Furniture at Johns Hopkins House 7

Whites Hall, the home of the Hopkins Family for 191 years, changed over the years as the home was passed along to other generations of Hopkins family. This began in 1814 when the property was inherited by Joseph Hopkins, Johns' s older brother. As the younger members of the family inherited the house, they would have most likely made some changes to the furniture in order to "modernize" the house to meet their style. The furniture might have included pieces from three different periods, Shaker (1820 to 1860), Victorian (1840 to 1910), Arts and Craft/Mission (1880 to 1920), and Art Nouveau (1890 to 1910). When the house was sold out of the family in 1910, the family must have taken the furniture with them. We don't know where or if any Hopkins family pieces still exist. It you know of any, let us know.

Shaker (1820 to 1860)

The Shaker period was named after a religious movement of the period, and the furniture influence was simple and utilitarian. The appearance was primarily straight lines, woven or cane seat material, basic turned wooden knobs, and visible locking joinery.

Victorian (1840 to 1910)

The Victorian period, named after England's Queen Victoria, served as a very sharp contrast to the Shaker period. Victorian furniture is formal, elaborate and opulent. The upholstery of this period matched the ornate stylings of the wood, with needlepoint and tapestry adorning many of the most intricate pieces. Black walnut, oak, maple, and ash were common building materials of the time with rosewood inlays for contrast.

Arts and Craft/Mission (1880 to 1920)

The Arts and Craft period symbolized another minimalist period in furniture design. Leather was a common upholstery covering of the period, likely more for practical than design reasons. Lacquer, shellac, and wax were common finishes on the wide variety of woods used during this period.

Art Nouveau (1890 to 1910)

The Art Nouveau period borrowed from a number of previous periods, with elaborate ornamental carvings and veneer inlays offset by brass and chrome hardware. Upholstery in this period was from a variety of opulent fabrics, including velvet, tapestries, leather, and linen.

The changes in furniture styles in these periods is dramatic. The use of fancy ornamentation of the Victorian and Arts Nouveau periods are in contrast to the simple lines of the Shaker and Arts and Crafts periods.

As this takes us up to the end of the Hopkins family residency at Whites Hall in 1910, this will be our final post about the furniture that may have been in the house over all most 200 years. When we are able to work on furnishing the house, we are going to concentrate on the years between 1780 and about 1850.

Our next blog series??????