tJLYSS""'� $. c::.".!ll' :uLIA I!Ei:'t"T ORA:lf ..,1th its s1.de dre·nre swe,nin" away 11.ire !�rtha i'faabin.-ton ' s own oversicirta. Th-a drawers open out eio.ewo.ys at e. tac"tful 72 anPle, 1nterfe!'1!\Ct not at all W'i th the fin1al:1Dg toucbae ot a 11.diee• toilet an� even tt.e lady "1th the ample uber silk or rare lace iskirts o-r tha a&T8DtiH rniltht be near e:1ou,:h to her cnrn ::rl.rror �o aC;bet tha rose or tt-,e japcnica i n hor hair. ?.!oc! orn -rel:l.in1ne America tortunate BUou-h to eee her re rlection in that pllU!llfl ftnd8 1t utterly chflrmin, . Pres1Cent1al rlau;hters have -rounO. t t very al!.thfact.ory • .ci.nd one remembers 1 t to th.ii da:,· with an aftectionate rccornition, as the •old b�eau wh·ro I ueed to do my po!!!podour eTery morning. " If' mirrore: do retain re"lactiona , as more credulous ae;es have bolieved , "for r.e,:ic purpose■, it m,y ,:o 111 with the ffllite Hou3e reneration thet ab.an<!cn5 th·lt old dresser fer e n.o!er:i aubatitutel The Whit& F.ou�• dauPhter at Gn.nt's day eean:a, rro:m the uncertat11 evidence available 1 to have used r.nother ':::leC:roC1C. than this, the one usually cho50n tor a d&\.l€'� ter. She had, ,re think, the one ueuolly chosen tor a sen. A. ccne-mporary Oeacrt�ea her room ee a blue boudoir lineJ with mirrors, ite pale carr,et atrewn with roeebuda , and '11'8 incline to place 1 t in the Blue NOl'\h Bed room - Robert Lincoln 1 & be::ir<.a:: and ill.an F'.oover' ti bedroom under the 11or'tb portico. That room was turntabed in llor day wt th ebo�, and ,re are aura it was BO t'Urntched to her taato by a :'ir:n but a-rrectionate motbor. Nellfo Gren t , who 1,t al.moat !liua teen was eona1der&a "quite young• , we.a really you:ir. when bar :rather :f'irat went into the Whi ta P.ou.se, b-..it "her well-poteed l:lind ac.d awvet dizpod tion"' were pl"obably �ture enoup,_h at sixteen to ha'1'e a ta.ate "for ebon:, a11 well as blue and pink. ?°OS9b'Ud■ on ce.r pata ,- t�e tashionabla child! The ebon]' merhle,-"top counter-te.blo inventoried i n her bedroom 18 preewmbly one now upst,airs. It• marble top fo :-ad.dish a::id ovel-shaped , the ebony el::bo:-ately cat"'led, It ,re.9 in the Blue t;ent.er Bedroom ae late aa l9l9, "�n 1t went up 283 on ths third tlooi- to the 'Yilecn atue.10 auU.e. Nu1.rlr ten yeal's later i\ eerved ae '! sun:,orcr. table £'or Ml's. Coolid_o e, who enjoyed her aky-:-c.rlor• on the bcn.:.se rear 1f1 t.'l enthueiaarr so c:"Ontao-ioua "hen ebe wr1 tea or it.. It h now in one or tr.e thi-rd 1'loor bedroor:a . 09
The rr.a rble -top waehstand the.t undoubtedly metched it hod dharpeared ·"1th all the house wa:1:hata.nde, but tha war-Srobe of the set is probably i n tho ihird tloor sowing room. 299 The �rble-toppe(I buTeau is alao probably in th• hou:u, , transferred now to -:.�e t�ird :t'loor housekeeper's 11SU1te . Whether the old deak b the sem, a1U!n ,. room wna Nellie CrGnt' a desk wti do not know, but she r::1---�t he:n used i t , though it 19 dcubttul Umt ho... :::ct.l:!er bou.�\..t it. It is 1D uppenrance, ol.dar
