Lincoln Home
Historic Furnishings Report 		NPS Logo

THE PLAN

SECTION E: RECOMMENDED FURNISHINGS (continued)

FRONT PARLOR: ROOM A

See p. 304, for Summary of Furnishings and Cost Estimates.

FRONT PARLOR: ROOM A
Object: A.1 — Sofa
Date: 1850-1860
Brief Description: Transitional between late Empire and Rococo style, with tufted horsehair upholstery.
Location: South wall
Documentation: Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, March 9, 1861. The sofa which appears in the drawing is now at the Chicago Historical Society; however, this sofa (LIHO 1060) which also has a Lincoln history, although not as strong as the Chicago one, is similar enough to the drawing to be appropriate. (See pp. 69-71 for a discussion of these sofas.)
Source: LIHO 1060.


Object: A.2-5 — Side Chairs, four (of a set of six)
Date: 1850-1860
Brief Description: Four matching side chairs, mahogany, late Empire style, curved crest rail, vase shaped splat, slip seats, horsehair upholstery.
Location: One under each of the windows and one on either side of the whatnot on north wall to the east of the stove.
Documentation: Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper March 9, 1861 LIHO 1119 through 1124 are well documented surviving pieces of furniture (Lincoln Memorial Collection) originally owned by the Lincolns in Springfield. (See pp. 53-55 for provenance.) Five of the six chairs appear in the Leslie's drawings. It is logical to assume the sixth chair was placed in a location not visible in the drawings.
Source: LIHO 1116, 1117, 1118, 1119.


Object: A.6 — Rocking Chair
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Upholstered, arm rocker with carved floral motif on crest rail, tufted horsehair upholstery.
Location: Southwest side of fireplace.
Documentation: Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper March 9, 1861 A mahogany, black haircloth rocking chair from the Lincoln home was once part of the Oldroyd Collection. It is now missing. (See p. 59 for complete discussion of provenance.) There are several other rocking chairs with a Lincoln history of ownership; however, their Lincoln provenance is not as strong as the Oldroyd one (see pp. 55-57, 79 through 86).
Source: LIHO 19.


Object: A.7 — Footstool
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Small footstool on four turned legs, with horsehair upholstery.
Location: Southwest side of fireplace.
Documentation: Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper March 9, 1961.
Source: LIHO 39.


Object: A.8 — Rocking Chair
Date: 1840-1860
Brief Description: Identical to the above chair with the exception that the rocker has open arms with horsehair-covered, padded armrests and does not have tufted upholstery.
Location: Northeast corner of room.
Documentation: Same as above.
Source: To be acquired (antique).


Object: A.9 — Footstool
Date: 1840-1860
Brief Description: Small footstool with four turned legs, with horsehair upholstery.
Location: Northeast corner of the room.
Documentation: Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper March 9, 1861.
Source: LIHO 65.


Object: A.10 — Mirror
Date: 1850-1860
Brief Description: Pier mirror, gilt, with rounded top, some rococo decoration on crest, about four feet tall.
Location: Between front windows.
Documentation: Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper March 9, 1861. Location of the original is unknown.
Source: To be acquired (antique); LIHO 17, however, can be used until acquired.


Object: A.11 — Pier Table
Date: 1850-1860
Brief Description: Marble-topped serpentine front table with cabriole legs and lower shelf.
Location: Between front windows in north front parlor.
Documentation: Appears in 1861 drawing of parlor in Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. The original table, LIHO 1114, became part of the Lincoln Memorial Collection and is now at the Lincoln Home. (See pp. 72-73 for complete discussion of provenance.)
Source: LIHO 1114.


Object: A.12 — Whatnot
Date: 1850-1860
Brief Description: Corner whatnot with five shelves, and machine-cut scroll work decoration.
Location: Northwest corner.
Documentation: Appears in March 9, 1861 drawing of parlor in Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. (See pp. 40-41 for a contemporary reference to "a whatnot in the corner of the room." The present location of the original corner whatnot is unknown, but LIHO 18 is appropriate and should be placed in this room.)
Source: LIHO 18.


