tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46875276048400353262024-02-07T11:38:05.238-05:00Found in the CollectionUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-24174515296804393092015-01-14T09:00:00.000-05:002015-03-14T14:29:58.589-04:00For the Expensive and New BeverageObject: Tea Caddy, c. 1752
Accession #: 1900.0023a-b
Europeans
were introduced to tea from China in the early 17th century. It was initially
esteemed for its medicinal purposes. Later, the hot beverage was served
in coffeehouses of England exclusively for the enjoyment of the gentlemen gathered
there. It was not until the late seventeenth century that tea began to be
served in a domestic Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-51176093449207846872014-12-31T09:00:00.001-05:002015-01-10T13:05:32.194-05:00To Keep One's Self Warm
Object: Warming Pan, ca. 1770-1800
Accession#: 1900.0061
Winter presented a difficult time for families simply trying to keep warm, including the Randolphs. As one historian states, “for most
American colonists, winter could be anything from inconvenient to challenging
to deadly.” The
fireplace provided the only source of heat until Benjamin Franklin invented the
wood stove. A Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-62222169122379196572014-12-17T09:00:00.001-05:002015-01-10T13:03:03.652-05:00The Sophisticated Art of...Tatting?
Object: Tatting Shuttle
Accession#: 2008.0010
This
brown tatting shuttle in Wilton’s collection is
made of ivory or bone and a faded white thread is wrapped around middle. This
simple yet important tool is what holds the thread and is held in the right
hand like a pencil, blade uppermost. The thread leaves the shuttle on the side
furthest away from the holder. To form the knot, the shuttle Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-56436603302297474272014-12-03T09:00:00.000-05:002015-01-10T13:01:56.605-05:00Select Airs
Object: Music Book, Select Airs, for the Piano Forte, arranged from De Webers Celebrated Opera Der Freichutz
Accession #: 2005.0019
Lithography was
invented in Germany in 1796 by Bavarian playwright, Alois Senefelder. Greasy
crayon was applied to slabs of limestone and then his scripts printed with
rolled on ink. Crayon marks were retained so well that duplicate copies Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-37473359670605141142014-09-10T08:00:00.000-04:002014-10-09T12:06:25.781-04:00To Permit a Sheltered Enjoyment of a View
Object: Pole Screen, c. 1770-1780
with late 19th –early
20th century needlepoint
Accession #: 1984.0051
Pole Screen in Wilton's Parlor
Eighteenth century fire screens provided protection from the
intense heat of the fireplace and kept sparks from flying into the room. There
is a type known as a ‘pole screen’ with a small panel and fixed to pole upon
which it can be raised or lowered. &Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-25137582888111518472014-08-23T13:38:00.001-04:002014-10-09T12:03:30.421-04:00Illuminating Wilton: A Candle Box
Object: Candle Box, English, c. 1770-1790
Accession #: 1986.0003
Candle Box on display at Wilton
For over a century now candlelight has been cast in a romantic
glow - however for the five thousand or so years of human
existence prior to the invention of electric light - candlelight was
an unsteady, messy, expensive, and notoriously dim source of lighting.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-59536738514789848412014-07-14T14:59:00.001-04:002014-10-09T12:05:08.690-04:00Conservation of The Peoples Choice: Alexander Spotswood's Waistcoat
Wilton House Museum's collection includes a small but significant number of historic textiles and costumes associated with historic individuals. The majority of these rare surviving textiles came to the museum as donations from descendants of the item's original owner - relics preserved from generation to generation with varying histories and levels of preservation. One such item is a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-66215202200167483942014-05-07T09:00:00.000-04:002014-05-30T15:14:15.574-04:00The Man of Letters Was Clean Shaven
Object: Shaving Stand c. 1760
Accession#: 1900.0082
