Part II of II: In Pursuit of Beauty and Culture In Boston

Our first day in Boston might have fed my husband's love of revolutionary war history, but our second revolved around some of my favorite indulgences. A treasure trove of fine art and architecture to be oohed and aahed over lay ahead, and I could not wait to get started.

Legging it across Boston's tranquil Public Garden on the way to our first port of call, we happened upon the city's famed fleet of pleasure boats.

The Swan Boats have been a delightful fixture on the Public Garden's pond since 1877

Photo: Chronica Domus

After sauntering past several wonderfully preserved picturesque streets on Beacon Hill, lined with handsome eighteenth and early-nineteenth century brick houses, and crossing into the West End neighborhood, we finally arrive at our destination.

Otis House

Photo: Chronica Domus

Built in 1796 for Harrison Gray Otis, the Otis House is a grand Federal-era house that has been on my 'Must See' list for a number of years. The house, by the way, did not always look so grand.

Almost unrecognizable, Otis House has endured a number of calamitous alterations throughout its history including the removal of its marvelous fanlight and Palladian window, and the addition of  shopfronts lining its facade

Source

Here I was, at last, standing in a most impressively scaled hallway, absorbing the fine detail of architect Charles Bulfinch's work.  It is hard to imagine that this house almost met with the wrecker's ball when everything else around it was being demolished to make way for "improvements" to the neighborhood.

The grand scale of the hallway - which can only be realized when standing within it - is no
accident having been designed to impress all who cross its threshold

Photo: Chronica Domus

In 1916, William Sumner Appleton purchased the house and began work to raise the funds to meticulously restore it. Part of that restoration work included moving the house off its foundation and setting it back from Cambridge Street which was slated to be widened by the city in 1920.  

There's much to be admired in the gentle color scheme and restrained furnishings of the hallway which stand in stark contrast to the vivid colors and sumptuous decoration of the principal rooms

Photo: Chronica Domus

I was rather taken by the elegant simplicity of the glass hall lantern which hangs from a 

hook and is illuminated by a lone wax candle

Photo: Chronica Domus

The view from the landing

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The shutters of the restored Palladian window

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The dining room, seen below, perfectly illustrates the Federal-era's love of vibrant color.  This room has been accurately restored using research garnered from chemical paint analysis.  Is anyone, I wonder, as bold today in their choice of paint colors?

The Otis' dining room has been decorated as it looked when the family lived there - note 

the green crumb cloth, placed beneath the dining table to protect the costly carpet from errant 

morsels which might stray from the mouths of sloppy diners

Photo: Chronica Domus

Obviously I need to get with the program and add a similarly useful and beautiful 

tole bottle cooler to my own humble dining room

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A cozy spot for taking tea in the drawing room

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This Federal-era brass curtain tie back, employed in the bedchamber, looks particularly
fetching against yellow silk and soft green paint

Photo: Chronica Domus 

With all the sumptuous distractions of the interior of Otis House, it would be easy to miss the views from any one of the handsome sash windows.  When I took a peek, the nearby Old West Church, built in 1806, was revealed.  

A most agreeable view

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The room below may not be the most opulently decorated room in the house, but it was my favorite. The restful colors and spare decoration are a pleasing juxtaposition to the high drama created by the color and pattern choices within the principal rooms.  The graphic wallpaper pattern, authentic to the period, would not look so out of place in a modern setting.

No wonder this room housed Harrison Gray Otis' office; the soothing colors are 

certainly conducive to study

Photo: Chronica Domus 

I loved this ceramic bough pot which rests upon the room's mantelshelf and was 

designed to sit flush against the wall

Photo: Chronica Domus

Visitors to Boston who have an interest in historic houses should certainly take the time to view this one.  I would, however, strongly advise you check the Otis House website when planning your visit as the house is not open daily.  One would hate to be met by a locked door and forfeit an opportunity of viewing the splendors of this fine Federal-era house.

Otis House's handsome front door lock

Photo: Chronica Domus

Well, that was all so enjoyable but it was barely lunchtime.  We were only half way through our day exploring Boston's first-rate cultural treasures.  Hopping into a nearby taxi, we were soon deposited alongside the towering USS Constitution, the world's oldest commissioned warship still afloat (HMS Victory, which I visited several years ago, is technically older but is now permanently in dry dock preserved as a museum).

We had a rare glimpse of 'Old Ironsides' in its entirety as it sat in dry dock 

undergoing restoration work to its hull (remember to bring your official photo I.D. with 

you if you too wish to hop aboard for a tour given by active duty U.S. Navy sailors)

Photo: Chronica Domus 

The related museum across the way was filled to overflowing with interesting artifacts and information related to the ship. While my husband brushed up on his naval history, I distracted myself with this pair of covet-worthy porcelain urns.

