Hidden Treasures of the Collection: "Mehemet Effendi, Ambassadeur Turc, arrive aux Tuileries, 21 mars 1721"

The walls of Staatsburgh’s drawing room are covered with many paintings that are nearly impossible to examine from the tour carpet. Continuing with our “Hidden Treasures of the Collection” series, this essay will take a closer look at the painting seen below, which is on the south wall of the drawing room. The oil on canvas painting depicts Mehmet Effendi, the Turkish Ambassador, and his entourage visiting Paris for the first time to have an audience with King Louis XV. It is one of many objects in the collection that is French or depicts France.

Painting in the style of Charles Parrocel, "Mehmet Effendi, the Turkish Ambassador, Entering the Tuileries to go to his audience with the King, March 21, 1721," Staatsburgh State Historic Site, NYS OPRHP

Giddy Up! - Notes on Staatsburgh's Carriage Collection

Dick Lahey amongst the 
carriages.

 In May 2023, Staatsburgh State Historic Site staff toured our off-site storage facility with local carriage collector, Dick Lahey. 

A board member of the Carriage Association of America and a former educator with decades of expertise in Hudson Valley-made vehicles, Mr. Lahey was able to share with us insights into our unique carriage collection - everything from the Mills' high-end Brewster "Brougham" carriage and farm yard "spring wagons" to elegant bob-sleds for wintertime fun - noting that all of the carriages and sleighs were in outstanding original condition. 

The notes below are taken from our conversation with Dick.

Hidden Treasures of the Collection: Brunswick Panatrope Records

Two months ago, I wrote this post about Staatsburgh's Brunswick Panatrope that is located in the Main Hall.  This music player, which dates to 1927, has one original record inside the player.  Was this disc the last piece of music the family listened to while using the Panatrope?  What else did they listen to?  I always wondered about the rest of their music collection and I am happy to report that I discovered two binders of additional records in storage!  What can these records tell us about the family's musical preferences and the role of music in their lives?

Staatsburgh's Brunswick Panatrope

Hidden Treasures of the Collection: Brunswick Panatrope

“Without music, life would be a blank to me.” — Jane Austen, Emma

Gilded Age entertaining and music went hand in hand.  Attending the opera, musicales, or grand balls with a live orchestra was a common social activity for the Gilded Age elite.  Live music was also a frequent component of at-home entertaining.  When Ruth Mills held a reception for Alice Roosevelt on the occasion of her father's election as President, the Staatsburg Band serenaded her, and the Hungarian Band played music for the evening's dancing.

It was during the Gilded Age, that a whole new way to listen to music was developed.  Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877, which was the first generally reliable device to record and play back audio.  The sound was fairly scratchy by modern standards, but the technology worked and continually improved over time.  The phonograph was a cylinder playing machine, and by the 20th century it was replaced with the disk phonographic record.  With this new technology, a machine now existed that could bring recorded music into the home and public spaces.

Thomas Edison and his second phonograph, 1878

  

Hidden Treasures of the Collection: Vichy Water

One of the reasons that we initially created this blog was to be able to focus on items in Staatsburgh's collections that are tucked away, harder to see, or not highlighted on the standard house tour. The house has so many items in it, that it is impossible to cover it all on a tour. The "Hidden Treasures of the Collection" essay series provides a closer look at some of the lesser-known, yet interesting objects throughout the house and estate. This essay examines the high-end (non-alcoholic) beverage of choice for European elites, also found in Staatsburgh's pantry.

A 1975 photograph of the butler's pantry showing the Vichy bottle cabinet.

Hidden Treasures of the Collection: Asian Statues

One of the reasons that we initially created this blog was to have an avenue to highlight some of Staatsburgh's collections that are not always noticeable or highlighted on the tour.  The house has so many collections that it is impossible to cover it all on a tour.  Some objects or paintings are positioned in such a way that is is hard to see them from the tour path.  The "Hidden Treasures of the Collection" blog series provides a closer look at some of the interesting pieces throughout the house. This essay will examine a Chinese and a Japanese figure, which were just two of the many Asian pieces that adorned Staatsburgh.

Chinese Ming-Style figure, c. early 19th century.

Japanese Buddah statue, c.19th century.

