Paint in the Schuyler Mansion: Restoration

By Jessie Serfilippi

The current paint color in the Formal Parlor.

The Schuyler Mansion’s interior paint underwent a few different restorations between the state’s purchase in 1911 and the latest restoration in the early 1990s. In 1911, at the beginning of State ownership, the original paint was blow-torched off the walls. It was replaced with an inaccurate cream color. Only a few areas, mainly behind the window shutters, remained where later restorers were able to find samples from which they could determine some original paint colors.

The first attempt at uncovering the true colors of the Schuyler Mansion’s walls was in the late 1940s. Starting in 1948, restorers chipped away at the small remaining samples of paint and discovered seventeen layers of paint on the walls of the main hallway. They repeated the process in each room. Underneath all of these samples they discovered a variety of colors, such as gray-blue in the Formal Parlor and pea-green in the Master Bedroom. While the amount of research that went into backing these findings is credible—18^th century paints commonly used in the latter quarter of the century were consulted—the chipping technique the restorers used is not reliable.

According the restoration efforts undertaken by Mount Vernon as documented in an article for House Beautiful in the 1980s, there are several factors that can alter the original paint color’s appearance. Fading of the original pigment— eighteenth century paints in particular are known to fade to colors that differ vastly from the original— dirt, and aging linseed oil, commonly used as a finish, can add to the discoloration of the paint, rendering the chipping technique mostly useless.

In the 1990s, another effort to uncover the real colors of the Schuyler Mansion’s walls was undertaken. This time, there was more technology to aid the restorers in their work, but the same issue earlier restorers faced persisted—there was little paint left to sample. For this study, hand-held magnifiers, raking lights, and a binocular microscope were used to take samples that could provide a stratigraphic look at the paint. A stratigraphic view of the sample allows researchers a comprehensive look at the layers that have been painted onto the walls and is helpful in determining the color of a specific layer of paint.

It is in crevices formed by shutters like these
from the Master Bed Chamber that original paint samples
  may still be found, due to the blow torch's inability to reach them.

These samples were then mounted onto slides and studied under high magnification. Some were exposed to ultraviolet light for a few days so researchers could obtain a better view of the original oil paint. Once a paint color was determined from each sample, they were matched to tones on the Munsell scale. Yet even with the new technology in use, the findings of this study were limited by the lack of sizeable original paint samples. In some instances, original colors could not be definitively determined because the samples taken were too small to be conclusive.

So, what did the walls of the Schuyler Mansion look like when Philip Schuyler called it home? Even though the results from the paint analysis aren’t conclusive for every room, we can still make an educated guess. We’re going to focus on the main hallway, since it runs throughout the home and was a space that was visible to all who entered the house.

From the paint analysis, we know the walls were primed with oil to prevent the pigmented oil paint from seeping into the them. The window seats of the hallways were grained in dark brown. The wooden sidings of the hallway were found to be painted a shade of grey or green. But what if the color the restorers saw on the walls was the faded version of the original? What if the walls were once Prussian blue, as were Mount Vernon’s?

A window seat in the Main Entrance

Prussian blue is known to be vibrant when first applied, and later fades to a green or grey color—exactly the shade restorers found on the walls. It was an expensive color, and one a man as concerned with showing off wealth as Schuyler was would use in a space that all visitors to the home saw.

Even if another analysis with newer technology was performed, the issue of few surviving places with original paint still remains. There are still two other routes to uncovering what these walls truly looked like: a receipt from Schuyler turning up or a newfound account from a guest who goes into greater detail about the space. Until one of these three things happens, the true color of the Schuyler Mansion walls remains a mystery.

The current paint color in the hallway.

Prussian blue at Washington's Mount Vernon.

Paint in the Schuyler Mansion: 18th Century Paint

By Jessie Serfilippi

A copy of Schuyler's paint receipt

Painting the interior of a house in the 18^th century greatly differed from modern paint methods. In the 18^th century, paint had to be mixed specifically for each job and used quickly so it wouldn’t develop a skim on top. Paint also came in powdered form, allowing it to be mixed at the convenience of the user. Surprisingly, what these powders were made of not only determined the cost of the paint, but also made certain paint colors into status symbols. Because of this, the wealthy social elite of the colonial era used paint to further display their wealth. As a man of great wealth, Philip Schuyler may have sought to show off his status through paint colors, too.

One of the few paint-related receipts from the early days of the Schuyler Mansion details the colors, form, quantity, and prices for a variety of paints Schuyler purchased. According to this receipt, he bought four bags of white paint “Ground in Oil,” two bags of “Brown paint Ground in oil,” 20 bags of “Umber” paint, two bags of lamp black paint, and three ounces of Prussian Blue. Schuyler also purchased 20 gallons of oil with his paint, indicating that his paint was made from an oil base. Oil paint was made from three main ingredients—linseed oil, the ground-up pigment, and turpentine. 

Out of the four paints purchased, the easiest pigment to make was brown. This was made using whichever minerals were available locally. Most commonly, dirt was used to achieve what was sometimes referred to as Spanish Brown. This paint was commonly used as a primer, so its exact color—which varied widely, from red, to orange, to brown—didn’t matter.