t:,an that, but no trace or ita ori�1n rewarded the searcherei. The c!laiee loUJ}€'9 - the eota, rather , - in the hcueek iercr's sittiti,g room ,rae, probably ?lellie•e ar.d pro..,ably boutht tor her. It i s the oTeratuft'ftd lDlrnre type bep:tnning to be 1ntrattueed in her ]')ertod , that would. harcn�· have been chosen for a 294: young mo.n•s roo::t 68 t:.ta hac! boen bef'o:-a ��ollia used i t . Two littl• ebony arUelaa a.re probably or her choodng. Ona h a booksta.o4 , that J)llrticularly Victorian sort ot l>ockstoncl tba\ is eom1� beck to favor by its ehHr usetul&ees, 2154 It s1 ta upcn the .tloor by a read ;r '£ chair and may be cerrt ed about. 'l ho otha-r is &bony abo, a tfl'o--ehelf 263 ste.nd that the young ledy or tbe aeTenties kept nEJ:.rty !"or I.er f'anc�•--;rork . 1'hee• two are r,ur on th• thirc! tloor , ut:ed in Tarious bedr00111B. It would be most OJr:Usin£, 1f we could be able to ident1t'y N■ll1e Gro.::.t '!I cha1re. A Uttle-r-irl-yoU11£-l•dy o:r that day naeded so ::.any che.1:-s? "It.ere !."":l:.st he :. biP' easy ctutir for �epa. , a rocker tor ru1nm, l!I:::!. ottomu, tor onee,elt and one terhaps for .Tasse, tind six small chairs, wr.ich whh the safe might accommodate tho.c:e eirnt brideSll'.aide ehe playad with as echooly.irla to:ether. She t-.ad them all. And a. hair-rug ror t�,e inevitable rihite Houea pet, ir tt:.e Crar.t period pat wor" allo•ed in the house. (Pcssibly !us w... a .a cat, and the two birdcaPe:, i� ,�other's rooc aero:;, t?:.e hall Tera junp- htgb cut of his reMh ) . Iaevi \.tlbl;r tho�e eh; c?',!lirs 41 mu8t ha.Te been SJr!)ll. \Ye havo :io 11:eans or itnowing •hct tYIJ• they were, but. it 1a ,:uite possi'!>le that th• 11 ttlB lZ-14 -e.:-ttl.eaa overatutted chair now in tha Bh:.e �rth-C.:nter !ffidroov; m1.s one or her.a. It i::·�·.:ld be compl-,toly appropriate, 1::. period lllld 1a ol�er tt.an tl:e lete 8U 1 s o,ccordiD.E to the house statr. It ,raa one of' the chairs 1>laced ill a burr:, 1n Roosevelt ' s ner. $Cuth ee.st bedroom, where we "irat find recerd of i t , but it :nirht !:avo ear.• .rrorn the oc.uallr Blue Bt.:dToom thet had been Nellie ' s . A.r.d a pair 1,utte etmile.r but with tiny �rm.a , and n<:1• in roee b':"0cade 1 were p8l"h!l.pa once in Nel lie': roO?tl , too. 11.. -117
Two ot.bers, ver:, like but without t�& t1n;, s!'!'---e, o:' tho aboya, w_re fou..d still 1., thJi?' o�d ;;lace, a::i.d etill in blue, wten �rs. Ho.. v .r r.eed.td thee. 1n her st>.1dy-bcdrcc:i across tho cor:-11.o't'.
One 1e ta.'tlpted to essign all the alllllll plump rrtendlr overstuffed chairs, or the little round seate end H ttle round backs, and no erms or otubby half' arme, that arti typically tha cher.,,ber chairs ot the 80'a, to the Grant porioG. Both becaut.e the delightful c!rea:::es of thB da:; asked tor "that type or chair, ead !-:o. 294, :-ee Pluto tlc. 41 , sea Plata XVII I :,.o s . 13-14 , soo Plate XU
l'fo. 78:, aee Plata 32, l.!:cKinlay
ULYfim'.S S. GiW."1' Jt"LIA. DE.ff ORA!.fr 276 310 311
tound 1n the hall sitting roan iu the west &nd ot the loop; second rloor gallery, 1Jhero they had certainly bean tor Pre81d.eot llcKtolay and poeatbly tor P;-es1dmt Gran t . Hidden in linen slip-cover:, they are no• on the third tloor .
One little chair si=ply tm1at be a Orea.t chair. to co:mploto our Victorian anthology. In actual paren�• 1 it i a probably Iohneon period I but in spiritual a.nceetry it 1e certainly Cro.nt. It 1a oric inally en &a.at Room ehair, and we know that Mr&. Patt.arson and llre. StoTer , President John11on 1 a two daughters, furnished the bat Hoom and the Cr&en Room and probably tbe Red Room. The tbree renovated colored parlora,- Rad, Blue, Oreeo,- were dhplayed. during tho1r hoet•se-ahip. But tl'. o East ROO?!I WGa not ree.4:y in ti=ne tor their l.aat New Year•• receJJtiOn. That East Room wea ao seldom ready tor it11 pleaner' e Sew Yaar'a reception: The public wae wiettul 1 but tha "ma■tar-work:Jan" waa adamant , and the la.at Parlor'• doors ware obut till lae. Grant opened th9r.1. to her JNblic: on the :t1rst !.1!11• Year's r&eeption or her see.eon.
