Colonial Revival at King Manor
When the 100th anniversary of the Revolutionary War occurred in 1876, America was in the middle of an industrial revolution. Many Americans were inspired by these rapid changes to reflect on the colonial period in an attempt to honor what they viewed as a disappearing national heritage.
King Manor Museum Library, early 20th century
Public commemorations celebrated anniversaries of historic moments in American history such as George Washington’s inauguration, Columbus’s “discovery of America” and the founding of Plymouth Colony. Women’s historic preservation societies aimed to teach new immigrants about these aspects of American history to help them assimilate into their new home at a time when conformity, not diversity, was celebrated.
Slide the bar to see the room recreated today!
This outburst of feverish patriotism inspired a new trend in interior design: a mashup of 17th and 18th century furniture styles later called the “Colonial Revival” style. The Colonial Revival looked to the aesthetics of hand-made furniture at a time when many household goods were made by machines. (Sound familiar?)
The women of King Manor decorated the museum with a mix of furniture and decorative styles from nearly two-hundred years of history.
Although not “period rooms” as they are today (historically accurate recreations of the rooms to reflect the way Rufus King would have used them), the women honored King Manor in the best way they knew how.
Click on the objects in this period room to learn more.
Colonial Revival Collecting at King Manor
At the height of the Colonial Revival’s popularity at the turn of the twentieth century, the women of the King Manor Association gathered furniture and decorative arts from early America. Some items were saved for their supposed associations to known American patriots, while others were preserved because of their age.
Click on the objects to learn more!
Through affluent, 19th-century eyes, it was easy to have a romanticized view of the colonial era. Despite the many atrocious realities of early America such as slavery and poverty, patriotism was their interest and focus.
At the turn of the century, racial segregation and class disparity were normalized and it may not have occurred to many of these women to consider these problems in their interpretation of these collections. Intersectionality and inclusivity in historical thought did not yet exist. You’ll notice bias and even underlying racism in some of these objects.