Object: A.13 — Whatnot
Date: 1850-1860
Brief Description: Five shelves with spool turned supports and machine-cut scrollwork decoration on the back.
Location: North wall to the east of fireplace.
Documentation: Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper March 9, 1861. Whatnot, LIHO 24, has a history of Lincoln ownership, although it is not well documented. (See pp. 96-98 for its history. Also, see pp. 40-41 for contemporary written reference to a whatnot in the Lincoln parlor.)
Source: LIHO 24.


Object: A.14 — Parlor Stove
Date: 1855-1860
Brief Description: Gothic style fancy parlor stove on cabriole legs.
Location: North parlor fireplace.
Documentation: Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, March 9, 1861. (See pp. 108-109 discussion of location of original stove.)
Source: LIHO 174.


Object: A.15 — Stove Implements: Shovel, Tongs, Stand, Hearth Brush
Date: 1850-1860
Brief Description: Iron and brass shovel and tongs; wooden hearth brush.
Location: Stove.
Documentation: Period sources.
Source: To be acquired (antique).


Object: A.16 — Oval Picture
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Floral print in wooden ogee frame (1-1/2'x1') hung with picture cord and tassels; a floral design of wax, shells or flowers, or hair would be equally appropriate.
Location: North wall, west of fireplace.
Documentation: Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper March 9, 1861. Contemporary accounts mention "pictures" (for example, see pp. 35-36).
Source: LIHO 168.


Object: A.17 — Pair of Prints, George and Martha Washington
Date: ca. 1842-1850
Brief Description: Prints in oval, gilt frames, with floral decoration at the top, hung from wall, ceiling height, with picture cord and tassels.
Location: Over fireplace.
Documentation: Two small oval pictures of figures are visible in the March 9, 1861 Leslie's Illustrated drawing. The subject matter is not visible.
Source: LIHO 169 and 170.


Object: A.18 — Three Oval Pictures
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Three pictures of period subject matter in matching oval frames hung from nails, no cord showing.
Location: Over whatnot on north wall.
Documentation: Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper March 9, 1861. Center picture appears to have a figure subject.
Source: To be acquired (antique).


Object: A.19 — Girandole
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Two single-arm candlesticks and one three-branch candlestick with glass prisms.
Location: On the mantel.
Documentation: Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper March 9, 1861. Two sets of girandoles have Lincoln histories of ownership. The set with the strongest Lincoln provenance (from the Herndon family, see pp. 64-65) consists of two single-arm candlesticks and one three-arm candlestick and would be appropriate for this room.
Source: LIHO 150, 151, 152.


Object: A.20 — Pair of China Pitchers
Date: ca. 1850-1860
Brief Description: Two matching French porcelain pitchers with hand painted decorative scenes.
Location: On the mantel.
Documentation: Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper March 9, 1861. French china, popular at mid-century as a mantel garniture, was available in Springfield and in keeping with Mary Lincoln's tastes as later evidenced by her purchases in the White House.
Source: LIHO 148 and 149.


Items to be Located on the Pier Table: Top

Object: A.21 — Basket
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: China with flower arrangement.


Object: A.22 — Vase
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Tall cut glass vase, to the east of the basket.


Object: A.23 — Decanter
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Glass decanter, in front of glass vase.


Object: A.24 — Two Small Ornaments
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Glass or china, appear to the west of the basket.


Items to be Located on the Pier Table: Shelf

Object: A.25 — Two Glass Decanters
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Pressed or blown three-mold glass.


Object: A.26 — Ornament
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: China.
Documentation: The above items may be seen in the March 9, 1861, Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper drawing. This sort of arrangement is also characteristic of mid-century garniture. The glassware should be a combination of cut, pressed, and Bohemian glass.
Source: To be acquired (antique).


