﻿October, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  383 
  

  

  3 
  — 
  A 
  Modern 
  Bedroom 
  Furnished 
  with 
  Old-time 
  Mahogany 
  Furniture 
  

  

  pears 
  in 
  No. 
  4, 
  which 
  plate 
  also 
  contains 
  a 
  rush-bottom 
  chair 
  

   of 
  the 
  form 
  very 
  popular 
  from 
  1700 
  to 
  1750. 
  

  

  It 
  must 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  steam-heated 
  rooms 
  were 
  not 
  

   known 
  to 
  the 
  community 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  during 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  nineteenth 
  century. 
  People, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  slept 
  in 
  cold 
  

   rooms, 
  or 
  in 
  rooms 
  heated 
  by 
  an 
  open 
  fire. 
  The 
  curtained 
  

   bed, 
  therefore, 
  had 
  a 
  function 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  being 
  merely 
  a 
  

   decorative 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  room. 
  At 
  night 
  the 
  occupant 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  wore 
  a 
  nightcap 
  and 
  drew 
  the 
  curtains 
  closely 
  around 
  

   him 
  to 
  shield 
  himself 
  from 
  draughts. 
  The 
  modern 
  taste 
  for 
  

   cold 
  fresh 
  air 
  has, 
  in 
  a 
  way, 
  revived 
  the 
  need 
  of 
  curtained 
  

   beds, 
  and 
  many 
  a 
  modern 
  room 
  now 
  contains 
  copies 
  of 
  old 
  

   styles 
  of 
  furniture 
  and 
  upholstery. 
  

  

  A 
  reference 
  to 
  manufacturers' 
  lists 
  will 
  show 
  that 
  iron 
  and 
  

   brass 
  bedsteads 
  were 
  not 
  advertised 
  for 
  sale 
  till 
  about 
  i860. 
  

   By 
  this 
  time 
  the 
  wooden 
  canopied 
  bedstead, 
  

   called 
  the 
  "half-tester," 
  had 
  generally 
  sup- 
  

   planted 
  the 
  four-poster. 
  The 
  "French 
  bed- 
  

   stead" 
  was 
  also 
  popular. 
  The 
  latter 
  ap- 
  

   pears 
  in 
  Nos. 
  2, 
  3 
  and 
  6. 
  The 
  head 
  and 
  

   footpiece 
  were 
  alike 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  shape, 
  and 
  

   over 
  it 
  two 
  curtains 
  fell, 
  sometimes 
  from 
  a 
  

   pole 
  fixed 
  at 
  the 
  side, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  from 
  

   a 
  small 
  circular 
  canopy 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  ceil- 
  

   ing. 
  The 
  iron 
  bedsteads 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  all 
  

   forms, 
  the 
  "half-tester" 
  being 
  a 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  popular 
  one. 
  The 
  curtains 
  of 
  flowered 
  

   chintz 
  or 
  bright 
  cretonne, 
  matching 
  or 
  con- 
  

   trasting 
  with 
  the 
  light 
  wall 
  paper 
  and 
  win- 
  

   dow 
  curtains, 
  gave 
  the 
  room 
  that 
  bright- 
  

   ness 
  which 
  is 
  always 
  desirable 
  in 
  a 
  sleeping 
  

   apartment. 
  Dark 
  tints 
  were, 
  as 
  they 
  should 
  

   be, 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  downstairs 
  rooms. 
  

  

  In 
  recent 
  years 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  decided 
  

   return 
  to 
  old 
  fashions. 
  The 
  bedroom 
  car- 
  

   pet 
  has 
  been 
  banished, 
  the 
  floor 
  being 
  pol- 
  

   ished 
  and 
  decorated 
  with 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  rugs 
  

   of 
  Oriental 
  pattern. 
  The 
  old 
  custom 
  of 
  

   being 
  satisfied 
  with 
  a 
  rug 
  beside 
  the 
  bed 
  

   to 
  step 
  out 
  on, 
  another 
  before 
  the 
  dressing- 
  

   table, 
  and 
  a 
  third 
  before 
  the 
  washstand, 
  af- 
  

   fords 
  all 
  the 
  necessary 
  comfort, 
  and 
  is 
  

   found 
  to 
  be 
  far 
  more 
  decorative 
  than 
  a 
  uni- 
  

  

  form 
  ground 
  of 
  sprawling 
  patterns. 
  Ex- 
  

   amples 
  of 
  this 
  are 
  seen 
  in 
  Nos. 
  2, 
  3 
  and 
  5. 
  

