I’m away from work this week. This is an abbreviated post regarding ancillary material associated with Mount Pleasant. Less than a year after the city of Philadelphia took possession of Mount Pleasant, the first directive from the Committee on Police and Superintendence, on November 29, 1870, authorized Park Keeper O’Donnell to move into one of … Continue reading “Alone by the Schuylkill, a wanderer, I strayed.”
Month: October 2010
“This is an important book, the critic assumes, because it deals with war. This is an insignificant book because it deals with the feelings of women in a drawing-room.” Virginia Woolf
What do we know about the drawing room at Mount Pleasant and how do we know it? What changes to the space have occurred over time? If there have been changes, how might they hamper our ability to understand the maker's intent and the original owner's desires? Mount Pleasant has been celebrated as an historic … Continue reading “This is an important book, the critic assumes, because it deals with war. This is an insignificant book because it deals with the feelings of women in a drawing-room.” Virginia Woolf
“Go down, into the parlour that my arms hang and bring me up a pistol.” Captain John Macpherson
Researching the historical record pertaining to Mount Pleasant can sometimes cause confusion when specific rooms are being discussed. In earlier posts I have used names for spaces in the main house as they are currently interpreted by the staff of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Several years ago, after a close reading of Thomas Nevell’s … Continue reading “Go down, into the parlour that my arms hang and bring me up a pistol.” Captain John Macpherson
“I have endeavored all along to form such designs as are capable of receiving good Decorations” Abraham Swan, London, 1757
Swan continued by comparing bad “Decorations with Superadded Ornaments” to a “clown in a laced Waistcoat.” That was written on the second page of his preface to his two volume publication, A Collection of Designs in Architecture. Swan made it clear that by hiring him, he would be able to “accommodate the Great and Noble … Continue reading “I have endeavored all along to form such designs as are capable of receiving good Decorations” Abraham Swan, London, 1757
In Proportion to the Trouble 