HOUSE AND GARDEN 
February, 
1914 
99 
tically a replica of the lower 
one. 
At the left of the hallway is 
a large, spacious room — per¬ 
haps the most notable one in the 
house — used originally as a 
parlor. A feature of this is the 
unique wall paper. It was im¬ 
ported from Paris in 1775 in 
honor of the approaching mar¬ 
riage of Dorothy Quincy and 
John Hancock. In all these 
years its color has never been 
dimmed. The design is carried 
out in double panels, showing 
birds of Paradise in brilliant 
colors resting in vases. It was 
probably chosen for the conno¬ 
tation of the many Cupids and 
Venuses in blue upon its sur¬ 
face, which was further deco¬ 
rated with pendent wreaths of 
draperies of red. 
Unfortunately for history, 
the wedding never took place in 
this room. 
One notices the usual chair 
rail wainscot and Colonial in¬ 
side shutters, the latter an out¬ 
growth of the heavy sort used 
to protect the family from In¬ 
dians. These shutters show an 
attractive panel design and are divided by hinges into three sec¬ 
tions. Often shutters of this kind were doubly secured by a 
wooden bar that, when closed, fell into sockets. 
The furniture of this room was carefully selected and arranged. 
Dorothy Quincy’s wedding wall paper adorns the north parlor. 
Venus in blue, with garlands and festoons in reds and blues. 
It was of French manufacture and shows figures of Cupid and 
There is a happy suggestion in the furniture displayed here 
Though of different periods, there is a harmony of setting that 
is appropriate, especially when we consider that the work of the 
master cabinet makers blended a variety of motives from the 
simple designs of Queen Anne’s time to the elaboration of the 
Change of taste caused the old brick fireplace to be covered over with simple paneled woodwork, and the opening 
to be framed with tiles illustrating biblical history 
The balusters and newel post were probably the 
work of an early carver of ship woodwork 