White paint, according to Colonial Williamsburg’s Making History, was not exactly white. It was rather a creamy off-white that sometimes faded to khaki over time. This is because white paint is made from either chalk or lime, which would be available to colonials in nearby quarries. Because the pigment is created through these minerals, a pure white color could only be achieved through white washing. Whether or not Schuyler white-washed after painting anything white is currently unknown.

Lamp black paint, which Schuyler purchased two bags of, was created with either soot from oil lamps or burnt vegetable oil mixed with the base, which was oil in this case. These common resources would make is fairly cheap to produce, much like the brown paint.

Schuyler also purchased umber paint. This is a shade of brown named for the clay material from which it’s derived. The clay is typically mined in Italy or Cyprus, meaning the import value alone likely caused it to be more expensive than the other shade of brown.

The most expensive paint color of all was Prussian blue, of which Schuyler purchased only three ounces. Those three ounces cost 1 pound, 1 shilling, while two bags of brown paint cost him one pound, twelve pence. Prussian blue paint was the first artificially manufactured paint. It was discovered through experimentation with the oxidation of iron by a German man named Diesbach. Not only did it become popular in the centuries following its discovery, but it was also expensive, making it a status symbol. George Washington put it in his home. Did Philip Schuyler, as well? Discover the answer in the next blog post in this series, which will focus on restoring the paint in the Schuyler Mansion!

Prussian Blue at George Washington's Mount Vernon.

Note: A previous version of this article included information on milk paint which has since been removed after further research revealed only questionable historical evidence for the existence of milk paint.

New Exhibits Tell a More Complete Story of Life at Schuyler Mansion

 by Danielle Funiciello

From the outside, the Visitor's Center at Schuyler Mansion might not look very different, but inside renovations and new exhibits greet guests as we head towards the site's 100 Year Anniversary in October 2017.

You may remember an article on the site's front desk,
installed in 2015.

If you have come to Schuyler Mansion in the last decade, you may have perused our Visitor’s Center exhibits while waiting for a tour. Perhaps you noticed that it was dark? Or that none of the audio buttons worked? Or that, while there was plenty information about Philip Schuyler, you found yourself wondering about the rest of his household and his broader connections? After years of planning, our Visitor’s Center has finally received exciting updates both in content and technology!

The new exhibit, Son of Albany, opened with the 2017 season on May 17^th. Thanks to the hard work of the Peebles Island Resource Center and the amazing support of members of the Friends of Schuyler Mansion and our visitors, the Visitors Center has received fresh paint to brighten the space, overhauled bathrooms, new signage and informational panels, and interactive exhibits bringing us into the 21^st-Century.

Son of Albany gives insight into Schuyler's life through a number
of new view-points, giving visitors a broader perspective.

Visitor favorites remain - like a comparative timeline of events in the Schuyler’s lifetime, an overlay map of historic and modern Albany, and a model of the original structures surrounding the 18^th-Century home. Our timeline has been improved by the addition of a touchscreen display which allows visitors to explore events in further detail and see more images than could be displayed in a traditional format.

"Madam de la Tour du Pin" stands in front of a green screen to
record a monologue for Schuyler Mansion's new touch-screen
exhibit, February 2015.

Sure to become a new favorite; visitors can now “interview” figures who lived and worked with Philip Schuyler through a series of touch-screen video monologues. Subjects of the “interviews” are diverse, allowing visitors to get a broader understanding of 18^th-Century life at the home. The six historic figures available are: Philip’s wife Catharine Van Rensselaer Schuyler, enslaved servant Prince, military aid Richard Varrick, tenant farmer Abner Fuller, canal partner turned critic Elkanah Watson, and emigre Madam de la Tour du Pin – a refugee escaping the French Revolution.

Space has also been set aside to temporarily exhibit items from our New York State Parks collections or temporary loans. We hope that short-term displays will offer more variety for our repeat visitors and allow us to display less seen items from the collections.

A statuette of Alexander Hamilton stands as a placeholder for
a new temporary exhibit case, opposite a digital timeline.

Whether or not you can make a tour this summer season (through October 31^st), you can stop by during open hours, Wednesday-Sunday 11:00AM to 5:00PM, to take a look at the new exhibits!


Special thanks for work on the Visitor's Center and Son of Albany Exhibit go to:

Peebles Island including:
Travis Bowman, Anna Curtis, Lindsay Dingman, Amy Facca, Chris Flagg, Kjirsten Gustafson, Paul Huey, Amanda Massie, Heidi Miksch, Audrey Nieson, Michele Phillips, Cordell Reaves, John Shultz, Greg Smith, Paul Witkowski, Edward Yetto.

Regional Support and Workers including: 
Gerry Corsetti, Rich Domine, Dwight Flanders, Brian Strasavich, Justin Thomas, Tony Valentine, Daryl Wohlfarth

Peter Argentine of Argentine Productions, Pittsburgh, PA

And of course, staff members past and present who prepared content for the exhibit including: 
Alysan Bowers, Heidi Hill, Michelle Mavigliano, Ian Mumpton, Debbie Perez, Bill von Atzingen

Calculating the Cost of Carpet

 by Ian Mumpton

Brussels carpet in the restored Green Chamber
at Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site.

