Lincoln Home
Historic Furnishings Report 		NPS Logo

THE PLAN

SECTION E: RECOMMENDED FURNISHINGS (continued)

WINDOW HANGINGS: SECOND FLOOR: ROOMS G-L

WINDOW HANGINGS: SECOND FLOOR: ROOMS G-L
Object: G.35; H.24; 1.34; J.19; K.16; L.8 —Cloth Shades and Muslin Curtains
Date: Modern reproductions; style of 1850-1860.
Brief Description: The shades should be on wooden rollers. The curtains should be hung from simple brass rods supported by brass brackets. For an example see Webster's Encyclopedia of Domestic Economy, p. 250, fig. 163.
Location: All windows on the second floor. Maid's room should have shades only.
Documentation: An 1860 photograph of the Lincoln home during the passing of a Republican rally clearly shows buff or white colored linen shades in all the front windows of the house. [40] One written reference (see p. 38) indicates that there were green shades in the Lincoln home. The photographic evidence is a more reliable source and; therefore, buff or white shades are recommended. The shades should be the same color in every room.

Muslin curtains were commonly used in second floor windows in average middle-class homes, and, because there is no evidence of fancier drapery, these curtains are recommended for use in the Lincoln bedrooms. The curtains may vary in pattern from room to room. Plain white would also be appropriate.

Source: To be acquired (reproduction). Good quality reproduction fabrics are currently available from several New York fabric supply houses. It is recommended that the modern fabrics now hanging be replaced.
WINDOW HANGINGS: SECOND FLOOR: ROOMS G-L

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Last Updated: 08-Feb-2004