Commodore Isaac Hull who served aboard the USS Constitution during 

the war of 1812 graces this rather striking porcelain urn

Photo: Chronica Domus

Dashing Naval Commander. Oliver Hazard Perry, appears 

upon a second dreamy urn

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Another taxi ride soon had us at the doors of our final destination, the Museum of Fine Arts.

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I could barely contain my excitement at the prospect of spending a pleasurable afternoon visiting one of the world's most comprehensive fine arts museums.  Aside from the phenomenal works on display - which I'll return to shortly - the museum building itself manages to successfully combine traditional Beaux-Arts architecture with modern additions.  

My photograph of the museum's dome, decorated with John Singer Sargent murals, does 

this stunning space little justice

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The modern glass atrium is home to Dale Chihuly's 42 foot Lime Green Icicle Tower

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As predicted, it did not take long before the oohing and aahing began.  Barely stepping foot into the corridor headed in the direction of the Americas Wing, I was stopped in my tracks by this elegant musician...

Joseph Dominique Fabry Garat Playing a Lyre Guitar by Adèle Romany, circa 1808

Photo: Chronica Domus

and his lady companion...

Portrait of a Lady at a Pianoforte by Adèle Romany, circa 1808

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Once in the Americas Wing the oohing and aahing intensified as we walked by such jewels as this: 

Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley

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and, this:

John Singleton Copley's portrait of John Quincy Adams, painted in London in 1796

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John Singleton Copley (1738 - 1815) was Boston's most prolific and talented artist.  We viewed close to forty of his works which were nothing short of magnificent.  Displayed alongside the paintings are silver, ceramics, and furniture of the period.  Other galleries showcased works by Gilbert Stuart (1755 - 1828) whose unfinished George Washington portrait is recognizable to anyone looking at a one dollar note, and Thomas Sully (1783 - 1872) whose monumental work 'The Passage of The Delaware' dominates the gallery in which it hangs.  What a remarkable treasure trove of jewels!

A respite from the dizzying array of art was soon in order so we headed upstairs to the marvelous Bravo restaurant to refuel on delicious seasonal fare.

The sophisticated and soothing environment of Bravo restaurant was just the ticket for 

exhausted and hungry art enthusiasts

Photo: Chronica Domus

After dinner, we made our way back downstairs to the Americas Wing to finish viewing the satellite rooms off the main galleries.  These were filled with fine furniture and decorations of the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries.

The dining room, parlor, and bedchamber - complete with contents - of Oak Hill, a house built by renowned carver and builder Samuel McIntire, is set up much like it was when it was built in 1801

Photo: Chronica Domus

After a trek through the Art of The Ancient World wing where Patience's fascination with Egyptology was satiated, and a quick gander at the Greek and Roman treasures, we called it a day.  It was, after all 10 p.m., time for the museum to close its doors.  

Walking back to our hotel, thoroughly exhausted but buoyed from our jam-packed day of cultural pursuits, we all agreed that Boston is indeed an exemplary city full of extraordinary treasures.  How very fortunate are its fair citizens and visitors alike.  

Part I of II: A Mosey Through Boston

Photo: Chronica Domus

This was our first visit to Boston. Boston USA, that is.  It's funny to think that only six months prior, quite by serendipity, we found ourselves visiting the original market town of Boston in Lincolnshire, when we traveled there on our way to view the house I wrote about, here.  The two towns could not be any more different.  Boston Massachusetts is enormous by comparison to the somewhat sleepy Lincolnshire port town.

With only two days and three nights to take in the charms of this bustling city, we decided to camp out at Copley Square, a good central starting point for anyone wishing to explore the city on foot. Within a few minutes walk from our hotel, we found the main branch of the Boston Public Library, the first of many places we had earmarked to explore.  Make no mistake, for there is plenty to view in this magnificent temple of scholarly pursuits beyond books. John Singer Sargent's murals, for example.

The Triumph of Religion murals, seen in the vaulted Sargent Gallery, were painted in England and installed between 1895 and 1919 and are a departure from the artist's usual subject matter of society portrait painting

Photo: Chronica Domus

Philosophy, Astronomy, and History form part of Chavannes' Muses of Inspiration Gallery which vies for attention amid the striking stonework of the library's impressive marble staircase 

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The inspirational Bates Hall, named in honor of the library's original benefactor, makes me want to perform scholastic gymnastics

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No tour of Boston would be complete without walking part or all of the two and a half mile long Freedom Trail.  By following the red-lined route along Boston's brick pavements, visitors will have the opportunity of viewing sixteen historical landmarks that tell the story of Boston and the part its citizens played in America's revolution and independence from Britain.  Beginning with a leisurely mosey across Boston Common, we found Park Street Church and the Granary Burying Ground.