Wash stands appeared in the mid-eighteenth century along with a proliferation of other specialized furniture forms created for the comfort and convenience of the user. Though today the proliferation of washstands on display in house museums may lead us to believe they were standard household items, estate inventories of the time Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-81564912194404571702014-04-23T13:05:00.000-04:002014-04-24T12:38:47.144-04:00Re-Thinking This Old House
Creative leaders in the museum,
entertainment, architecture, and archaeology professions gathered at
Wilton House Museum for a day of ideation and dialog on future museum
interpretation and programming. Inspired by our mission statement,
strategic plan, and the findings of our recent paint analysis investigation, Chipstone Foundation sponsored this Idea Day to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-31277311209603709832014-03-31T17:00:00.000-04:002014-05-19T12:44:11.990-04:00Latest AcquisitionThomas Sully
Portrait of Peyton Randolph (1778-1828)
Richmond, VA
1806
Object ID: 2014.1.1-2
Wilton House Museum announces the recent acquisition of a portrait of Governor Peyton Randolph, a dashing and romantic painting by American artist Thomas Sully. After centuries of private ownership the painting now joins other Randolph family portraits on display in Wilton House Museum. This Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-27416981065851599942014-02-26T08:00:00.000-05:002015-03-04T14:14:50.649-05:00All the Bells and Whistles
Object: Baby Rattle with Whistle and Coral Teether
Accession
Number: 2006.0003
Children have had and played with toys for as long as people
have made it a point to record it. While
this is true, according to Karin Calvert, author of Children in the House: The Material Culture of Early Childhood,
1600-1900, the purpose and appearance of their toys has changed over time
in Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-5068241900917728442014-02-12T12:00:00.000-05:002014-04-24T12:30:48.591-04:00A Pinch of Snuff
Cowrie Shell Snuff Box
Accession Number: 1903.0002
What introduces Whig or Tory,
And reconciles them in their story,
When each is boasting in his glory?
A pinch of
snuff.
Where speech and tongue together fail,
What helps old ladies in their tale,
And adds fresh canvas to their sail?
A pinch of
snuff.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-72569554959757845482014-01-02T14:11:00.000-05:002015-03-04T14:12:16.723-05:00Drink and be MerryObject: Cellarette
Accession #: 1951.0013.0001 and 1970.0002
During
the 1700s and 1800s, affluent members of society acquired sophisticated and
costly beverage accessories, including specialized furniture for storing
drinking vessels. Cellarettes, or bottle chests, were made in fashionable
designs and materials for dining rooms, parlors, or studies. They Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-23221446747810874642013-12-18T08:00:00.000-05:002013-12-30T13:14:04.402-05:00Pudding Cap<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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<![endif]-->Object: Pudding Cap, Reproduction
Accession #: 2005.0042EC
<!--[if gte mso 9]>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-49904549765886236582013-12-04T15:00:00.000-05:002014-07-03T11:20:20.753-04:00Standing High
Object: Chest of Drawers, c.
1740-1760
Accession #: 1909.0003
The Queen
Anne period, according to one historian, was known for “its elegant simplicity
achieved by beauty of the line.” This mahogany high chest in Wilton’s
collection was made in Massachusetts and gives is an example of a piece from
this period. Much of the population and wealth of New England was Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-58278513688881442442013-11-12T15:27:00.000-05:002014-05-19T12:48:09.554-04:00The Life of George Washington by John Marshall
Objects: The Life of Washington, Vol. I-V
Object ID: 1998.2.1-5
George Washington was not only considered a
military and revolutionary hero, but a man of great personal integrity, duty,
honor and patriotism. Known for his roles as the head of the Continental Army
and as our nation’s first president; he helped create a legacy of strength and
national purpose.
