We encourage you to look at any of the spaces on the 2nd for again and then when you re ready make your way back down to the first floor to continue the audio tour. At the bottom of the stairs, enter the room immediately to your right.
This room illustrates the many transitions the house has gone through. During the Browns’ time, this room ended after the window to the left of the fireplace. At that time there was an exterior side door that led to a hallway and staircase leading to the second floor, as well. When John Brown lived here, this space was most likely a back sitting room. When Marsden Perry moved in, he needed a bigger dining room in which to entertain in the style of the Gilded Age. Thus, he took out the hall and stair and blocked an entrance door to enlarge the room. He also added on a butler’s pantry to the rear of this room.
Here you see a model of the John Brown House as it looked in 1788. You can better see here how the house originally looked without the later additions. Notice the series of outbuildings that probably stood behind the house at the time. We can approximate what the outbuildings looked like and how many there were from paintings of Providence at the time and from fire insurance records.
In 1936, John Brown’s great-great nephew John Nicholas Brown purchased this house from the Perry estate. He never lived in it, but he made alterations to the house, and then gave it to the Rhode Island Historical Society in 1941. It has been in our care ever since. While he owned the house, John Nicholas commissioned the wallpaper in this room, which relates the story of George Washington’s inauguration as President in New York City. As a result, today the Historical Society refers to this room as the “Washington Wallpaper” room. The wallpaper was designed by artist Nancy McClellan, and it is one of only six of its kind. This was a Works Progress Administration project and while McClellan completed the under painting in her New York studio, WPA artists filled in the painting.
The narrative of the wallpaper begins on the east wall of this room. Follow along that section of wallpaper with this brief description:
The picture at left shows the Federal Barge arriving at Murray’s Wharf, at the foot of Wall Street. The boat following the Federal Barge contains Major-General Knox, Minister of War, and John Jay, Chief Justice. Under the red canopy are members of the Board of Finance. The Federal Barge has thirteen oarsmen in white, representing the thirteen states. Thirteen stars are around the edge of the boat on each side at the stern. The flag of the President has stars in a circle. Washington in the costume of a general takes off his hat to respond to the acclamations of the crowd. Standing, leaning on the canopy, are Vice President Adams, and behind him Livingston, Chancellor of State. Seated from left to right are Hamilton, Randolph and Jefferson.