 A while back on the blog we posted a short article on the  reproduced Brussels carpeting in the Yellow Parlor of  Schuyler Mansion (you can read it by clicking here if you  missed it). Carpeting of this sort was not only stylish and  colorful, but provided a luxurious and warm environment for  socializing in refined company. Its message lay not in its  mere cost, but in the genteel lifestyle that it communicated to  guests of the family.

 But still, it cost a lot.

Just how much is “a lot”? Well, in 1800, Philip Schuyler paid £68, 8 shillings for enough carpeting for five rooms of the house. In 1800, £68 8s was roughly equivalent to $275, or $5,136 in 2017 money. This basic calculation for inflation doesn’t truly convey the prices we’re talking about here. To get a more accurate idea of what $275 meant in 1800 in Albany, we need to look at wages and buying power.

"Threshing Grain" from
Diderot's Encyclopedia, 1762

According to figures provided by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, in New York State in 1800, an agricultural wage laborer would have to work for just over a year and seven months to make $275. Again, that’s direct wages, not savings after housing and living expenses, making carpeting of this sort a luxury that very few people could ever even dream of.
What else could the Schuylers have purchased for £68 8s in 1800? According to a New York Senate report, you could buy a bushel of wheat in Albany for 12 shilling and 6 pence at that time, so £68 8s would give you just a hair under 66.75 bushels of wheat, or enough to make over 6,000 one-pound loaves of bread. This would keep a family of eight in bread for a year. If you weren’t looking for bread, you could always buy 820 fowl for the same price.

For the Schuylers, this luxury carpeting was more than simply another part of the trappings of their high-society lifestyle, but something which enabled it. The incredible expense of furnishings like Brussels carpet not only served to create a genteel environment for the Schuyler family, but was part of a fantastically exclusive lifestyle utterly unattainable for the vast majority of the population, including those whose labor generated that income. To their peers, such materials indicated wealth, refinement, and prestige, all of which culminated in the social power and authority which Philip sought for himself and his family.

Update: The Ruins of Rome Wallpaper Install

by Danielle Funiciello

The downstairs (left) and upstairs(right) hallways of Schuyler Mansion as they appeared in previous seasons. Both spaces were meant to be overtly stylish spaces in Schuyler's day - the downstairs hall was the first impression visitors got of the home, while the upstairs "Salon" was the largest room in the house, which was used for dances, feasts, and other festivities.

Visitors to Schuyler Mansion during our “Salutations of the Season” event on January 7^th got a sneak peek at a much talked-about project that has recently come to fruition; the reproduced “Ruins of Rome” wallpaper that once, and now again fills the hallways of Schuyler Mansion.

As previously discussed in our article about the start of this project (here), the “Ruins of Rome” was a paper produced in England during the mid-1700s. Philip Schuyler’s receipts from the initial construction of the home show purchase of enough “Ruins of Rome” paper to cover both the large downstairs entry hall and the even larger upstairs central hall or “salon”. The paper would have also been applied to the staircase connecting the two.

As one might imagine, a detailed, historic wallpaper like this creates a number of challenges in addition to the usual difficulty of modern wallpaper, both in production and installation.

High resolution prints of the "Ruins of Rome" wallpaper receive a UV coating
at Peebles Island Resource Center, September 2017.

Rich Claus and Erin Moroney of the Peebles Island Resource Center went above and beyond the call of duty in creating our high quality digital reproduction of the paper, which was spliced together from two different sources. It had to be perfectly modeled to fit the dimensions of Schuyler Mansion and account for the overlap that would result from the installation process. Once the paper was printed, Erin Moroney and paintings conservator Mary Betlejeski applied a UV coating to protect the color from fading over time. Not only did the Peebles Island team execute this project beautifully but, even after retiring this past year, Rich Claus continued to volunteer his time to make sure that the project was a success – we thank him greatly for this!

Charlie Gilley puts finishing touches on
wallpaper panels in the stairwell at
Schuyler Mansion, January 2017.

Members of Gilley Paint and
Restoration LLC prepare paper
panels for installation in the Salon
at Schuyler Mansion, January 2017.

Once the reproduction was finished, it was handed into the capable hands of Charlie Gilley and his team from Gilley Paint and Resoration LLC, for installation. Installation began late in November, but some visitors may have noticed; only the small back hall had paper by our January 7^th event. This is because a key initial step was preserving and covering the existing wallpaper in the upstairs salon. Called “Eldorado”, this paper by the Parisian company Zuber has been produced since 1848. It was installed at Schuyler Mansion as part of the earliest museum interpretations around 1914. Being over 100 years old and in excellent condition from being in the controlled museum environment, it was important to preserve this beautiful artifact in state. Therefore, before "Ruins of Rome" could be installed, paneling had to be installed to create a faux-wall surface that the new paper could adhere to. “Eldorado” will remain protected beneath the “Ruins of Rome” for future generations.

