PUBLISHED DRAWING ROOMS

May’s Objects

Cachepot, ca. 1883–1886

Ellen’s drawing room reveals her close attention to carefully selected details. By contrast, May’s drawing room is filled with a cacophony of numerous objects, textures, and colors as described in the manuscript excerpt on the previous page. The mention of “modern porcelain” likely refers to art pottery, such as the example to the right, produced toward the end of the nineteenth century.

“Knobby silver” might suggest ornately hammered Rococo Revival silver hollowware like the tea service below. The “gilt bamboo jardinière” filled with varieties of flowers echoes the vague inspiration from Asian art also present in the “modern porcelain” flower pot.

Tea Service, 1850

The chairs and sofas covered in “pale brocade” upholstery might have resembled the sofa and chair below, which were both produced by Léon Marcotte, a well-known furniture maker and interior designer based in Paris and New York City. May’s drawing room contains a diverse array of objects, from the “tall rosy-shaded lamps” to the tables “densely covered” with trinkets. This crowded space recalls the rooms Wharton and Codman critiqued as the work of the upholsterer.

Sofa, ca. 1860

Armchair, ca. 1860