Synopses & Reviews
Celebrating the lives of famous men and women, historic house museums showcase restored rooms and period furnishings, and portray in detail their former occupants' daily lives. But behind the gilded molding and curtain brocade lie the largely unknown, politically charged stories of how the homes were first established as museums. Focusing on George Washingtons Mount Vernon, Louisa May Alcotts Orchard House, Thomas Jeffersons Monticello, and the Booker T. Washington National Monument, Patricia West shows how historic houses reflect less the lives and times of their famous inhabitants than the political pressures of the eras during which they were transformed into museums.
Synopsis
Behind the elaborately restored rooms of famous historic house museums lie the largely unknown, politically charged stories of how these institutions were first established. Focusing on houses such as Mount Vernon and Monticello, the authors argue that historic houses reflect less the lives and times of their famous inhabitants than the political pressures of the eras during which they were transformed into museums. An interesting discussion on how we represent our past.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 163-231) and index.
About the Author
Patricia West is the curator of Martin Van Buren National Historic Site and teaches at the State University of New York at Albany.