﻿March, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  107 
  

  

  corner 
  is 
  a 
  "beaufat" 
  which 
  belonged 
  to 
  his 
  

   mother. 
  On 
  the 
  walls 
  are 
  family 
  portraits, 
  

   and 
  grouped 
  over 
  the 
  fireplace 
  with 
  its 
  

   swinging 
  crane 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   quaint 
  old 
  silhouettes. 
  Those 
  who 
  are 
  in- 
  

   terested 
  in 
  china 
  and 
  its 
  collection 
  would 
  

   find 
  much 
  to 
  delight 
  them 
  here 
  if 
  not 
  to 
  

   tempt 
  and 
  tantalize 
  ; 
  for 
  arranged 
  in 
  the 
  

   several 
  glass-faced 
  cases 
  are 
  sets 
  of 
  Lowe- 
  

   stoft 
  and 
  Nankeen, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  many 
  rare 
  

   individual 
  pieces. 
  In 
  the 
  small 
  side 
  hall 
  on 
  

   shelves 
  are 
  assembled 
  the 
  pewters 
  and 
  

   brasses, 
  and 
  over 
  the 
  front 
  door 
  stand 
  now, 
  

   as 
  of 
  old, 
  the 
  fire 
  buckets 
  belonging 
  origin- 
  

   ally 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Talbot's 
  great-grandfather. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  second 
  floor 
  the 
  interest 
  is 
  equally 
  

   sustained, 
  each 
  room 
  having 
  its 
  open 
  fire- 
  

   place, 
  deep 
  window 
  seats, 
  four 
  posted 
  bed 
  

   with 
  contemporary 
  hangings 
  and 
  other 
  an- 
  

   tique 
  furnishings, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  after 
  all 
  until 
  

   the 
  attic 
  is 
  reached 
  that 
  the 
  chief 
  attraction 
  

   of 
  the 
  old 
  place 
  is 
  found 
  or 
  its 
  true 
  spirit 
  

   entered 
  into. 
  There 
  are 
  the 
  looms, 
  the 
  

   spinning 
  wheels, 
  the 
  warping-frame, 
  the 
  

   reels 
  and 
  the 
  hackles 
  which 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  were 
  

   counted 
  as 
  household 
  necessities 
  and 
  are 
  

   now, 
  after 
  almost 
  a 
  century 
  of 
  idleness, 
  

   again 
  being 
  put 
  into 
  use. 
  As 
  in 
  the 
  attics 
  

   of 
  tradition, 
  the 
  roof 
  is 
  low 
  and 
  slanting 
  

   and 
  under 
  the 
  eaves 
  are 
  chests. 
  The 
  win- 
  

   dows 
  are 
  deep 
  set 
  and 
  vine 
  curtained, 
  the 
  

   sunbeams 
  dusky, 
  and 
  over 
  in 
  the 
  corner 
  is 
  a 
  

   door 
  opening 
  into 
  the 
  smoke 
  chimney, 
  cav- 
  

   ernous 
  and 
  sooty, 
  wherein, 
  on 
  hooks, 
  hung 
  

   in 
  the 
  "good 
  old 
  days" 
  many 
  a 
  savory 
  ham 
  

   and 
  side 
  of 
  beef 
  and 
  bacon. 
  

  

  This 
  top 
  story 
  is 
  divided 
  into 
  four 
  rooms, 
  

   three 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  given 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  weav- 
  

   ing 
  industry. 
  In 
  the 
  larger 
  of 
  the 
  front 
  

   rooms 
  are 
  the 
  heavier 
  looms 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  

   coarser 
  weaving, 
  and 
  here 
  is 
  the 
  great 
  attic 
  

   dormer 
  leading 
  up 
  a 
  short 
  flight 
  of 
  inside 
  

   steps 
  to 
  the 
  portico's 
  roof 
  and 
  platform. 
  

   When 
  these 
  doors 
  are 
  open 
  great 
  floods 
  of 
  

   light 
  flow 
  in, 
  and 
  the 
  outside 
  world 
  itself 
  

   seems 
  almost 
  to 
  gain 
  admittance. 
  Its 
  shape, 
  

   its 
  light, 
  and 
  its 
  environment 
  make 
  this 
  

   room 
  an 
  ideal 
  artist's 
  workship 
  — 
  a 
  place 
  

   wherein 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  difficult 
  to 
  produce 
  un- 
  

   lovely 
  things. 
  

  

  About 
  two 
  years 
  ago, 
  on 
  an 
  idle 
  evening, 
  

   Mr. 
  Talbot 
  and 
  his 
  wife 
  took 
  out 
  a 
  small 
  

   hand-loom, 
  which 
  had 
  long 
  been 
  unused, 
  

   and 
  began 
  experimenting 
  with 
  it. 
  So 
  suc- 
  

   cessful 
  were 
  they 
  at 
  the 
  start, 
  and 
  so 
  inter- 
  

   ested 
  did 
  they 
  become 
  directly 
  in 
  their 
  new- 
  

   found 
  occupation 
  that 
  ere 
  long 
  their 
  past- 
  

   time 
  became 
  an 
  absorbing 
  business. 
  The 
  

   industry 
  in 
  fact 
  almost 
  evolved 
  itself, 
  and 
  

   scarcely 
  before 
  the 
  workers 
  themselves 
  real- 
  

   ized 
  it 
  they 
  were 
  obliged 
  to 
  seek 
  helpers 
  

   and 
  procure 
  other 
  looms. 
  Then 
  ensued 
  an 
  

   interesting 
  search. 
  In 
  attics, 
  wood 
  sheds, 
  

   and 
  cellars 
  the 
  old 
  frames 
  were 
  found 
  with 
  

   their 
  splendidly 
  seasoned 
  wood 
  and 
  strong 
  

   joints 
  thought 
  fit 
  for 
  nothing 
  but 
  chicken 
  

   coops 
  or 
  burning. 
  Eight 
  have 
  now 
  been 
  

   restored 
  to 
  their 
  own, 
  rejuvenated, 
  and 
  set 
  

   up 
  in 
  the 
  "Hearthside" 
  attic. 
  At 
  these 
  a 
  

   little 
  band 
  of 
  weavers 
  (the 
  owners 
  and 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Attic 
  Are 
  the 
  Looms, 
  Spinning 
  Wheels, 
  Warping 
  Frames, 
  Reels 
  and 
  Hackles 
  

   Long 
  Counted 
  as 
  Household 
  Necessities 
  

  

  Mr. 
  and 
  Mrs. 
  Talbot 
  Weaving 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  Hearthside 
  " 
  Attic. 
  Mr. 
  Talbot's 
  Loom 
  Has 
  Been 
  

   in 
  His 
  Family 
  for 
  Over 
  a 
  Hundred 
  Years. 
  Mrs. 
  Talbot's 
  Was 
  Made 
  in 
  1 
  725 
  

  

  Weaving 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  Hearthside 
  " 
  Attic 
  

  

  