Panels of Eldorado, a woodblock printed paper which has been in production by French company Zuber since 1848.
Eldorado was installed in the upper hall at Schuyler Mansion during the 1910s to give an approximation of the
type of paper Philip Schuyler purchased for his home. 

The final results are stunning. Rather than the sparse interior which has greeted visitors for 100 years, walking into the mansion is like now like stepping back in time. Philip Schuyler vision for his home was calculated. Each element was designed not only to impress guests once they arrived at the home, but to encourage wealthy and important guests to come in the first place; thereby creating networking opportunities for the Schuyler family. The size and grandeur of the home was successful – drawing visitors like the Washingtons, the Marquis de Lafayette, the Marquis de Chastellux, Benedict Arnold, and even Benjamin Franklin, who had a letter of introduction written so that he could stay at Schuyler’s when travelling through Albany. The “Ruins of Rome" helps historians and museum visitors alike understand the first impression that accomplished this.

The front hall at Schuyler Mansion looking towards the
front door. With the "Ruins of Rome" wallpaper in place,
the space is brighter, more impressive, and feels more open,
as it would have been with the Schuylers in residence.

Our public unveiling event for the “Ruins of Rome” wallpaper will correspond with our July 4^th Independence Day celebration this year, though Friends of Schuyler Mansion Members, who matched the grant to pay for this project, will have an earlier unveiling, and visitors can see the completed installation on Hamilton Tours and during the regular season beginning mid-May.

An "Inside Look" at Schuyler's Chairs

by Danielle Funiciello

After being displayed in the home as part of the Art of Seating Exhibit PaSTport led by the Albany Institute of History and Art in conjunction with Partners for Albany Stories, our set of Heppelwhite shield-back chairs were once again removed from Schuyler Mansion this week. They make their way back to Peebles Island Resource Center to complete a restoration process that began over a year ago. In recent days, we were lucky enough to have the chairs displayed in a state of partial restoration, which allowed visitors to get an “inside look” at the chairs construction and on the work the Peebles Island team is doing.

             Taken apart, you can see that the chairs are filled with horse hair backed with a burlap material. The blue, floral, colonial-revival fabric currently on the chairs is incorrect for the period and will be replaced with a yellow silk that was woven in England to mimic a fabric swatch found in the arm of the chair (see our article on finding the outer fabric for the chairs here: http://schuylermansion.blogspot.com/2015/09/finding-fabric-for-schuylers.html?_sm_au_=iVV012Tr7qSnRN1Q). The outer fabric is lined with a layer of muslin and batting to contain the horse hair, protect the outer fabric and provide additional padding. In the close up images of the chair’s underpinnings, we can see that the burlap has been stitched in, and that the wooden base of the chair is riddled with tack holes from previous upholstery. When the chairs first returned to the home in the early 1900s, a period-incorrect blue satin had been on them, and one can imagine that these chairs have gone through a variety of colors over the course of more than 200 years.

             The deconstructed chair recently on display has not had wood treatments yet, but we can see from our second chair the intended wood quality. The wood of the chair is elm. The graceful design is embellished with painted leaf and flower designs which are likely original. When cleaning the wood, conservators are very careful to keep the delicate paint while still removing the dirtied varnish layers which create an incorrect patina for the 18^th-century style. The painted designs are Greek and Roman motifs which became popular in Europe with the Neo-Classical style beginning in the 1750s and continuing into the works of later designers like George Heppelwhite (or, some historians argue, his wife Alice) who refined the style to feature the thin, sleek woodwork demonstrated so well in these Schuyler chairs. A book of his furniture designs was published in 1788 after George’s death, which exploded in popularity with woodworkers and consumers alike.

Philip Schuyler, always up on the latest fashions, certainly had the means and motivation to buy these chairs at the peak of their popularity.These chairs are such an important part of Schuyler Mansion’s collection not only because they date to the correct time frame (1790-1800) - matching with some of Philip Schuyler’s purchases and bequests - but parts of the set were donated to Schuyler Mansion by two separate branches of Schuyler descendants, making it very likely that these chairs trace back to Philip Schuyler. Given the high style of the chairs, we believe the chairs belonged in Schuyler’s city home, here in Albany, probably in the formal parlor where they now sit. We look forward to seeing these chairs returned to their former glory and hope that our visitors will too. They will return to the front parlor by the time we reopen in mid-May for our hundredth season!

                

Stabilizing the Stairs

by Ian Mumpton

In 1765, when the Schuyler family’s mansion home was first completed, family and guests could have stood atop a gently sloping hill looking Eastwards across open pastureland all the way to the Hudson itself. Today, the mansion is surrounded by the historic South End community of the city of Albany. The house is still on raised ground, but the gradual slope of the hill has been replaced with a stone retaining wall, and the streets around the house have been cut much deeper. For a long time, from the 19^th century onward, the mansion grounds were accessible from Clinton street via a stone staircase and gate kiddie-corner to the Howe library.

