The New England parlor, designed for the reception and entertainment of visitors, communicated the social position and aspirations of the family.  No other space received as much concentrated attention and economic outlay in its decoration, design, and furnishings. The use of parlors gradually evolved over the 18th century. Beginning as multipurpose spaces for sleeping, cooking, working, and eating, by the end of the century only the dining and entertaining functions remained. The goal of a well-furnished parlor was to impress guests through a display of possessions, while providing a center for refined activities and rituals such as tea drinking, card playing, dancing, and above all, conversation.

 

Dr. Kevin M. Sweeney, Professor of American Studies and History at Amherst College, will examine how the roles and furnishings of New England parlors changed from about 1720 to 1820. While patterns set in the 17th century persisted in many rural areas, the social function of parlors in the homes of urban and rural elites became more public and genteel and their furnishings more refined.

 

Dr. Ann Smart Martin, Stanley and Polly Stone (Chipstone) Professor of American Decorative Arts and Director of the Material Culture Program at University of Wisconsin-Madison, will focus on the tea table as one of the most culturally charged furniture forms in 18th-century Anglo-America. A new and beguiling furnishing, it became a special stage for contests of gender, wealth, and power, as its meaning teetered on when and who and where. By focusing closely on the table itself, this study explores how these uses and meanings evolved.

 

Dr. Gerald W. R. Ward, the Katherine Lane Weems Senior Curator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture Emeritus at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, will trace the rise of the popularity of card playing and examine the specialized furniture forms, playing cards, counters, rule books, and other accoutrements used in this important leisure-time activity. Card playing was a level playing field for social interaction between the sexes, and it provided some participants with an opportunity for high-stakes gambling in games such as loo, faro, whist, and others, thus creating an important stage for both conviviality and avarice.

 

The day ends with guided tours of Historic Deerfield's houses and an informal workshop on the topic of refined ceramics for the parlor (tea, coffee and chocolate wares as well as punch drinking) with Historic Deerfield's Curatorial Department Director and Curator of Historic Interiors, Amanda Lange.

 

The cost for the forum is $115 ($95 for members, $125 for new members) and includes lunch.  Early registrants can save $10 off their program fee when they register by February 26, 2016. For more information and registration, contact Julie Orvis at [email protected] or (413) 775-7179. Online registration for this program is available www.historic-deerfield.org.

 

Historic Deerfield, Inc., is dedicated to the heritage and preservation of Deerfield, Massachusetts, and the Connecticut River Valley. Its museums and programs provide today's audiences with experiences that create an understanding and appreciation of New England's historic villages and countryside.

 

###