<em>Two Parlors from the Dr. Ezekial Porter House</em>, ca. 1750–1760. Wood Brooklyn Museum, Charles Stewart Smith Memorial Fund, 17.129. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 17.129_view3_SL3.jpg)

Two Parlors from the Dr. Ezekial Porter House, ca. 1750–1760. Wood Brooklyn Museum, Charles Stewart Smith Memorial Fund, 17.129. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 17.129_view3_SL3.jpg)

Two Parlors from the Dr. Ezekial Porter House, ca. 1750–1760. Wood Brooklyn Museum, Charles Stewart Smith Memorial Fund, 17.129. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 17.129_view3_SL5.jpg)

Two Parlors from the Dr. Ezekial Porter House, ca. 1750–1760. Wood Brooklyn Museum, Charles Stewart Smith Memorial Fund, 17.129. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 17.129_view1_SL5.jpg)

Two Parlors from the Dr. Ezekial Porter House, ca. 1750–1760. Wood Brooklyn Museum, Charles Stewart Smith Memorial Fund, 17.129. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 17.129_view2_SL5.jpg)

Two Parlors from the Dr. Ezekial Porter House, ca. 1750–1760. Wood Brooklyn Museum, Charles Stewart Smith Memorial Fund, 17.129. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 17.129_transp00249c001_yr1982_installation_chamber_IMLS_SL2.jpg)

Two Parlors from the Dr. Ezekial Porter House, ca. 1750–1760. Wood Brooklyn Museum, Charles Stewart Smith Memorial Fund, 17.129. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 17.129_glass_bw.jpg)

Two Parlors from the Dr. Ezekial Porter House, ca. 1750–1760. Wood Brooklyn Museum, Charles Stewart Smith Memorial Fund, 17.129. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 17.129_neg2181_yr1941_in_situ_exterior_acetate_bw_IMLS.jpg)

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

How difficult is it to move an entire room from a house into a museum?

Very difficult! It's done by a whole team of curators, conservators, and technicians. Rooms are disassembled, pieces are labeled and numbered, and everything is very carefully packed for the move.

Then, once the room arrives, it has to be re-assembled, and decisions are made about things like new wallpapers or upholstery, of the old ones are too worn to be displayed. Oh, and lighting has to be installed, and labels need to be researched and written. It's a really laborious and time-consuming process, but fascinating and well-worth the effort!

Yup, definitely worth the effort!

Yes indeed! And we're lucky to have so many good historic interiors here.

Why are some of the chairs so low?

These chairs were made in the mid-18th century in the Queen Anne style. This was one of the most prosperous periods in American colonial history and furniture was designed for comfort and social living. The chairs are light and can be easily pulled into the center of the room for gatherings. The seats are low and wide to accommodate fashionable women’s skirts, which had reached exaggerated widths at this time.

How was wallpaper like this made?

In this period, the mid 18th century, wallpapers were typically printed with carved wooden blocks. Rolling plates were not invented until later in the century.

Todas son diferentes. ¿significa algo?

Todos los cuartos y las casas que se encuentrán en esa parte del museo representan diferentes periodos y estilos de construcción y decoración interior. Por ejemplo, las ultimas dos fotos que me envió vienen de la casa "Nicholas Schenck" que fue originalmente construida en el siglo XVIII.

Tell me more.

In the 18th century beds often had curtains like these to help keep warmth in!

I notice a lot of one color in each of these rooms.

Were specific colors very popular in different times?

In that certain period bright colors were indeed popular. Then, as now, tastes and trends in color and style could change from decade to decade. But you must take into consideration that in the 1700s, when this interior was constructed, paint for homes was not as readily available as it is now. So color and wallpaper were bold statements in terms of both taste and economic status.

Some of the bedspreads in the period rooms seem to be made of a strange shiny fabric - particularly in Dr. Ezekiel Porter's bedchamber. Any idea what this is? Is it a historical fabric?

The fabric is in fact period appropriate; this room is decorated to reflect the styles of about 1750 to 1760.

The bedspread is glazed chintz or glazed cotton, popular in the late 18th to mid 19th centuries. Glazing is a textile finish that adds luster and smoothness to the surface of the fabric. A set of metal rollers, called a friction calender, rubs the surface of the fabric to make it lustrous.

Thanks!

Two Parlors from the Dr. Ezekial Porter House

Decorative Arts and Design

MEDIUM Wood

DATES ca. 1750–1760

COLLECTIONS Decorative Arts and Design

ACCESSION NUMBER 17.129

CREDIT LINE Charles Stewart Smith Memorial Fund

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Two Parlors from the Dr. Ezekial Porter House, ca. 1750–1760. Wood Brooklyn Museum, Charles Stewart Smith Memorial Fund, 17.129. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 17.129_view3_SL3.jpg)

IMAGE overall, scanned from casted transp; inaccurate color, 17.129_view3_SL3.jpg., 2017

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