Stephen B sent this scan of an etching of the East Room that looks to him and to me to be pre-Lincoln. I'm not sure of where it came from (original had a frame that made it look like probably a postcard) and Stephen didn't give a hint as to its origin or age. Any takers?I've tentatively added it to the page (with a circa 1858 date) for easy comparison.
According to "The White House - The History of an American Idea" by Seale (p.97), this picture is circa 1861. Seale says that Franklin Pierce added the marble mantelpieces in 1854, along with a painted ceiling. The yellow walls and chandeliers go back to Jackson in 1829,further described on pages 98 and 199.
ReplyDeleteExcuse me, Seale, pages 98 and 100.
ReplyDeleteI type too fast sometimes.
Ah, very good. I don't have my books with me on the road, but it definitely looks like what Lincoln inherited.
ReplyDeleteThanks all. This is an actual print I bought off ebay. Looks like it may be from a book. It's very nice and one of my prized WH items. It is NOT a repro. or postcard.
ReplyDeleteI will now have it nicely framed and on acid free paper.
Steve in St. Lou.
What a great forum.
I have some other items to send too, including the Caroline Harrison's expansion plans and some good stuff about White House bric a brac from Arthur's redo by......all from vintage 1890 mags.
Cool. Looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteSteve, if I had found that East Room print at a flea market or something, I would have started pointing and jumping up and down and saying ohmygawd!,ohmygawd!!! - attracting all sorts of unwanted attention and the price would have immediately gone up sky high!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it went to someone who appreciates it and will frame it properly!
Closest thing I have to something of that caliber is a large period (1817) engraving of the Pennsylvania Hospital,in Philadelphia, which I found in a grungy old shop in the French Quarter - (and yes, I kept a total poker face) and then talked them down to $55.00 (from the $75.00 asking price) - then did research on it at the Philadelphia Free Library - and found that a fancy auction house in Philadelphia had recently sold one just like it for over $1000.00!
Then I squealed like a girl when I got it home!
Can you tell us how large the original print is? Is it as large as the reproduction in Seale's book?