   From 
  about 
  1 
  860 
  to 
  the 
  last 
  decade 
  there 
  

   was 
  a 
  taste 
  for 
  "sets," 
  comprising 
  a 
  bed- 
  

   stead 
  without 
  drapery, 
  a 
  dressing-table 
  

   with 
  rows 
  of 
  drawers 
  at 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   long 
  glass, 
  a 
  washhand-stand, 
  several 
  chairs 
  

   and 
  an 
  oval 
  table 
  with 
  marble 
  top. 
  These 
  

   sets 
  were 
  made 
  of 
  walnut, 
  cherry, 
  maple, 
  

   etc., 
  and 
  cheap 
  wood 
  painted 
  in 
  light 
  col- 
  

   ors 
  decorated 
  with 
  flowers 
  and 
  known 
  as 
  

   "cottage 
  furniture" 
  was 
  also 
  popular. 
  

   These 
  almost 
  drove 
  out 
  the 
  mahogany, 
  and 
  

   indeed 
  much 
  of 
  it 
  — 
  heavy, 
  clumsy, 
  unpleas- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  form 
  and 
  devoid 
  of 
  carving 
  or 
  any 
  

   ornamentation 
  to 
  brighten 
  it 
  — 
  deserved 
  

   to 
  go. 
  

  

  People 
  of 
  simple 
  means 
  frequently 
  fur- 
  

   nish 
  their 
  rooms 
  with 
  reproductions 
  of 
  par- 
  

   ticular 
  styles 
  they 
  favor; 
  thus, 
  No. 
  7 
  shows 
  

   a 
  room 
  decorated 
  and 
  furnished 
  in 
  Louis 
  

   Quinze 
  style. 
  

  

  Turning 
  now 
  to 
  the 
  actual 
  contents 
  of 
  

   rooms 
  during 
  the 
  nineteenth 
  century, 
  let 
  us 
  

   look 
  at 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  records. 
  Mr. 
  Derby, 
  

   a 
  wealthy 
  resident 
  of 
  Salem, 
  died 
  in 
  1805. 
  

   His 
  "Southeast 
  Chamber" 
  has 
  a 
  Brussels 
  

   carpet 
  on 
  the 
  floor, 
  and 
  the 
  open 
  fireplace 
  is 
  furnished 
  with 
  

   brass 
  andirons, 
  bellows 
  and 
  steel 
  shovel, 
  tongs 
  and 
  fender. 
  

   The 
  bed 
  is 
  a 
  four-poster 
  with 
  green 
  curtains 
  (worth 
  $133), 
  

   and 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  green 
  chairs, 
  eight 
  mahogany 
  chairs 
  with 
  

   silk 
  bottoms, 
  an 
  easy 
  chair, 
  a 
  rich 
  looking-glass, 
  a 
  chest-upon- 
  

   chest 
  of 
  drawers, 
  a 
  stand-table, 
  two 
  flower-pots 
  and 
  two 
  

   crickets, 
  or 
  stools. 
  The 
  "Northwest 
  Chamber" 
  is 
  also 
  cov- 
  

   ered 
  with 
  a 
  Brussels 
  carpet; 
  white 
  cotton 
  curtains 
  hang 
  at 
  

   the 
  windows 
  and 
  probably 
  drape 
  the 
  four-post 
  mahogany 
  

   bed 
  (worth 
  $130). 
  The 
  other 
  furniture 
  consists 
  of 
  ma- 
  

   hogany 
  chairs, 
  an 
  easy 
  chair, 
  a 
  dressing-glass, 
  a 
  looking- 
  

   glass, 
  a 
  mahogany 
  commode, 
  a 
  washhand-stand 
  and 
  basin, 
  

   five 
  pictures, 
  three 
  white 
  china 
  flower-pots 
  and 
  brass 
  hearth 
  

   furniture. 
  These 
  Salem 
  rooms 
  differ 
  very 
  little 
  from 
  the 
  

   bedrooms 
  of 
  "Mount 
  Vernon," 
  the 
  "Front 
  Room" 
  of 
  which 
  

  

  The 
  " 
  Wing 
  Chair 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  XVIII 
  and 
  XIX 
  Centuries, 
  and 
  the 
  Rush-bottom 
  Chair 
  

   of 
  1 
  700-1 
  750 
  Are 
  Still 
  Prized 
  in 
  Modern 
  Rooms 
  

  

  