Beginning October 10th, the Illinois State Museum Art Gallery under the
direction of Frances S. Ridgely, Curator of Art, features an exhibition
of textiles used in the restoration of pre-revolutionary homes. From
among the many fabrics which Franco Scalamandré has reproduced for
restoration of historic American houses, the Scalamandré Museum of
Textiles has assembled this exhibition of woven materials of the 17th
and 18th centuries.
Among the 17th century homes are those of the two noted Quakers,
“Pennsbury Manor”, the country estate of William Penn, and the John
Bowne House, Flushing, New York. The Hudson River Valley Dutch era is
shown in “Philipse Castle”, North Tarrytown, New York. New England is
represented by the modest cottage of Paul Revere, Boston, Massachusetts.
The Howland House, Plymouth, Massachusetts, is reputed to be the only
house still standing where once was heard the foot treads of the
Pilgrims, and there is the famous Buckman Tavern, Lexington,
Massachusetts, which was headquarters of the Minute Men, April 19, 1775,
the night that ushered in the War of Independence.
As the colonies increased in population and wealth in the succeeding
century, the homes became more pretentious in their furnishings. The
textiles used in the 18th century homes were the beautiful silk damasks,
brocatelles, lampases, brocades, velvets, and toiles.
Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, is represented by the Governor’s
Palace, the abode of the royal governors appointed by the King; the
Wythe House, residence of George Wythe, one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence, and the Raleigh Tavern, the most famous
hostelry of its time.
The town and plantation houses of the landed gentry include “Kenmore”,
the home of George Washington’s only sister, Betty Washington Lewis, at
Fredericksburg, Virginia; the Heyward-Washington House, Charleston,
South Carolina; the Hammond-Harwood House, Annapolis, Maryland; the Ford
Mansion, Morristown, New Jersey, Washington’s headquarters at the time
Lafayette arrived to bring the glad tidings that France was sending an
army to help the American cause. There are a number of others equally as
famous. The owners of these houses were the famous colonists who, with
the exception of a few who remained royalists, played prominent roles in
the struggle for freedom. They are the patriots who obtained their niche
in history as having fought and struggled in making America a free and
great nation.
Some of this atmosphere of the exciting past comes to the Museum with
this exhibition of textiles from these old homes. The walls of the
Museum Gallery hung with five-yard lengths of these colorful textiles
radiate a galaxy of colors in shimmering and lustrous silks. Framed
charts are included with photographs of exteriors and interiors of each
house. A brief resume of the lives of the owners, the period of
architecture, and a description of color schemes of the rooms and
contents are also given.
It is an exhibit of interest and educational value to every American,
and alike, instructive to interior decorators and students of interior
design. College and public school students studying American history
will be enlightened as to how their famous forefathers lived.