Robert McHenry Period Bedroom

This bedroom, which is decorated to the style prevalent in the 1880’s, provides a good contrast to decorating trends during Oramil’s period, which is at the turn of the 20th century. This trend is reflected in his bedroom and adjoining sitting room.

This room has a heavy feeling in that it has wall-to-wall carpeting, heavy draperies and massive furniture. The colors are also darker and have a “muddy” quality. The carpeting, as we have seen in the rooms downstairs, was woven in 27 inch widths, a border added and then secured by turning and tacking it around the edges of the room. This reproduction carpet by Woodward Grosvenor of Kidderminster, England, is based on a pattern of the 1880s and is in its original colorway. The wallpaper is a pattern discovered in the Harvey Firestone house now in Dearborn, Michigan, at the Henry Ford Museum. The wallpaper has been reproduced in sage greens to complement the carpeting. The burgundy over-draperies are designed according to the illustrations in The Curtain Maker’s Handbook published in 1888. The lace curtains are reproductions of the period and are made in Scotland.

The bedroom set is walnut and in the Renaissance Revival style. There are three pieces that match: the bed, the dresser and the wash stand. The bed is dressed with two large pillows and a white-on-white quilt. Topping it is a crazy quilt with Anglo-Japanese highlights. The dresser is in what would have been its original placement in the room. The two wall sconces, the location of which was evidenced by the gas pipes in the walls, would have flanked the dresser to provide light for Mrs. McHenry as she was primping in the dresser’s mirror. To aid in these preparations, a curling iron with alcohol burner can be found on the right side of the mirror. The washstand to the left of the bed holds a silver-plated bowl and pitcher. A matching silver-plated drinking cup and soap dish round out the set. On the right-hand side of the bed is a sewing table. The marble-topped table in the bay holds a bride’s basket with a silver-plated stand in the Egyptian Revival style. Pictures of Oramil McHenry, as a child, are in the frames.

The majolica plant stand and jardinière are truly remarkable pieces. The two chairs are in the Louis XV style. The small blue-green vessel on the floor is a foot warmer. Live coals were placed in it to generate heat.

The artwork in this room is quite varied from chenille wreaths to “loving hands at home” pictures, to mourning pictures showing a willow tree made out of hair. Other Knick knacks could have been souvenirs such as the beaded boot.

The chandelier is quite simple and reflects the Anglo-Japanese influences of the period. The enamel inset is characteristic of work by the Longwy pottery firm of France.