American Literature

The American houses in the nineteenth century were no less than splendid structures with all comforts and luxuries. The feel of culture was quite visible from the interiors of the house. The furniture, items like paintings on the wall, utensils, rooms, were all designed with great sense of fashion and grandeur. Paintings of wars, or old city structures, or Lord Jesus, were common on the walls, symbolizing the American taste in scenic beauty and their devotion towards God. The visit to the New York museum revealed the exhibition of a nineteenth century American house. The exhibit was somewhat enlightening about the interior of the American house. The exteriors may have been old faade style in nature, but the interiors were quite swanky. The formal double  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiParlor o Parlor parlors represent New Yorks finest example of  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiGreek_Revival_Style_architecture o Greek Revival Style architecture Greek revival architecture. The interior also contains the Treadwell familys original furnishings, including pieces from prominent New York cabinetmakers, like  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiDuncan_Phyfe o Duncan Phyfe Duncan Phyfe and  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiJoseph_Meeks o Joseph Meeks Joseph Meeks.

The exhibition truly reflected the taste of Americans in that era. One of the rooms had a really comfortable wooden chair with shiny leather make. In the centre was a very costly center table with a scenic painting emphasizing the taste of the Americans in scenic beauty. The walls were painted with dark colors. On the other end was a wall with a very decorative shining mirror. It resembled ancient war equipment used to protect against the enemys attack. Below the mirror was a smart table with various things. The rectangular shaped table had two large sized lamps and great feel of ethnicity. They also presented a real glossy feel of the semi lit room. There was also a table clock with pendulum. It looked a complete table with a framed painting, which seemed to be of the owner of the house or his loved one.

On the other wall was a painting of a lady, probably a mother holding her child. It portrayed the sensitive feelings of the owner of the house. Near one of the chairs was a tall pillar like structure, added to enhance the beauty of the smart room. The room was no less than a palace, with furniture and curtains adoring their own beauty in the dim yellow light of the oil lamp. The floor was lush and had a good looking floor cloth. There was a short table which was probably the chess table. It showed that the average American had a good little interest in playing mind game like chess.

The centre table as mentioned earlier had a very nice painting. On closer look it was that of a horse rider, splashing at a very fast speed, racing towards his journey. It showed that the Americans had a great feel and liking for horse riding and had great mastery in that art. The rider was riding at a very fast speed showing that the rider had full control over his horse and was really in a hurry or was angry over something which caused him to hurry up. The surrounding parts of the table had Dee brown red polished work done. All the furniture in the room, as exhibited was very sober, classical and sharp in views. It showed that the American was rich and    believed in living a luxurious, comfortable and enjoyable life. It most probably resembled a modern day lounge or a rich mans drawing room.

The floor cover was hand woven with flowers designed. It gave a great feel to the room. The room had large windows with the view of the outside clearly visible. The window was made of wooden frames with glass panes in between. The curtains in the room were quite special and selected to choose the taste and personality of the room. In the other side of the room was a sofa set which could be used to seat four people together. It was probably put for parties and other occasions, where gatherings of family and friends would take place. This shows that the American believed in celebrating life with friends.

The  room  had  everything  as  expected  to  be  in  an  American  room.  But  it  missed  a  cigar,  something  that  any  American  is  incomplete  without.  The  room  was  too  silent,  and  did  not  have  any  people  in  it , and  that  was  made  to  look  somewhat  sad  or  somber.  Apart  from  chess ,  there  was  no  other  thing  that  was  displayed  as  a  time  pass  or  source  of  entertainment  for  the  residents  of  the  house.  A bonfire cage was missing from the room.  The  room  did  not  have  a  single  book  ,  magazine  or  newspaper.  This was strange.  Wither  the  exhibition  organizers  missed  this  point  ,  or  they  wanted  to  show  that  the  common  American  was  not  much  of  a  literate,  which  may  be  a  debatable  issue.  But from  the  exhibition  we  may  sat  that  the  Mercian  in  that  era  was  not  much  interested  in  reading  or  keeping  books.

The  exhibit  has  a  certain  goal,  of  showing  the  room  of  an  average  American  house.  It succeeds in portraying it.  We  learn  from  this  exhibition  that  Americans  had  a  great  and  simple  luxurious  life,  loved  playing  chess,  were  connoisseurs  of  beauty  and  art.  They  loved  their  homes  and  made  them  look  as  happy  as  their  lives.  The rooms were made handsome with good quality furniture.  The American was punctual and responsible.  This  could  be  drawn  from  the  presence  of  a  table  clock  on  the  side  table.  Life was beautiful, and the Americans loved their horse riding.  It was a passion for them.  The  American  loved  to  preserve  memories  as  suggested  by  the  framed  photo  of  one  of  the  family  members.

We  also  learn  that  painters  had  a  great  time  and  role  to  play  in  American  society.  By the 1850s, on the eve of the Civil War, painters of American stories expanded their interests beyond the individual and the family to focus on broader issues, especially territorial expansion and politics. The stage-set compositions of the previous decade, derived from European prototypes, gave way to outdoor scenes that capture, literally, a wider view of American life. As population and wealth increased, there emerged an energetic, diversified art market that encompassed auction houses, lotteries, and fly-by-night dealers who set up shop in the cities. Artistic competition escalated exponentially, and the profession opened to include women painters such as Lilly Martin Spencer, who cast a critical eye on domestic life from an insiders perspective.

Responding to pressure to invent novel subjects that would distinguish their works at exhibition and attract purchasers, many American artists took on complex and often difficult topics, including the relationships between blacks and whites, men and women, and immigrants and native workers, but always enlisted euphemism or understatement to tell their stories. A few painters explored themes from the rugged wilderness, which appealed to urban viewers seeking vicarious frontier or backwoods adventures.