tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44779331255593660682011-07-08T03:04:04.985-04:00An examination of late 19th century decorative arts and the creation of a 21st century Aesthetic Movement fantasy interior.The Peacock Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14101048834953799156noreply@blogger.comBlogger151100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477933125559366068.post-87915654660587023362009-12-13T15:24:00.021-05:002009-12-13T17:11:30.695-05:00

The record is silent regarding the whereabouts and doings of Joseph Burr Tiffany from late 1884 until mid-1886, when he is once again listed in a New York City directory.1 Can anything be gleaned from what was written about Tiffany later in his life? A pair of profiles of Tiffany which appeared in 1912 are noticeably consistent in the details they offer: "Mr. Tiffany’s education has been

The Peacock Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14101048834953799156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477933125559366068.post-8743022369782318142009-12-10T17:42:00.009-05:002009-12-13T17:58:33.490-05:00

Joseph Burr Tiffany was born on February 13, 1856 in Hudson, NY; his parents were Amanda Cuyler Stoutenburgh, and Joseph Capron Tiffany. He was the youngest of three sons. Little is known of his early life, save that part of it was spent in Norfolk, VA, where his father was "actively engaged in the lumber trade." 1 The family also traveled to Chicago, appearing in that city in the 1860 Federal

The Peacock Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14101048834953799156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477933125559366068.post-10448075443436891362009-12-09T23:06:00.015-05:002009-12-13T18:00:25.651-05:00

There are names familiar to every collector and scholar of 19th century decorative arts, for example, Herter Brothers, Pottier & Stymus, Candace Wheeler, and John LaFarge. There is, however, but one name familiar at a popular culture level: Tiffany. And while some of that fame admittedly can be attributed to jewelry, little blue boxes, and Holly Golightly's morning repast, the word "Tiffany" is

The Peacock Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14101048834953799156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477933125559366068.post-32939214835142503512009-11-21T20:08:00.002-05:002009-11-21T22:42:44.171-05:00

From the October 9, 1880 edition of Harper's Bazaar magazine: This elegant portière is of rich maroon velvet, with a border worked on réséda cloth in the popular Renaissance [style]. The border is repeated across the bottom of each curtain, and also at the lower edge of the lambrequin, where it is finished by maroon twisted fringe. The border is composed of single squares, embroidered at

The Peacock Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14101048834953799156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477933125559366068.post-52220198399240172702009-11-20T10:32:00.001-05:002009-11-20T18:20:52.732-05:00

(Both the modern conception of nineteenth-century interiors as all scarlet flocked wallpaper, and the "Victorian Revival" fad for walls of deep burgundy, hunter green or teal are far from the complex arrangements of carefully placed hues advocated by the taste-makers of the time. Colors like "orange-maroon" and "bluish-pink" are frequently referenced in period writings, as are color schemes like

The Peacock Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14101048834953799156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477933125559366068.post-27493334340853399032009-11-02T12:23:00.007-05:002009-11-02T13:34:11.379-05:00

(My next few projects will be to make curtains for our front hall and library, and portiéres for several door openings. I'll be posting some excerpts on the subject of window and door hangings from various historic sources. -TPR)Among upholstery goods there is a remarkable variety now, and the materials, prices, and designs, vary to such extent that hardly any one can fail to find something to

The Peacock Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14101048834953799156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477933125559366068.post-8691911470310665312009-09-16T19:30:00.004-04:002009-09-16T19:37:27.623-04:00

"Is this thing on? Testing... testing..."

The Peacock Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14101048834953799156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477933125559366068.post-59031184249564664822008-11-08T10:57:00.025-05:002008-11-08T17:36:17.327-05:00

While much information can be gleaned from books and magazines, both modern and "of the period," experiencing actual interiors is invaluable. Admittedly, museum houses and period rooms are static, sometimes artificial in their arrangement, and often devoid of natural light, but photographs, drawings and words, for their part, cannot wholly impart scale, texture, or color relationships.Some

The Peacock Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14101048834953799156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477933125559366068.post-52719441177840338942008-08-28T08:28:00.007-04:002008-08-28T11:57:19.124-04:00

(Some information on window hangings, in response to a question on the message board at Rare Victorian and cross-posted there. -TPR)My profile quote here at The Peacock Room is by William Morris: "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful;" this philosophy very concisely expresses the prevailing sentiment regarding hangings (for both windows and

The Peacock Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14101048834953799156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477933125559366068.post-87354692986303897062008-07-28T16:41:00.000-04:002008-08-05T13:41:41.813-04:00

Unlike the owners of some older homes, we are not faced with the issue of fidelity to any previous interior design schemes. Our front hall, for example, was "decorated" with thick seafoam green wall-to-wall carpet (bearing numerous stains of suspicious origin), and refrigerator white, texture-coated walls. At some point the door between the hall and the next room (the dining room, to be used as

The Peacock Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14101048834953799156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477933125559366068.post-78636910493459866482008-07-21T12:09:00.002-04:002009-11-02T13:13:38.718-05:00

In the 19th century, great symbolic importance was placed not only on the functions ascribed the different rooms of the house, but also on the manner in which the rooms were decorated. Harriet Prescott Spofford emphasized that the appearance of the entrance hall would be seen as both reflection of the house's decor as a whole, and (perhaps more importantly) as a reflection of the character and

The Peacock Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14101048834953799156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477933125559366068.post-43849942014183278122008-05-31T00:27:00.000-04:002008-07-26T11:12:03.286-04:00

The June '08 issue of The Magazine Antiques is the "England" issue, with four (!) feature articles concerning the Victorian era. The first focuses on one of A.W.N. Pugin's church interiors, the second, on a chandelier designed by W.A.S. Benson and the third is a one-pager on the pair of Godwin vases recently acquired by the V&A.The fourth article is a "Living With Antiques" piece, and concerns an

The Peacock Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14101048834953799156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477933125559366068.post-57132981874462968572008-05-18T10:50:00.002-04:002009-11-02T13:16:48.694-05:00

This fireplace surround (currently being offered on eBay) is a interesting and high-end example of late-19th century "artistic" (or Aesthetic) decor. Apparently the mantel was removed at some point from the Larchmont (NY) Yacht Club (and then somehow traveled "the road to Wellsville"). The Yacht Club clubhouse was originally the residence of one "Mr. Benjamin F. Carver, a railroad magnate," from

The Peacock Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14101048834953799156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477933125559366068.post-13199601367496989512008-03-25T21:37:00.000-04:002008-07-26T10:41:06.727-04:00

At first glance, the interior of the house appears to be as grim as the exterior - texture-coated walls, filthy sea-foam green deep-pile carpet, cheap wallpaper - but closer examination reveals pocket doors, 9 foot ceilings (on the first floor), (mostly) intact woodwork and generously sized rooms (albeit with an "interesting" floor plan on the second floor). Some small mechanical issues will need

The Peacock Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14101048834953799156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477933125559366068.post-30419260527495848342008-03-07T20:34:00.000-05:002008-07-26T10:40:11.180-04:00

Our house is a wee thing, not quite a "cottage" but not much more than one either. A narrow entry-and-stair hall, front parlor, larger back parlor/dining room/library and kitchen make up the ground floor, with two bedrooms, a small sitting rooms and bath on the second floor.Built about 1890, the house was originally owned by a Horace T____, a book keeper employed at the town's shirt factory (he

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