The Clinton street stairs at Schuyler Mansion
when it was an orphanage, circa 1905.
From the Albany Postcard Project

These stairs underwent many different forms over time. When the house was run as an orphanage by the St. Vincent’s Orphan Asylum Society under the supervision of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, the appear to have run straight up from the street front, with an elaborate entrance surmounted by a cross. Later images show the stairs after the site had been opened as a museum, with the top portion of the solid stone wall replaced by an iron fence.

For many years, the stairs sat in a dilapidated condition, deteriorated to the point of being unsafe to use. As part of the restoration for the museum’s 100^th anniversary, however, the old Clinton street stairs are being completely restored and will be open again for public use. In addition to restoring an important part of the historical property, it is hoped that this project will promote accessibility and further the relationship between the site and the community as, by this Spring, you will be able to walk out of your local library and right into history!

View of the restoration work being done on the stairs with the Howe Branch of the Albany Public Library across the street.

The Clinton street stairs aren’t the only stairs being restored at Schuyler Mansion. For over two hundred years, visitors have entered the house by climbing a set of brown sandstone stairs with iron railings into the hexagonal brick vestibule added to the home in about 1815. The earliest mention of these stairs comes from Philip Hooker’s evaluation of the home in 1818, created as an advertisement for his client, John Bryan, then the owner of the estate. According to Hooker, “Mr. Bryan has…added an hexagonal vestibule to the front, of singular beauty, with an elegant flight of stone steps & ornamental iron railing to the entrance.”

1818 image of Schuyler Mansion by Philip Hooker, showing vestibule and front stairs.
Original in the New-York Historical Society

Since then, thousands of feet and two hundred years’ worth of weather have worn the old stones to the point of needing serious restoration. Given the historical nature of the surviving stonework, this is a delicate process. The first step is disassembly. Currently each stone block in the staircase has been marked with a number so that they can eventually be returned to their exact original position. Next they will be removed, stabilized, and eventually reassembled to offer access to the home once more, hopefully for another two hundred years!

Schuyler Mansion is currently closed for the Winter, but special hours of availability are listed on our Facebook page as well as the Friends of Schuyler Mansion and the site’s NYS Parks pages. Get in touch to arrange a visit this Winter to see our restoration work in progress! 

Front Stair restoration at Schuyler Mansion.

Up On the Rooftop

by Danielle Funiciello

Visitors to Schuyler Mansion throughout November cannot help but notice the ongoing restoration work outside the mansion. If you were reading our blog last season, you know that Schuyler Mansion is working its way through a number of very exciting projects, gearing up for our 100^th anniversary as a state historic site.

As our open season came to an end, with our regular tour schedule halting on October 30^th, New York State Parks workers set up for some of the more significant projects to be completed by next year. Scaffolding has been set up on all four sides of the building and “what’s going on outside?” has become the first question from most visitors.

At the moment, “what’s going on” is the restoration of the double hip roof. The old roofing has been removed and new cedar shakes are being installed. The roof structure itself appears to be original to the house, though it has been re-shingled several times. The “List of real property belonging to Philip Schuyler” shows that the house was shingled in 1798, though the structure report prepared by New York State’s Division for Historic Preservation guesses that those shingles were white pine which was most common in Albany at the time as “such a roof is said to last forty years” according to 18^th Century Albany visitor Peter Kalm. We are not sure which of the laborers that Philip Schuyler hired were responsible for the original shingling, but some of the hired carpenters included John Brown, Andrew Gautier, and Wert Banta, a freeman. John Brown may be the best guess, as Gautier seems to be a “joyner”, likely framing the house, and Wert Banta’s receipts show supplies and work related to the doors.

Once the roof is re-shingled, the homes’ balustrade - a Chinese style latticework - will be reinstalled. This latticework was removed at the beginning of the season for its own repairs and to be repainted. The balustrade for this home was almost certainly not part of the initial 1760s construction of the home, as no such architectural features have been dated before 1790 – that one at the historic home now known as the Morris-Jumel mansion then resided in by John Adams. It may have been added late in Schuyler’s lifetime, or perhaps by the first owner after the Schuyler family. Images from 1818 show the balustrade in place, though this was prepared by an architect who worked on the home and may have been a rendering of the house’s intended appearance. The importation of Chinese and other Asian styles was certainly underway during Schuyler's lifetime due to expanded trade with Asia, and this could have been a very fashionable addition to his very fashionable home.

The shingling is almost complete and we look forward to the many projects yet to come for Schuyler Mansion this next year. Stop by during one of our winter events or preregistered group tours – you can find information on our Facebook page – to see the works in progress. Stay tuned here on our blog for photos of the exciting work yet to come.

The Family's Fire Buckets

by Rebecca Kurtz

When taking a tour of Schuyler Mansion, you will see, in the yellow parlor as well as nearly every other room, black buckets that read : “P. Schuyler” and a number. These are fire buckets, which were commonly found in households during the eighteenth century.

In 1733, Benjamin Franklin, upon observing that fires in Philadelphia were extinguished primarily by groups of well-meaning citizens, suggested that a “Club or Society of active Men belonging to each Fire Engine; whose Business is to attend all Fires with it whenever they happen " should be formed.