Plate 22: Grant Sofa No. 276. Chair No. 310 Unlaiown Table lfo . 300 because t.he Victorian roOlll - even the Victorian roo.:zi - could hard ly aceor=odata mc:re than one large chair CQ i t.s rosebud carpet! But one retitombere , try1n."" to place Nell10 1 s eevec. chairs 21nd har so.ts and her rocker and her ottolmll, that her bedroom we.a bigger than t�e one we know. She Md, like the othor bed!'oom O'lrtlers or her dny, no tntrud1ng bathroom or closet, but a waabatand and a tin toot tub and a 'll'llrdrobe I and ao all the apace th.at h now taken up by a built-tn cupboard. end e large bathroom, ns l!l?ail able tor c!lair■! 'rhe overaturted chair end the overeturred couch i n the be4rocr.n acrosa the 11ttle hall rrom Nellie'e ':""ON just poeaibly thel"& fa the Grant time. Thia y&llow bedroau semis to have bee.n Grandrather Dent ' & and wae co!'.".tortably furn1ehlH! with 0ne aora and six ae.■y· cha.ira. ·.lb.ether they wen bow:ht 30-3:5 tor him deponent - inthts caae tho Orant iuventory seyath not. :SU.t the present cl::air and sofa have not bseD inoTed sinca Preetdant V:cXinley's day in 1901 , a!ld t:ai"Lltt not have baen 1n the t"11rt:; preceding yaara. one chubby little ova!"a'tu!'ted t?UDilY o-r a aoh , a h&lt arm chair, and a aide cbair 1 ell upholater9d in rerldiah plush and hea-ytly triDPied mipht be,lom- to thie adr.rl.niatration. They were I
No. �0-35. aee Plata XX
Thia 11 ttlo ket Roca chair or ou.re tbue mde i ta debut under Grant' s auepicea. ;1e know it na in the Ea.et Room tor ma:iy years , probably th.rough Preaident. )lclUnley 1 21 ttma. We recognize its low right-angled carved ebony ro1liq, (one cannot call it a back) end i ta aqunre seat, in picturea or the Ba.st Room, lons after 1 t and 1 ta t•in ■croee the doorway ceuod. to Oe t'ua?lionable. %bony .,.... not guita so elee;ani in the e1gbt1ea and n1net101. But tbla 1)8.ir ot ctaira survived - w1 th a new upholatericg now end theo tor three decades of lraahiDgtoo aocial seasolle. Orie;inally t�ey were "crir.ieon cushioned" it we rmy belie.'1'■ a contempor.:iry euida book. Later� 1n President Arthur 'a day 1 they were "upbol21terod ill plueh of old zold 1 " and were D'Cst ha.1":llanioue 1'ith Arth11r•a ne• 11 greenery-yallery carpet. ." Sou.etime later ,- pgaeibly :ror .President Clovele.!ld 'a wed.din,:,; reeeptioo, tor whic:h the iaat Roo:::i no decorated with tlowera end wreathing• a.lmoat beyc:nd racognttio:i,- tbey were oOTered once more. Thia ti- they were in brie:ht yellow hrocaded silk w1 th rather large flowers in the .same color , (we are told by an eye-witneH) and tri-:.r.:ed round the edee with a clear yellow tar..eelled fringe, That waa their laat dresa tor a White Houee rec&s,t1 on. Before they needed a new troek they were carried away to the auction hlo<:k and e .Vashinrton dealer iu second hand. turni.. ture was their new owner. But one or th&a& little East Room chairs ca.�e back again. It io the only known pieeo or 'White House turaiture tha.t once van i&hed, haa roappee.r&d a�in, like .tlice ia Wondarland ' a Cheehire cat. That ia , that bas v'lnhhed b:r aala. One at lea.st or the ·,,'bite Houee treaaureo ha.a n11il'Jbed by an older procaeding tl:en sale, by loottns:, and tas appeared o.ge1 n . The story of the little !est P.oo� chair 1� plaa.san!.er. It was e�cntually ahown to a shopping r, mtle man who liked the turniture ct the :·H:Jnti ea, and. ,rho 'IJS.S f\lrntah ing bis liBsh ing ton house in t:"lat period - t.i.e seventh.a , &ixty yeara