
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A Trip and a Tumble:
A Victorian Cycling Club Story
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Victorian Secrets
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True Ladies and
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