“The real thing”
www.merchantshouse.org
Built in 1832, the Merchant's House Museum is New York City's only 19th century home preserved intact, with original family furnishings and personal belongings.
A unique survivor of Old New York, the House offers a rare and intimate glimpse of how a prosperous merchant family and their four Irish servants lived from 1835 to 1865, when New York grew from seaport to thriving metropolis and the commercial emporium of America.
"The distinction of the Merchant's House -- and it is a powerful one -- is that it is the real thing. One simply walks through the beautiful doorway into another time and place in New York."
The New York Times
Comments
Anti-Irish sentiment in the 19th century can be seen even in household manuals, which put great emphasis on cleanliness when discussing servants, suggesting Irish servants might be particularly prone to filth or vermin.
Many manuals encouraged employers to provide each servant with a bed made of iron (as a precaution against bed bugs), as well as to enforce certain standards of cleanliness and hygiene.
This view of a servant bedroom at the Merchant's House shows a basin and ewer, necessary for daily hygiene. A mirror, like the one shown here, would have been a luxury for the two women who shared this room.
Our first wedding of 2022 is just a couple of weeks away, and we can't wait! Our lush, 19th century garden is the perfect backdrop for an intimate ceremony. We're so excited to see our 2022 couples say "I do!"
Getting married this summer? Get in touch!
📷: Cinder & Co
In the 1970s, the Merchant’s House underwent a top-to-bottom interior restoration, which included the original 1832 plasterwork. Sculptor David Flaharty made repairs to areas of damaged plaster and, just as 19th century artisans had done, created molds of fragments to cast new pieces. Flaharty’s modern molds and plaster casts are now part of the museum’s collection.
Recently, David Flaharty contacted the Merchant's House to inform us he discovered four additional plaster molds in his workshop from the 1970s restoration. These newly discovered molds have been returned to the house, where they have been photographed, catalogued, and stored with the others in archival boxes.
Next month, come see our new special exhibition, "𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴:" 𝗢𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁'𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲, which celebrates the return of these important artifacts to the house, and to marks the 10-year anniversary of our fight to protect the house – and in particular, the 1832 plasterwork – from proposed development next door.
Exhibition opens Thursday, May 12.
[Pictured here, ornamental plaster in the double parlor, one of the newly discovered molds, and a stylized acanthus leaf plaster cast made from the mold.]
We're told April showers bring May flowers ... but why wait? Under the diligent care of head gardener extraordinaire John Rommel, our 19th century garden is coming alive. Happy daffodils and sprightly pansies await you.
FOR SALE: late-Federal and Greek Revival row house, built in 1832, complete with one family's furnishings, decorative arts, and personal possessions.
APRIL FOOLS! A Federal, State, and City Landmark (Manhattan's first!), we at the Merchant's House fulfill our mission through public educational programs and exhibitions, conservation of our original collections, and restoration of our 190-year-old building.
As we enter the TENTH YEAR of fighting proposed development next door, rest assured that we will never stop working to ensure the Merchant's House remains a pillar of education of 19th century New York for generations to come.
Over the Tredwell family's 98-year residency on Fourth Street, their home was frequently filled with children -- in addition to the eight Tredwell children, there were six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
In 1995, Seabury and Eliza Tredwell's great-grandson, Roger, wrote to the Merchant's House, recalling boyhood visits to his Aunt Gertrude: "I guess what I remember most is sliding down the wonderful bannister in the front hall."
We can only imagine what other mischief the Tredwell children got up to over the years!
Artwork by Mischelle Moy
The Greek War of Independence began on this day in 1821. According to our friends Village Preservation - Greenwich Village Society For Historic Preservation: "Few could predict the impact this revolution would have not only in Europe but also some 5,000 miles away from the site of battle, at a time NoHo was booming.
With the Greek struggle still fresh, architects were inspired to turn to the ancient buildings of the so-called Cradle of Democracy for new designs. The Greek Revival style was born, and defined many of our most beloved landmarks, as well as ubiquitous, everyday structures."
Pictured: Ionic column capital, MHM Front Parlor.
If you missed Anthony Bellov's sold-out talk at The National Arts Club last week, the recording is now available online!
In this illustrated talk, explore the Merchant's House in a way the casual visitor never experiences. Anthony opens doors and drawers and examines overlooked features that tell us much about the house, the era, the Tredwell family, and the servants who made it all possible.
View the talk at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXD_UBAwnK8
For more from Anthony, join us (and special guest Carswell Rush Berlin) on April 27 for an in-depth virtual tour exploring the Tredwell Furniture Collection! Tickets at
www.merchantshouse.org/calendar/reservations.
Happy Spring! 🌸💐🌷
Head Gardener John Rommel is working his magic and bringing our 19th century garden back to life. Pictured here, Hellebore, also known as Lenten Rose.
Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘️☘️
The Tredwells’ servants, primarily immigrants from Ireland, likely had limited time off. While they worked, they constantly kept an ear out for the sound of the call balls. Each bell had a different tone, so the servants knew where they were needed.
Servants usually had time off to attend religious services on Sunday, and likely had one afternoon off a week. In addition, the Tredwells’ Irish servants almost certainly received the day off on St. Patrick's Day to attend the parade and join the celebrations.
St. Patrick's Day was of huge social importance to Irish servants in NYC; a popular custom for the holiday was to write home to Ireland and request shamrocks or dirt to be sent to America so they could carry around a small piece of home.
For more about the Tredwells' Irish servants, join us tonight at 6 p.m. for a virtual house tour: "In the Footsteps of Bridget Murphy."
Tickets at
https://merchantshouse.org/calendar/reservations/ #!/March-17-6-p-m-Bridget-Murphy-Virtual-Tour/p/436531285/category=1651948
Taken with an early 20th century view camera fitted with a 19th century lens, the evocative images in artist Hal Hirshorn’s "Tending the Fires" series recreate one of the most humble chores performed by the family’s Irish servants.
Although no images of the actual servants who lived and worked at the Merchant's House exist, these remarkable photographs pay tribute to these young women, the majority of whom were Irish immigrants.
A selection of photographs from "Tending the Fires" is currently on display at the Merchant's House, included with regular museum admission.
Looking for more information about the Tredwells' Irish servants? To celebrate St. Patrick's Day, join us this Thursday evening for a virtual house tour, "In the Footsteps of Bridget Murphy."
Register at
https://merchantshouse.org/calendar/reservations/ #!/March-17-6-p-m-Bridget-Murphy-Virtual-Tour/p/436531285/category=1651948
[📷: Hal Hirshorn]
During the mid-19th century, letter writing was the most common way to communicate over distances, both far and near, and women were primarily responsible for maintaining the family’s personal correspondence. They regularly exchanged letters with family members and friends, sometimes writing two or three letters a day. Many 19th-century women owned a desk, like the one pictured here in Eliza Tredwell's bedroom, for this purpose.
Until the late-19th century, the U.S. Postal Service did not deliver mail directly to homes. Instead, a servant or household member went to the local post office once or twice a day to collect the letters. Many wealthy New Yorkers hired either officially sanctioned postal carriers or independent “local post” companies to bring mail straight to their doors.
[Photo by Susan DeVries.]
![American Gothic #3 - A Ghost Story by Mark Twain [plus The Bells by Edgar Allen Poe]](https://img2.gluseum.com/v/662/149/1237597546621496.jpg)
#}