In its early days, the Granary Burying Ground was not exactly an ideal locale for a graveyard where boggy conditions from underground springs caused caskets and their contents to regularly float about the place

Photo: Chronica Domus

It is here that some of Boston's famous sons and daughters are laid to rest including revolutionary patriot Paul Revere, statesmen Samuel Adams and John Hancock and, of note, Hancock's servant Frank, who lays at his feet.

I believe the headstone of Officer John Hurd, who died in 1784, is the most fetching grave marker I have ever laid eyes upon
Photo: Chronica Domus

Continuing on, past King's Chapel, Boston's old City Hall, and Boston Latin School, the oldest public school in the United States, it was time for some afternoon refreshment. A pot of tea would surely revive our flagging spirits.  Conveniently, and to the delight of our daughter Patience, we just happened to be standing by the hotel that in 1856 invented the Boston Cream Pie.

This particular Boston Cream Pie vanished almost as soon as it was served to us at
The Omni Parker House Hotel, America's oldest continuously run hotel ...

Photo: Chronica Domus

... as did this, another of the hotel's claims to fame, a light-as-can-be Parker House Roll

Photo: Chronica Domus

After our well-earned intermission of tea and cakes, we were adequately fortified to face the red-brick road ahead.  As it turned out, more tea would soon await.

The tea leaves contained within the small glass vial, along with the Chinese tea label, survived being tipped into the harbor on December 16, 1773, the day of Boston's famous Tea Party

Photo: Chronica Domus

The Old South Meeting House, built in 1729, is home to some fascinating artifacts and exhibits which tell the story of the Boston Tea Party.   Also on display is a giltwood clock that made my heart beat a little faster.

I was rather gobsmacked at the sight of this fine colossal gallery clock, made by Simon Willard in 1800

Photo: Chronica Domus

Next stop, The Old State House, Boston's oldest public building.  It was in this building that the Declaration of American Independence was first read to Bostonians in 1776, an amazing feat when one considers the Old State House was once the seat of colonial British government.  As I stood in the building's basement, I heard what I perceived to be the rumble of nearby trains. Astonishingly, my ears did not deceive for I soon learned the historic structure sits smack dab atop a subway station.

A model of the Old State House - notice the doorway to the right which leads to the subway station directly beneath the building

Photo: Chronica Domus

At some point in the building's history, an architect followed a set of incorrect plans and installed this spiral staircase instead of an intended assembly chamber - I'm rather pleased he did because I was compelled to photograph it, so impressed with its shapely form, and unaware of its quirky history until doing research for this post

Photo: Chronica Domus

On we trod, past Faneuil Hall to Charles Bulfinch's extension, The Great Hall, which looked appropriately festive for the upcoming Independence Day holiday.

George Peter Alexander Healy's painting, titled Webster Replying To Senator Hayne, took seven years to complete and hangs on what I've nick-named the 'Wall of Worthies' alongside other notable figures in America's history

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By early evening, having zipped by several more notable landmarks, it was beginning to feel as though the Freedom Trail would never end.

"Are we there yet?"
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Time to call it a day but not before a table for dinner was secured at the Union Oyster House, America's oldest restaurant.  Established in 1826, this popular eatery was packed to the gills with hungry patrons looking to fill up on New England's best seafood dishes. With a forty-five minute wait ahead of us, there was plenty of time for one of these:

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Shown here are three of the many booths available for patrons' dining pleasure - Number 18, not illustrated in this photograph, was President John F. Kennedy's favorite booth

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Boston is indeed a fun and thriving city full of interesting architectural gems and historic treasures. What I've covered in today's post is just the tip of the iceberg to what is available to be enjoyed by Boston's fortunate visitors.  If you are pressed for time and can only spend a single day here, I highly recommend following our path and walking part, if not all, of the Freedom Trail.  By doing so you will be rewarded with an understanding as to why Boston is one of America's best preserved historical cities. And, like me, you will probably find yourself uttering the words "old" and "oldest" repeatedly throughout your day.

Coming up next, Part II - In pursuit of beauty and culture.

Back From New England and Beyond

The dramatic sky that welcomed us over Boston Harbor 

Photo: Chronica Domus

My family and I have just returned from a supremely pleasant, ten day whirlwind tour of captivating historic and cultural landmarks, both in New England and Upstate New York . We had a marvelous time.  In fact, my head is still spinning from all the awe-inspiring sites we toured and the sights we beheld, both in town and country. The verdant landscape alone would have satiated my senses to contentment.  What a treat it was to immerse within such green and pleasant lands after living so long within drought savaged California.