Benjamin Franklin

Thus, throughout the 1700’s, early incarnations of fire departments were developing throughout the United States. These primal versions of fire departments still, like all other citizens, relied on wells and water pumps as a source of water. Therefore, to increase the probability of having enough water to douse fires, homeowners were mandated to have leather fire buckets in the houses.The number of fire buckets per household was determined by the amount of fireplaces in the house. For example, Schuyler Mansion has eight fireplaces (one in each room of the house) so the Schuyler family would have been issued eight fire buckets. When there was a fire, each household would be expected to fill their fire buckets with water from the well (or have their slaves or servants do it) and throw them on the fire, forming citizen bucket lines. 

When the fire was extinguished, the buckets would be collected, distinguished by the names painted on them, and returned to their owners.  If a household’s fire

Citizens working together to extinguish a fire with buckets

buckets were not found (or not all of them were found) it would be known that that family did not adequately participate in the effort to put out the fire, and they would face repercussions that could include exclusion from the service. 

The fire buckets that are currently on display at Schuyler Mansion are reproductions. Oftentimes, when visitors see the fire buckets on tours, they ask whether they would have sometimes contained sand as well as water. The answer is yes, they would have. Not only would the Schuyler family have utilized their fire buckets in order to contribute to the community effort to extinguish fires, but they also would have used them to put out fires in their own fireplaces. It would often be easier to store sand in the buckets, which we kept nearby fireplaces, because, unlike water, sand did not evaporate.

Come see the fire buckets today at Schuyler Mansion! Our final day of the season, October 31st, is just over a week away!

Courtly Carpeting in the Schuyler Home

by Rebecca Kurtz

Detail of the Brussels carpeting in the Yellow Parlor

Last week, you were introduced to the Yellow Parlor, a room at Schuyler Mansion that epitomizes just how English the Schuylers considered themselves to be. We previously discussed the history surrounding the sophisticated flocked wallpaper that bedecks the walls of the yellow parlor. This week, however, we will focus on the Brussels carpeting that covers the parlor’s floor.

During the eighteenth century, the wealthiest in the colonies imported Oriental rugs from Asia known as Turkish carpets. However, English carpets were popular as well and, since they were not nearly as expensive as their Asian counterparts, they were more common in the colonies. Philip Schuyler chose Brussels carpets over the other English styles at the time, which were Ingrain, Wilton, and Axminster.

Brussels Carpeting

The Brussels carpet, a loop-pile, wool carpet with a linen warp that contained five colors, was originally created in Brussels circa 1710. England began producing them around 1740, and continued until the 1930’s. Many carpets during the eighteenth century were purchased in long, narrow strips that needed to be sized and sewn together. The same is true of the reproduction that is displayed in the yellow parlor today.

The reproduction Brussels carpets that are in Schuyler Mansion today (in Philip and Catherine’s bedchamber as well as the yellow parlor) were constructed by John Burrows, the founder of J.R. Burrows & Company, which produces period floor coverings.

So, come to Schuyler Mansion for a tour, and when you are in the yellow parlor and Philip and Catherine’s bedchamber, take a moment to appreciate the beautiful Brussels carpeting. There are just three weeks left of our 2015 season- so hurry! If you want to take a look at some of John Burrow’s work during the off-season, some can be found in the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

An Introduction to the Yellow Parlor: Welcome and Wallpaper

by Rebecca Kurtz

Right across from the Best Parlor at Schuyler Mansion, on the opposite side of the center hall, is the Yellow Parlor. The yellow parlor was a space where the Schuyler family and their more intimate guests would have gathered to converse, read from the Bible, and enjoy activities such as playing cards and viewing prints. This room was less formal than the Best Parlor. It is called the ‘Yellow Parlor’ because early in the eighteenth century rooms were often named after their location in the house (northeast) or by their color (yellow).  Although we refer to the room as the yellow parlor today, it is likely that, by the 1780’s, the term ‘sitting room’ was being used to describe the room’s function.

In the 1760’s, while Schuyler Mansion was being constructed, Philip’s superior from the British Quartermasters during the French and Indian War, John Bradstreet, sent him to England to tie up some loose ends. Philip took the opportunity to purchase a number of fashionable items while abroad to decorate his new Georgian home. These items included flocked wallpapers, Brussels carpets, and worsted fabric.

Today, the yellow parlor is decorated much more comprehensively than the parlor on the other side of the hall. This is largely due to the fact that we are still in possession of Schuyler’s receipts from when he was in England. These receipts give some indication of the types of items he purchased,

The flocked wallpaper adorning the yellow parlor

particularly the colors. Based on Philip’s receipts and the fashions that were used in decorating rooms in the mid to late eighteenth century, a monochromatic scheme was utilized during the most recent restoration of the parlor. Thus, the reproduction fabric, carpet, and wallpaper all contain shades of yellow.

The wallpaper currently adorning the yellow parlor is a reproduction of yellow flocked wallpaper. Flocked wallpaper was popularized in the eighteenth century by England and France, but may have been developed Italy as early as the fifteenth century. Prior to the Seven Years War (1754-1763) blue flocked paper from England was considered to be most fashionable. However, in order to meet demand for the paper in their country, France began producing flocked wallpaper as well. Additionally, these wallpapers regained their popularity throughout the 1970’s.

