Parlors

Moving through the Rotch gallery, exit into the double parlors. 

Parlors in the 19th century functioned as the space for formal social activity and family rituals. Most of the functions typical of the parlor – formal visits, weddings, funerals, theatricals, and celebrations – are in keeping with the Rotch and Jones families’ use of the space. Parlors were often the most elegantly decorated room in the house and were used to showcase the family's wealth and status. When Edward Jones purchased the home in 1851, he spent $207 (over $8,200 in 2024) on 92 yards of velvet carpet for the front and rear parlors. It was the most expensive carpeting he purchased for the house, an indicator of the social importance of these rooms.

The sliding pocket doors separating the double parlors were used for privacy and to capture heat from the fireplaces. The interior window shutters controlled heat and sunlight in the days before gas or electricity. 

In addition to socializing, parlors were also sometimes used for more practical purposes such as dining, although separate dining rooms were more common in wealthier homes. During the Rotch residency, the rear parlor would have been used to host large dinners for guests. What is now the dining room was split into Rotch’s office and a smaller tea room.

The black Italianate marble fireplaces, the large mirrors, and the elaborate ceiling medallions were installed by the Jones family. Both parlors display chandeliers made in New Bedford; a Pairpoint original in the front parlor (closest to the front of the house) and a Mount Washington in the back parlor, also called the Music Room by the Jones family. Amelia Jones played the piano in this room all her life. The Carpenter’s Son, an oil painting by Edward E. Simmons, hangs on the wall behind the piano as it once did when Amelia sat to play. 

The front parlor could be closed off from the rear parlor for more serious occasions such as funerals when the deceased might be laid out for people to pay their respects. It was here that William Rotch, Jr.’s funeral took place, on April 20, 1850. According to Annie Bigelow Lawrence Rotch, “The services were after the Quaker form, prayer & exhortation. A great many attended to pay their tribute of respect to the memory of their aged friend.” Two attendees, Charles W. Morgan and Samuel Rodman, were overwhelmed with the size of the funeral procession. The line of carriages to Oak Grove Cemetery was the longest either had seen in New Bedford.