Corner Whatnot Items to be Asymmetrically Arranged:

Object: A.27 — Two Small Decanters
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Two small, blown glass decanters.
Location: Lower shelves.
Documentation: Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper March 9, 1861, drawing.
Source: LIHO 135, 136.


Object: A.28 — Three Small Vases
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Three small glass or ceramic vases.
Location: Lower shelves.
Source: LIHO 153, 696, 697.


Object: A.29 — Two Bottles with Stoppers
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Two blown glass bottles with stoppers.
Location: Lower shelves.
Documentation: Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper March 9, 1861 drawing.
Source: To be acquired (antique).


Object: A.30 — Two Books
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: To have ornamental bindings.
Location: Middle shelf.
Documentation: Books appear in the March 9, 1861, Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper drawing of the other whatnot and are typical shelf garniture. (See book list, pp. 48-53, for titles owned by the Lincolns.)
Source: LIHO 936, 938.


Object: A.31 — Assortment of Seashells including a Trochus
Location: Lower shelf.
Documentation: A contemporary account by the correspondent, J. S. Bliss (to Herndon, 1866), mentions seashells on corner whatnot, and specifically mentions a trochus (see pp. 40-41 for full account).

Two seashells have a history of having come from the Lincoln home (see pp. 102-103). The tradition associated with them says they were used to hold down the draperies. They do not appear in the drawings and the draperies do not look long enough to fit under the shells. No documentation has been found to suggest this was a popular practice. A more logical use of these shells would be on the bottom shelf of the whatnot, with flowers arranged in them, a popular period practice. Conches, periwinkles, whelks, and scallops are among popular shells found in nineteenth-century collections.

Source: LIHO 285-292.


Object: A.32 — Two China Ornaments
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Location: Top shelf.
Documentation: Several indeterminate items appear on the top shelf in the March 9, 1861, Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper drawing and china ornaments would be appropriate.
Source: To be acquired (antique).


Five-Shelf Whatnot: Top Shelf

Object: A.33 — Volk Bust of Lincoln
Date: 1860
Brief Description: Small plaster of Paris bust of Lincoln.
Documentation: See p. 100 for discussion of documentation, and see Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper March 9, 1861 drawing.
Source: LIHO 134. A reproduction bust now located at the Lincoln Home is appropriate.


Object: A.34 — Four Decanters
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Pressed or blown glass.
Documentation: See Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, March 9, 1861 drawing.
Source: To be acquired (antique).


Five-Shelf Whatnot: Second Shelf

Object: A.35 — Two Busts
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Parian ware busts and subjects should be figures Lincoln admired.
Documentation: See Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, March 9, 1861 drawing.
Source: LIHO 138, 137.


Five-Shelf Whatnot: Third Shelf

Object: A.36 — Three Books
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Three books with ornamental leather bindings.
Documentation: See Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper March 9, 1861 drawing and the Lincoln book list pp. 48-53.
Source: To be acquired (antique).


Object: A.37 — One Statuette
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Parian ware.
Documentation: See Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, March 9, 1861 drawing.
Source: To be acquired (antique).


Object: A.38 — Vase
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: One covered double-handled ceramic vase.
Documentation: See Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, March 9, 1861 drawing.
Source: To be acquired (antique).


Five-Shelf Whatnot: Fourth Shelf

Object: A.39 — Set of Five Books
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: One set of five books (same size, height, binding) with ornamental bindings.
Documentation: See Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper March 9, 1861 drawing and the Lincoln book list on pp. 48-53.
Source: To be acquired (antique).


Five-Shelf Whatnot: Fifth Shelf

Object: A.40 — Four Books
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Oversized, to be stacked vertically, with ornamental bindings.
Documentation: See Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper March 9, 1861 drawing and see the Lincoln book list on pp. 48-53.
Source: To be acquired (antique).


Object: A.41 — Decanter
Date: ca. 1840-1860
Brief Description: Blown or pressed glass.
Documentation: See Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, March 9, 1861 drawing.
Source: LIHO 161.
FRONT PARLOR: ROOM A

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Last Updated: 08-Feb-2004