NATIONAL PARK SERVICE The Most Splendid Carpet

To list all the scholars, curators, librarians, and friends who have given generously of their time and expertise to assist me in resolving the plethora of problems related to the design of the Senate Chamber carpet, and its interpretation as presented in this book, would require a second manuscript of some length. The fact that I mention only a few of them here does not belie the warm thanks I extend to all of them.

Without the extensive preliminary research undertaken from 1962 to 1965 by John C. Milley, Chief of Museum Operations, Independence National Historical Park, this project could not have been completed within the time frame allocated to me. My heartfelt thanks are due him for allowing me to use his notes and ideas fully. I also acknowledge gratefully his excellent advice and many helpful suggestions made during my research and his editorial work on the manuscript.

I am greatly indebted to many librarians in this country and in England who helped me locate and gave me permission to use research materials, including Miriam Lesley and her efficient staff at the Free Library of Philadelphia; Barbara Sevy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Frank H. Sommer, III, Betty Hill, and Beatrice Taylor of the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum Libraries; Lillian Tonkin of the Library Company of Philadelphia; Eric and Yvonne Mansfield of Saltram House, Devonshire, England; and Sondra Gutkind of Independence National Historical Park.

A number of curators gave freely of their time to show me carpets in their collections, including agents for all the English country houses mentioned in the text. Special thanks must go to Wendy Hefford of the Victoria and Albert Museum, who allowed me to study and photograph rugs in the collection under her charge, and for important information given in a most friendly spirit of cooperation.

In this country, Margaret Fikioris of the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum was extremely generous, allowing me free access to carpets in the textile collection and helping with technical analysis. Suzanne Wells of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and James Parker of the Metropolitan Museum of Art were also especially helpful.

Sarah B. Sherrill, of Antiques Magazine, lent her technical expertise in rug-analysis and suggested many fruitful avenues for research. Bertram Jacobs, author of Axminster Carpets, contributed much useful information and generously sent me some excellent photographs. My thanks are due also to John Platt of the National Park Service, for sharing with me his expertise on Congress Hall and the late eighteenth century Philadelphia community.

Editorially speaking, Martin I. Yoelson and Lynne A. Leopold, Independence National Historical Park, contributed important suggestions. Jane Kolter deserves special thanks for her assistance with every phase of this work, from research, to editing, to the mechanics of publication; as does Gloria McLean, who handled the monumental task of typing draft and final versions of the manuscript with faultless accuracy and conscientiousness.

Finally, to Alice Lonsdorf, past Chairman of the Friends of Independence National Historical Park, I owe a particular debt of gratitude. In compiling the bibliography which accompanies this book and in editing and checking the footnote references, not usually a fascinating business, she applied great intelligence and much enthusiasm.

Susan Anderson
April 3, 1978