Week 4 (2/14) HW

Family Room

Kitchen

• Man of the house (Seabury) bought groceries every day from Tompkins market early morning

• There was a washing area on the right for dishes and clothing - connected to the private well in the garden

• Women of the house (Eliza) were expected to supervise cooking

• There was an elevated fridge whose legs were placed in bowls of water to prevent insects from intruding

• Coal was retrieved from this floor

  • Analog touch-interactive where visitors could lift a bucket of coal to experience its weight

Garden

• Had an outhouse

• Had a private well

Overarching narrative: social rituals

Other details: where Seabury go his furniture (Upper Erie Canal). Duncan Phyfe was a popular furntiure maker.

Front Parlor:

• Calling ritual (for women):

  • Women who were calling would wait

  • Women were expected to make routine visits to their friends houses for short visits

  • Followed a formal procedure

• Social dances

Rear Parlor:

• Room was used when certain guests would be invited back

• Details about certain furnishings:

  • Molding

  • Lion paw

  • Table for dinner parties

• Docent facts:

  • Diet: Raw oysters were cheap

• Pineapples were expensive and a symbol of hospitality

• Pineapple motif therefore was on the furniture

Overarching narrative: more social rituals

• The man and the lady of the house would get dressed separately and then descend the stairs together

• Not uncommon for the man / wife to sleep separately

Seabury Tredwell's Bedroom

Conjoining-room:

• Servants attended to the commode

Eliza Tredwell's Bedroom

• Room was also used to entertain guests (hence the extra bed)

• Room was also a delivery room and a sick room

  • Hospitals were for the poor

  • Doctors would come for house calls

• Letter writing ritual:

  • Servants would get letters frequently from the post office

  • Example letter was of Eliza to the her cousin in NJ --> very casual language

• In her closet was an exhibit about letter/ticket bill? that was found in one of old dresses

  • The play attended featured an actress who would later cradle Lincoln's head after his assassination

Children's Bedrooms / Offices:

• There were 4 rooms split up to be used by the 8 children

  • These rooms would not only house the children but also their families as they grew up and had kids of their own

• Currently these spaces are used as offices for the museum staff

• Dress Exhibit: broke down the type of garments and layers worn

  • Under-linens

  • Structural pieces

  • Dress and accessories

Overarching narrative: servants

• Tredwell household had 4 servants who Irish immigrants

Servant's Quarters:

• Usually servants had a minimal wage ($3? months) usually saved to send their family over to the US

• Servant girls bought clothing with their salaries which annoyed their households --> led to the introduction of the uniform