22 
HOUSE & GARDEN 
Samuel McIntyre, of Salem, was one of 
the old architect-builders of Colonial 
times. His mantels follow Adam designs 
Paneling lends dignity to the English type of fireplace. The mantel is 
usually set high, affording room for a large fireplace opening and broad 
hearth. Wrought iron fixtures should be used 
T HE evolution of the fireplace has been 
gradual. During the Middle Ages 
this feature occupied the center of the 
room, and the smoke was supposed to 
escape through a hole in the roof. When 
the built-in fireplace superseded this cen¬ 
tral structure, the hearth was set back 
against the wall, and a hood of stone or 
brick added, to help carry off smoke and 
keep out drafts. This hood, designed purely 
for utility, was wholly devoid of decoration. 
In England, the hood was soon replaced 
by the straight chimney-breast, but it was 
retained much longer in France and Italy, 
where its decorative possibilities were justly 
appreciated. Wood and stone were used in 
France, while the Italians worked in mar¬ 
ble. The chimney-breast built flush with 
the wall also originated in Italy, and be¬ 
came known as “the Italian manner’’ when 
its use spread to other countries. The 
thickness of the house walls of that time 
made this position feasible, especially as the 
fireplace openings were of great size. The 
removal of the hood, the change to smaller 
openings, and, in our own country, the use 
of wooden walls, all brought about the 
change by which the fireplace was made to 
project into the room. 
The wooden mantels, now so common, 
were early used in England, and one of the 
first forms of decoration was armorial 
bearings. These early wooden fireplaces 
were lined with stone or brick, and later 
with iron, as are those of today. Tile be- 
A simple and attractive treatment for the overmantel is a painting either set in 
the paneling or, as here, framed and paneled the entire width of the chimney 
breast. Additional mantel decorations are unnecessary 
