Curtain Color

[bobarth]

Hi,
Still making my little Lizzie house. Anybody know what color the curtains where at 92 Second Street?
Would off-white be a pretty good guess?

Thanks again
Bobbie

[Bob Gutowski]

Did they even DO any colors except white and off-white in those days? I wonder!

[Shelley]

Lace in the parlor, bought by Abby. Ivory or white is always safe. The dining room had a dark red tablecloth and curtains. Lizzie had red portieres over her desk and bed, pale blue curtain across her closet, and 2 reports on her bedspread: one says a matlasse white coverlet and one says blue silk spread which she had embroidered. Her wallpaper was described as rich and dark, and red was probably more of that Victorian maroon rather than fire engine red.

[bobarth]

Thanks Bob
Off- White it is then!!!!

[Kat]

Lace in the parlor, bought by Abby. Ivory or white is always safe. The dining room had a dark red tablecloth and curtains. Lizzie had red portieres over her desk and bed, pale blue curtain across her closet, and 2 reports on her bedspread: one says a matlasse white coverlet and one says blue silk spread which she had embroidered. Her wallpaper was described as rich and dark, and red was probably more of that Victorian maroon rather than fire engine red.

I hate to do this to you Shelley, but where did you get such detail? Can you point me in a direction?
I recall a female reporter claimed she did a walk-thru the house- was all that in there?
I recall the portiere at the door between Andrew's bedroom and Lizzie's (in Alice Russell's testimony when they broke the lock) and a portiere at her closet.

[Shelley]

Yes, the lady reporter's article for Lizzie's room- the red tablecloth is in Rebello and the fact that Abby had bought the lace curtains for the parlor. I will dig out the page numbers. I was intrigued to hear about Lizzie's blue bedspread -the reporter says Lizzie had done the handwork on it.

When the house first opened as a B&B, the first bedspread put in Lizzie's room was blue. Now we use a white matlasse one- there are newspaper descriptions saying both. Maybe her bedspread was changed-another mystery.

Dark red curtains were put in the diningroom last year as well with lace beneath them- I am not sure how historically accurate that part is. The interiror decor is of particular interest to me so I will be glad to chivvy out the references.

[snokkums]

I think off white would be apretty color. Maybe some lace too.

[Kat]

Thanks Shelley. I can do the page numbers easily if I am pointed toward the sources. I can check.