What a view!  The resplendent Hudson River Valley as seen from Boscobel House

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William Blake might as well have written his poem about the Hudson River Valley for it surely is as green as England's green and pleasant land

Photo: Chronica Domus

I am planning a series of posts, distilling our experiences in Boston, Cambridge, Waltham, Lexington, Concord, Salem, Cooperstown, and Hudson. I do hope you return soon to share in the retelling of our adventures.  In the meantime, please excuse me while I sift through the two thousand photographs compiled along the way, to pluck those deemed most representative.  I expect to offer up a selection in my next post.

George Washington, Silver Spoons, and Thomas Jefferson's Peas

As far back as I can recall, I've had an eye - or rather two - for detail.  I blame my parents for the affliction, which can be both a blessing and a curse.  My father for example, now retired, was highly skilled in his profession as a tailor; details meant the world to him.  My parents would actively encourage my sisters and I to observe, compare, and contrast in order to better understand how the smallest detail - be it a button or the cut of a lapel - might add to or detract from the overall appearance of a garment.

The smallest details don't only fascinate me, but can at times become my impetus for telling a story and the lens through which I see a larger picture. Take for example the spoons seen in the photograph below.

Photo: Chronica Domus

At first glance, these two early American coin silver spoons appear to be quite unremarkable.  Devoid of decorative detail, aside from a simple monogram, one could easily be forgiven for not offering a second gander.  In fact, both the teaspoon and the large serving spoon possess rather a severe aspect to their design. There is a reason for this, and a fascinating one at that.

You see, it is believed that "coffin-end" spoons, as these are called, were fashioned by American silversmiths to commemorate the death of George Washington in 1799. The tip of the spoon's handle was clipped by the silversmith to imply the form of a coffin. This was a design which remained popular until about 1810.

The distinct shape of this early American coin silver teaspoon tells us that it was fashioned to commemorate the death of George Washington in 1799

Photo: Chronica Domus

A view of the flowing monogram engraved upon the coffin-end handle of the large serving spoon

Photo: Chronica Domus

Having culturally attained the honorary title of  "Father of His Country", George Washington, America's first president, was largely revered at the time of his death. His passing was felt deeply across the young nation.  Many citizens of his newly born nation were so moved as to actually don mourning clothes for months thereafter.  As one can imagine, it was not long until all manner of commemorative household goods and artworks appeared to mark this solemn occasion.

Oh how I kick myself for not bidding on this ink and silk mourning needlework picture when it came up for auction in San Francisco a few years ago - what was I thinking?

Source

I have owned the diminutive coin silver teaspoon for a number of years and acquired it without prior knowledge of any significance to its design.  It was much later that I learned about the association of the coffin-end handle and its connection to Washington's death.  Naturally, when I saw the large serving spoon for sale at a recent antiques fair, I had to have it.

Article Number 12 in the collection of a local professor was a coffin-end serving spoon made by silversmith Judah Hartt of Middletown, Connecticut in 1800, now happily ensconced in my own collection

Photo: Chronica Domus

The dealer from whom I purchased this piece had acquired it as part of a sizable lot of early American silverware assembled by a local professor. The professor had thoughtfully tagged each item with an informative label noting details of the item's origin and year it was made. The preceding photograph shows the label still attached to the serving spoon on the day I purchased it.

As this is a post about a presidential-related item, I thought it would be only fitting to photograph said item on an early green shell-edge pearlware platter. Thomas Jefferson, who followed in George Washington and John Adams' footsteps to become America's third president, utilized this pearlware pattern at Monticello, his mountaintop home in Virginia. Fragments of it have been excavated from the grounds surrounding Monticello's kitchen yard. Today, visitors to Monticello will be delighted to view an entire service of this attractive earthenware laid upon the dining table of the chrome yellow painted dining room.

Two Washington coffin-end coin silver spoons rest upon a green shell-edge pearlware platter, a pattern favored by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello

Photo: Chronica Domus

And, of course, what could one serve from such presidential dining accoutrements? Why, peas of course!  Not just any old peas, mind you, but the very same heirloom variety, Pisum sativum 'Prince Albert', selected by Thomas Jefferson to grow within the vegetable garden at Monticello.  Some of you may recall the post I wrote in June 2014, found here, on how I came to include these scrumptious peas in my own garden.

Thomas Jefferson's peas are still growing in my vegetable patch, from seeds gathered after each year's harvest since planting the original package, purchased from Monticello's garden shop in 2012 - this particular addition to our meal was collected early on the morning of June 24 this year
Photo: Chronica Domus

Here are those peas, served upon the same shell-edge pearlware pattern so favored by Thomas Jefferson ...

... and scooped from a commemorative George Washington coffin-end serving spoon

Photo: Chronica Domus

I do hope you enjoyed learning about these rather obscure silver spoons and their association with the passing of America's first president, along with revisiting momentarily the dining table of our third. Between these two men, of course, rests much of the reason for such a uniquely American day of celebration, on this fourth day of the seventh month.

Happy Independence Day everyone!