Upon Washington’s death in 1799, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-62272490731562016242013-10-24T15:52:00.000-04:002013-11-04T09:54:33.877-05:00The Dumbwaiter Serves as a Genius Idea<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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<![endif]-->Object name: Serving Table, or Dumbwaiter
Object ID: 1900.27
<!--[if gte mso 9]>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-19171972286906684182013-09-11T07:00:00.000-04:002013-09-25T11:51:44.871-04:00An Element of Colonial Plantation MedicineObject: Still
Accession #: 1951.10A-C
Recently featured on Antiques Roadshow's Facebook page, this 18th-century device was used for the distillation of spirits and medicinals. The copper body has two loops for lifting and a removable mushroom-shaped cap with an elongated spout. The person operating the still, usually the mistress of the house, would add the ingredients of her concoction to the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-24420250316645435692013-08-28T07:00:00.000-04:002013-09-16T14:38:58.927-04:00Light Horse Harry Lee's War Medal
Object: Coin, Commemorative Medal
Accession#: 2008.0017
This brass1 coin medal is after the
original gold one, issued by Congress after the Battle of Paulus
(Powles) Hook to Major Henry Lee, father of Robert E. Lee. The front depicts a bust of Major Lee with
Latin reading, “The American Congress to Henry Lee, Colonel of Cavalry.” The
reverse shows ivy leaves encircling Latin which Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-85592754221516762572013-08-14T07:00:00.000-04:002013-09-02T09:45:35.071-04:00Conservation of RylandObject: Portrait of Ryland Randolph, c. 1756
Accession #: 1990.0012
Portrait of Ryland Randolph before conservation
Purchased in 1990, this portrait is a rare example of John Wollastan's English rococo style portraiture in colonial America. Wollastan traveled from England to America in the mid 18th century, painting portraits of wealthy Americans throughout the colonies in the style he Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-27928361915558690462013-07-31T07:00:00.000-04:002015-03-04T14:00:53.629-05:00Fashionable Bedding
Object: Bedspread, c. 1780
Accession #: 1966.0002
White work flourished during the middle ages when the use of color was prohibited by church edicts as “excessive luxury in dress”. It is white stitching on white background and gained popularity in America until the 1790s when it was considered the symbol of the height of fashion. It was considered so fashionable to the point where some Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-58157407299773350932013-07-17T07:00:00.000-04:002013-08-16T12:44:11.510-04:00Something to Spice It Up
Object: Spice Grater, 1790-1850
Accession #: 2005.0016
Spices were available to a certain extent in 18th century coastal cities and were sold whole to be cracked or ground at home. Ground spices would lose their aroma before being received by the consumer which is why they were sold whole. A spice grater, like this one found at Wilton, would have been used to grate the whole Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-88103130080394075012013-07-03T09:00:00.000-04:002013-08-16T12:41:24.347-04:00The Poetical Works of...Object: Travelling Library
Accession #: 1969.4.1-59
The guest room currently displays a partial collection of John Bell's landmark publishing project, The Poets of Great Britain Complete from Chaucer to Churchill. Out of 109 volumes serially published between 1777 and 1782, Wilton has fifty-eight, assembled in a handmade, period display case labeled "Bell's British Poets 1780." Each of the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-9123073460334967112013-06-19T10:00:00.000-04:002013-06-29T12:34:26.576-04:00The Art of Writing
Object: Inkstand, 18th century
Accession #: 1901.38.1
The creation of the inkwell began in ancient Egypt during the sixteenth century. Prior to and throughout this time, it was considered undignified for an aristocrat to do their own writing so a scrivener, or scribe, would fulfill all the duties of correspondence. Scribes who were appointed by aristocratic families used small inkUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4687527604840035326.post-82765108268061714452013-06-05T08:00:00.000-04:002013-06-06T10:06:27.273-04:00A Beautiful View, Or a "Colonial Postcard"
Object: Optic Print, c. 1800
Accession#: 1984.0052
Perspective views were a popular style of print published in 18th century England. A vue d’optique was the device through which this flat print could be viewed to give it a third dimension, depth. This hand colored optic print in Wilton’s collection titled Interieur De L’Eglise De St. Paul a Londres is a view of the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0