Flocked wallpaper gets its name from the fact that powdered textiles, such as wool, in the case of the wallpaper at Schuyler Mansion, were glued onto the paper in a printed design. Most wallpaper was imported and expensive during this time period. Thus, by displaying flocked wallpaper in his home, Philip Schuyler was able to express to his visitors that he not only had excellent taste in home décor, but also the money to afford it.

The yellow parlor is not the only room in Schuyler Mansion exhibit flocked wallpaper. Currently, there is red flocked wallpaper in the dining room, green in Philip’s library and Philip and Catherine’s bedchamber, and blue in the boy’s bedchamber. The reproductions that now adorn the mansion were installed within the first decade of this century.

Come to Schuyler Mansion and see these beautiful flocking patterns for yourself! Also, be sure to follow this blog, as next week we will be discussing more of the reproduction pieces that enhance the experience of visiting the yellow parlor!

Finding Fabric for the Schuyler's Fashionable Furniture

by Rebecca Kurtz

The Best Parlor in its furnished state

In last week’s blog, we discussed the restoration of the papier-mache ceiling in the Best Parlor, the most formal room in Schuyler Mansion. Considering that the primary purpose of this parlor was once to advertise the Schuyler family’s wealth, it now appears astonishingly unfurnished. The suite of furniture belonging in the Best Parlor, which includes eight chairs and a settee, has been displayed to visitors in previous years. The reason for its absence this year is it is being reupholstered with a fabric that is more accurate to the way it appeared in the eighteenth century.

The suite of furniture that occupied the Best Parlor is in the Sheraton Style (also called ‘Hepplewhite’ for the furniture designer who put out a catalogue on the style) which is a neoclassical style of furniture defined by clean, straight lines, lattice work,

A Sheraton style chair

tapered legs, and fluting. The chairs and settee are original pieces of furniture that once belonged to Philip and Catherine Schuyler. They were last upholstered in 1979. However, Deborah Trupin, the textile conservator at Peebles Island State Resource Center from 1980-July 2015, felt that the fabric was not historically accurate.

Kirsten Schoonmaker, an intern in Deborah Trupin's textile lab during the Fall of 2014 and Winter of 2015 set about deconstructing the chair seat covers to try and find evidence of previous upholstery fabric, as well as original padding, undercovers, and upholstery tacks. After many of the chair seat and arm covers had been deconstructed, a 1” by 1.5” piece of 1700’s fabric was finally discovered on the arm pads. When examined under a microscope, it was revealed that the threads found were silk and had been woven in different ways to create a pattern. The fabric was an unblemished yellow, since it remained in a protected area on the underside of the arm pad.

Kirsten studied eighteenth century paintings and furniture design books that showed examples of the style of chair in Schuyler Mansion's collection to determine the correct seat and back profiles. The new profile created for the chairs is significantly different from the one previously on display at Schuyler Mansion.

The Best Parlor with furniture in the mid-twentieth century

The conservators and curator traveled to New York City to look at available fabrics for recovering the chairs and settee. Unable to find a true eighteenth century fabric, the three found the best match at a factory in Gainesborough, England. The fabric found there, a neoclassical motif that precisely fits on both the seat and the shield back of the chair, blends with the neoclassical elements of the Sheraton Style of the furniture. Currently, David Bayne, a furniture conservator at Peebles Island, is hoping to fund an intern who can work on the suite of furniture, cleaning it throughout the winter of 2015-2016. We plan to return the finished chairs and settee to the mansion during the 2016 season so the Best Parlor can once again be enjoyed in its fully furnished splendor. 

Papier-mâché for the Parlor

by Rebecca Kurtz

The Best Parlor at Schuyler Mansion in its current state

After passing through the elegant center hallway, the first room that you enter on a tour of Schuyler Mansion, just to the left of where you entered, is the Best Parlor. The Best Parlor was the most formal and elegant room in the mansion, and it was where all major family events took place, from weddings to funerals, and everything in between. It was in this room that Philip and Catherine’s second daughter, Elizabeth, was married to Alexander Hamilton in December of 1780. The Schuyler’s used this parlor to display their extravagant wealth to their

Alexander Hamilton married Elizabeth Schuyler in the Best Parlor

esteemed guests, including George and Martha Washington, Benjamin Franklin, the Marquis de Lafayette, Jon Jay, and Aaron Burr. In the Best Parlor, these guests enjoyed activities such as drinking tea, engaging in conversation about politics and military activity, and listening to music performed by the Schuyler daughters.

 Today, however, it is difficult to believe this room was ever the Schuyler’s most sumptuous space. The floor,once covered with an imported Brussels carpet, is now bare. The walls, most likely covered by luxurious blue wallpaper, are now paperless. The room is sparsely furnished, and the ceiling is plain. However, based on Philip’s receipts, as well as letters written by guests, we know a papier-mâché design graced the ceiling of the Best Parlor. Naturally, as part of our hundredth anniversary restoration project, the Best Parlor will be returned to its former glory.