Hidden Treasures of the Collections: Bottle Capper

The majority of collections that remain at Staatsburgh relate to life "upstairs" in the mansion.  When the family gifted the mansion to New York State in 1938, the rooms upstairs were left largely intact, while servants' spaces were not.  By 1938 several of the rooms in the basement were used as storage areas and they were no longer furnished as they would have been earlier in the family's occupancy.  In addition, many of the tools used by servants are not part of the collections.  Items that were consistently used were often discarded when they were in poor condition and no longer useful.  In addition, as the technology improved, housewares and tools were upgraded.  Taking this into consideration, we are especially excited when we have servant related collections that we can share.  Several of these artifacts were relegated to a closet in the maids quarters and they were not uncovered or accessioned until decades after the rest of the house.

One of those items is the object that we see below, the Everedy Bottle Capper, which was used to secure a cap on a bottle almost as tight as at factory.  This object was first invented and manufactured by the Everedy Company in 1923, which is the approximate date of this item.

Everedy Bottle Capper, circa 1920s

Hidden Treasures of the Collection: Marriage Certificate of Francis Lewis & Elizabeth Annesely

One of the initial hopes for this blog was to create an avenue that showcased some of Staatsburgh's collections that are not always noticeable or highlighted on the tour. The house has so many collections that it is impossible to cover everything in a single visit.  In addition, some objects or paintings are positioned in such a way that is is hard to see them from the tour path. The "Hidden Treasures of the Collection" blog series provides a closer look at some of the interesting pieces throughout the house.

The newest entry in this series takes a look at a document that hangs on the wall in the library.  This document dates from 1745 and is the marriage certificate of Ruth Livingston Mills' great-great-grandparents, Francis Lewis and Elizabeth Annesely.  Several documents signed and written by Ruth Livingston Mills' ancestors grace the wall of the library as a way to emphasize Ruth's Livingston heritage and the history of her family at this site.  Francis Lewis signed the Declaration of Independence, which was a clear point of pride for Ruth.  It created a clear link from Ruth to the foundation of the country.

Hidden Treasures of the Collection: Greek Vases

Recently the site was delighted to receive a visit from Vassar Professor of Art History, Eve D'Ambra, who was encouraging her undergraduate students to explore and research works of art in local collections.  The essay below is drawn from a research and observation paper completed by her student, Lily Palaia, Class of 2019, who chose to research the five ancient Greek vases on view in the mansion.  The site thanks Lily for her contribution to our blog!

In Staatsburgh's drawing room, five Greek vases sit on two bureaus on the south side of the room. Ogden Mills purchased these vases in 1909 from Henri De Morgan at an auction in New York City. These five vases feature diverse subject matter, yet are from the height of the classical period, from early 6^th through 4^th century B.C. Three of these objects would be described as “Attic” because they come from the city of Athens or the surrounding area, one from Boeticia and one from Southern Italy.  

A page from the 1909 Henri De Morgan sale catalogue.  Ogden Mills purchased the center amphora.

Hidden Treasures of the Collections: Armoire

One of the reasons that we initially created this blog was to have an avenue to highlight some of Staatsburgh's collections that are not always noticeable or highlighted on the tour.  The house has so many collections that it is impossible to cover it all on a tour.  Some objects or paintings are positioned in such a way that is is hard to see them from the tour path.  The "Hidden Treasures of the Collection" blog series provides a closer look at some of the interesting pieces throughout the house. 

One of the most remarkable pieces of furniture is the 19th century oak armoire in Mrs. Mills' bedroom, which is situated just between her closets.  Even though there are two closets in Mrs. Mills' room, closets were uncommon and most homes like Staatsburgh contained armoires in every bedroom to store clothing.  Read on to learn more about the armoire and the intensive efforts that went into conserving it.

Oak Armoire from Normandy, early 19th century (ML.1974.382)

Hidden Treasures of the Collections:Footman's Table

One of the reasons we wanted to start a blog was to be able to highlight some of Staatsburgh's collections that are not always noticeable or highlighted on the tour. The house has so many collections items that it is impossible to include everything on a one hour tour! This is the first entry in a series that will explore many of the fascinating pieces in the house.

The upstairs furniture at Staatsburgh often receives the most attention, but the pieces furnishing the servants quarters also have stories to tell. All of the bedrooms in the basement and attic were furnished with tables, chairs, beds, and dressers that were very different from the pieces used by the Mills family and their guests. Where did this furniture originate and what style did the Mills select to furnish their servants quarters?