My thoughts this week have been of home, I am currently taking a U.S. History course, and my beloved Philadelphia continues to pop up.
When I think of Philly, Federal architecture of course comes to mind, but I also recall the wondrous beauties of the American Aesthetic/Queen Anne movement.If you wander along Pine or any little side street behind Rittenhouse Square you will stumble upon jawdroppers. The Centennial influenced much of this nostalgic architecture, but I imagine fashion, fashion from our Mother country, Great Britain held greater influence.
With that said I present this broken pedimented beauty by Charles Tisch
Side Chair
Charles Tisch, active 1870-90
Rosewood, misc. woods, brass, silk upholstery
Possible Place Made, NY, NY
ca. 1885
approx. 39x23x20
Brooklyn Museum
I love this period, it’s rigid interpretation of Queen Anne, the ebonized Aesthetic Movement influence. This is a very American spin on the Aesthetic Movement, it lacks the grace of Godwin, but what it lacks in poetry it compensates with comfortable proportions.
There is a vulgarity to the chair, but of course that is what draws me to it.
A really wonderful book exploring both English and American versions of the Queen Anne Movement is “Sweetness and Light, the Queen Anne Movement 1860-1890″, by Mark Girouard, published by Yale Press. It is a marvelous resource.
Well, I must return to my studies, curious as to how this Revolution thing turns out.
Good Shabbos