Papier-mâché (which is French for “chewed paper”) refers to three dimensional objects created by molding paper pulp, typically seen today in art projects, and used for theatrical purposes. From the seventeenth through the nineteenth century, however, papier-mâché was utilized as an

Papier-mâché ceiling at Phillipse Manor Hall

architectural material. The practice of papier-mâché decoration originated in Ireland, and the trade was commercially developed in London during the 1740’s.

Papier-mâché was swiftly popularized as a decorative material. After all, it was extremely difficult to break, as well as inexpensive to install and easy to fix. Additionally, if papier-mâché was ever to go out of style, it could be removed without inflicting any significant damage to walls and ceilings.. The one major drawback concerning owners of papier mache decoration on ceilings and walls was water damage. Since most roofs leak at some point in the history of a home, many of these decorative details were damaged over time and very few exist today. 

 Papier-mâché adorned the homes of many prominent eighteenth century figures, such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. Naturally, Philip Schuyler required a papier-mâché ceiling in his home as well.

While we know that a papier-mâché ceiling did exist in the Best Parlor at Schuyler Mansion, we unfortunately lack any record of the ceiling’s design. Therefore, the papier-mâché ceiling that will be installed will not be an exact replica of the original. We do know that the papier-mâché ceiling in Schuyler Mansion would have been a design at the height of fashion in 1761, the year it was purchased. This knowledge can help ensure that the recreation, while not exact to the home, will be in keeping with the style and taste of the original.

Phillipse Manor Hall

Luckily, and extant papier-mâché ceiling exists in another New York historic house. Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site in Yonkers, NY is an 18^th century Georgian Mansion owned by the Philipse family.  In the 1760s, during an expansion of the home, Philipse added an ornate papier-mâché ceiling to his home. Staff at Peebles Island Resource Center enlisted a team of experts from Ithaca College to 3D scan the decorative ceiling and then to experiment in printing a positive image of ceiling details.  Molds will then be made from the various details of the ceiling and it is from these molds that paper pulp sculptures, from an 18^th century recipe, can then be formed.

Scanning the ceiling After those are dried, they will finally be installed in the Best Parlor using glue and small brads.

There will still be plenty to accomplish in the Best Parlor to restore it to its previous splendor. As you read this blog, furniture for the parlor is being reupholstered. Additionally, carpeting and wallpaper will eventually adorn the room. Look for future blog entries on these details in weeks to come! Meanwhile, follow our blog by clicking the “subscribe” button at the bottom of the page to stay up to date with all of the restorations taking place at the mansion!

Reinstalling the Ruins of Rome

by Rebecca Kurtz

                                 

In last week’s blog, we talked about the floor cloth that once existed in the center hall of Schuyler Mansion, and the reproduction floor cloth that adorns the floor now. This week, we will talk about the other major piece with which Schuyler embellished that hall; the Ruins of Rome wallpaper. The Ruins of Rome was a hand painted English wallpaper featuring scenes of Rome’s ruins in shades of gray, based off an engraving of a painting by architect and painter, Giovanni Paolo Panini (1691-1765.) The scenes were surrounded by soft yellows and grays, and the wallpaper was hung up in sections. Schuyler Mansion was one of three houses in the United States to display the Ruins of Rome, the other two being the no longer extant Van Rensselaer Manor, which was also located in Albany, New York, and the Jeremiah Lee Mansion in Marblehead, Massachusetts (where the wallpaper still hangs.) Although the same wallpaper was present in all three of these homes,

each home had its own unique version. Despite the fact that the Van Rensselaer Manor no longer stands, the Ruins of Rome that once hung in the home are still exhibited to the public at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, in the American Wing.

The Ruins of Rome at the Jeremiah Lee Mansion

 Although the center hall at Schuyler Mansion is still quite picturesque today, the Ruins of Rome is conspicuously missing from the walls. For years, staff and preservationists working at Peeble’s Island State Historic Site in Waterford, New York sought an artist who would be able to recreate the historic wallpaper. However, such an arrangement never transpired. More recently, photographic reconstruction has become an accessible and effective technology. Therefore, as part of our 100^th anniversary restoration project, a digital reproduction of the Ruins of Rome will be installed in the center hall, as well as the upstairs hallway (called the “salon” by the Schuylers) where the wallpaper also hung.

The Ruins of Rome at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

           
The process of creating a digital reproduction of the Ruins of Rome is currently being undertaken by Rich Claus and Erin Moroney.  In 2013 and 2014, they journeyed to both the

Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Jeremiah Lee Mansion to study and photograph the scenes featured on both versions of the wallpaper. After their trips, Rich and Erin returned to their lab, where they utilized a special computer program to digitally “stitch” each scene together. After that, another computer program was able to edit the architectural elements out of the digital images and blend the images together in order to create a uniform color and feel.

At this point in time, we are anticipating that the digital reproduction of Ruins of Rome will be printed and installed in 2016. Until then, tours are still being conducted at the mansion, and going on one is a great way to get a sense of the before and after of our restoration project! To stay up to date with news of the restoration, don’t forget to follow this blog by clicking subscribe at the bottom of this page!