Southern Folk Artist & Antiques Dealer/Collector: Period State rooms at the DAR museum Washington, D.C.

The Maryland room, a late 1830s parlor in a wealthy household, is designed to show a family member entertaining guests on the Grand harmonicon. Harmonicons had been popular in wealthy circles since the 18th century, when composers like Mozart and Beethoven composed music for it. Period sheet music for the harmonicon is displayed on the music stand. Most of all the furnishings were made in Maryland. Perhaps the most visually striking decorative feature of the room is the scenic wallpaper. Though most scenic wallpapers are block printed, this example is hand painted. Made in France, this paper shows one of the many uprisings in Paris during the 1830s.

For my blogger's that love Period rooms, The Period rooms at the DAR museum in Washington, D.C. is a haven for those lovers of Early American furnishing and Decorative arts. The museum is little known but I heard about it at a early age at Mobile's locale DAR house museum the Richards House. Check out the blog I did on this museum. I have been fascinated with Antiques & Period rooms since I was very young. I thought at a young age “One day I will live in a home set up with period rooms full of antiques. I now do, But I still love visiting them in Museums, House museums and peoples private historic homes. Today I will share with you photo’s of the beautiful Period State rooms at the DAR museum in Washington, D.C. The photo's were taken during my two week stay in the lovely city of Washington, D.C. for my birthday in Aug 2007.

Encompassing an entire city block, DAR Headquarters is one of the world’s largest buildings of its kind owned and maintained exclusively by women.

Memorial Continental Hall, the oldest building of the DAR complex, was designed in 1905 by prominent Washington Architect Edward Pearce Casey, designer of the interior of the Library of Congress.

Upon its completion, Memorial Continental Hall was quickly recognized as one of Washington, D.C.’s most elegant buildings. The design for the building is in the classical revival style of the beaux-arts. Because of its classical detailing, the Hall fits in well with the Colonial Revival movement.
Memorial Continental Hall was designated as a Registered National Historic Landmark in 1935 for its role in world history, which includes hosting the famous Conference on the Limitation of Armaments in the wake of WWI (1921). Diplomats from all over the globe met to discuss limits on the proliferation of arms. Their work at Memorial Continental Hall remains a recognized milestone in global peace efforts towards disarmament.

The Maryland room, Painted fancy Baltimore chairs and table.

The Maryland room. Perhaps the most visually striking decorative feature of the room is the scenic wallpaper. Though most scenic wallpapers are block printed, this example is hand painted. Made in France, this paper shows one of the many uprisings in Paris during the 1830s.

The Maryland room. The Grand harmonicon. Harmonicons had been popular in wealthy circles since the 18th century, when composers like Mozart and Beethoven composed music for it. Period sheet music for the harmonicon is displayed on the music stand.

The Maryland room, a late 1830s parlor in a wealthy household, is designed to show a family member entertaining guests on the Grand harmonicon. Harmonicons had been popular in wealthy circles since the 18th century, when composers like Mozart and Beethoven composed music for it. Period sheet music for the harmonicon is displayed on the music stand. Perhaps the most visually striking decorative feature of the room is the scenic wallpaper. Though most scenic wallpapers are block printed, this example is hand painted. Made in France, this paper shows one of the many uprisings in Paris during the 1830s.

The Tennessee room represents a parlor in a wealthy American home between 1828 and 1836, the years of Andrew Jackson’s presidency. Jackson, the seventh president of the United States and a Tennessee native, is pictured here in an early 1830s portrait painted by his close friend and painter Ralph E.W. Earl. The mahogany and gilt or golden armchairs where made for the White House after it was burned by the British in 1814, If you look closely at Jackson’s portrait, you can see he is sitting in one of the gilded arm chairs.

The Tennessee room

The Tennessee room. The mahogany and gilt or golden armchairs where made for the White House after it was burned by the British in 1814,

The District of Columbia room represents a parlor in a wealthy home, which would have been a rarity in Washington in the early 19th century. More prevalent at this time, along with smaller homes of the middle classes, were the boarding houses for the transient population of politicians, tradesmen, craftsmen and other workers seeking new opportunities in the growing city. The work table shown here was a furniture form used by women while sewing and doing needlework.

The Missouri room is a Victorian parlor of the 1850s. This room is furnished in the ornate rococo revival style, featuring heavily carved ornamentation and curved shapes. The curved form of the sofa and side chairs are made from laminated strips of wood similar to plywood; a technique perfectly by the New York cabinet maker John Belter. The étagère or “whatnot” located in the far right corner was used as a show piece to display knick-knacks and curios.

The Missouri room

The Ohio Period room is furnished in the colonial revival style. This room is decorated in carefully coordinated colors and fabrics popular during the 1920s. The walls are painted a light gray called “French gray” by designers during the early twentieth century. Contrasting colors were also the rage during the 1920s, apparent in the upholstery textiles of the curtains and sofa. The brilliant crimson silk damask upholstery is a 1920s reproduction of a 17th-century French fabric. This provides a tasteful contrast to the light gray and carefully picks up the tonal hues of the Oriental carpet. The printed cotton upholstered easy chairs by the fireplace provide another layer of color and pattern to this very sophisticated interior.

The Ohio Period room

The New York room is a parlor exhibiting decorative arts from the mid 18th to the early 19th centuries. Its décor is reminiscent of the colonial revival style. The most striking feature of this room is the Chinese wallpaper that was made in 1970, in a style that has been popular for centuries. It is hand-painted with traditional Chinese motifs including stylized floral sprigs populated by a variety of brightly plumed birds. The strong Chinese decor of this room reflects the influence of China on American decorative arts during the early 19th century. Once America achieved independence, direct trade opened up between the two countries. The rug is a copy in both design and color of an original dating from the 1820s.

The Alabama Room represents a parlor in a wealthy Alabama house in the mid 19th century. By the 1830s most Alabama houses had only one or two multi-functional rooms. However for those wealthy cotton planters and entrepreneurs who could afford one, the parlor became an important place to show off wealth, refinement, and knowledge of fashion. The astral lamp, which draws your eye to the center table in the room, was a great improvement over candles. With its cylindrical wick it could cast much brighter light than previously possible.

The Alabama Room

Portrait in The Michigan room

The Alabama Room

The Rhode Island room. The piano, made in Connecticut between 1835 and 1860, has six octaves, not eight, as in modern pianos.

The Rhode Island room displays a collection of musical instruments in a parlor-like setting. In early America learning to play music was part a child’s education for children of affluent families. Girls were encouraged to play keyboard instruments such as the pianoforte or other instruments like the harp. Young gentlemen were encouraged to play the violin or flute. The piano, made in Connecticut between 1835 and 1860, has six octaves, not eight, as in modern pianos. The lap melodeon, located on the sofa, is played much like an accordion.

The West Virginia room represents early 19th-century parlor. Since rooms were multipurpose during the period, a formal parlor could also serve as a schoolroom. In rural areas, many children were educated at home by a tutor. The room is set to show several young scholars seated ready to read and write during their lessons of mathematics and geography with their tutor. Later they might have a music lesson or listen to the tunes of the barrel organ. The furnishings and decoration of this room reflect the neoclassical style.