The AFWC Room in the 1960s |
The GWFCA (they originally called themselves the Arkansas Federation of Women's Clubs) that initiated the call for the preservation of the Old State House in 1904 and over the years they remained the site's strongest supporter. In 1907 they produced pictures and postcards of the landmark and sold them to raise funds for an eventual museum. The Federation also published two pamphlets advocating for the Old State House. One was written by Sarah E. P. Ellsworth, the Federation's president, the other by Judge Jacob Trieber of the U. S. District Court. Agnes Loewer, the first director of the Old State House Museum, came to that position from the presidency of the GWFCA.
The GWFCA described their room as a new style parlor of the late 19th century. "Manufactured furniture was now available in many different styles," they noted, going on to add: "This is a period that witnessed a gradual shift toward personalized interior decoration." Until the Victorian period the notion of "decorating" simply did not apply to the actual furnishing of a room, but rather to the embellishments that were applied afterwards. This was because there was usually little latitude to exercise personal tastes during the furnishing, which was limited to the heirlooms one might inherit or the circumscribed offerings of local manufacturers. The Industrial Revolution and the rise of mass production provided late 19th-century Victorians with options never before possible.
The GWFCA Room's ceiling light fixture is typical of the kerosene-fueled lighting that might have been used in many parts of Arkansas where gas was still unavailable.
Knick knacks played an important role in "personalizing" the home. Here an étagère and a wall shelf testify to the Victorian cult of display. The latter boasts a decorative, draped cloth known as a lambrequin.
The AFWC Room today |
Notice the ornate tilt-top table in front of the red settee. It was made in England in the late 19th century. The detail on top is created with a papier-maché and mother-of-pearl inlay.
The carved rosewood upright piano was made during this period by Dussek and Dussek of London, England. Candleholders are attached to the front of the piano.
The large standing clock was one of the decorations in the Arkansas Building at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. The inlaid design features 50,000 pieces of 27 varieties of Arkansas hardwoods applied to a base of southern pine. The clock was made by Charles Becker of Little Rock. Becker was born in Illinois, but was listed in the Little Rock census of 1890 as a painter and cabinet maker. At that time he lived with his family and two boarders on Gaines Street.
Due to a water wicking problem, the General Federation of Women's Clubs' furnishings have been temporarily moved into the room formerly occupied by the Spanish-American Veterans Women's Auxilliary.
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