Author: clermontstatehistoricsite
-
Mere Mortals: Lifespans and the Livingstons
This all started when I heard someone say it: \”She died at 76, and that was old back then.\” Oh no! Another senseless generalization, growing ominously into an historic house myth. I know you\’ve heard it said, \”Life in the old days was nasty, brutish, and short,\” but as usual this generalization blurs the truth. …
-
Imagining Arryl House: Piecing Together an Architectural Masterpiece
Over and over again, I get questions about \”the ruin at the end of the parking lot.\” Poor Arryl House! Once it was the Chancellor\’s shining beacon of an American villa, perched above the the Hudson River where all could see. Now it is a stabilized ruin–a curiosity nestled in the trees. I have spent…
-
The Livingstons in a Duel!?
So I was hastily whipping through one of my old favorite books Under Their Fig and Vine Tree, a travel journal written by Polish revolutionary Julian Ursyn Niemcevicz in the late 1790s. And then I came across this passage: \’Did you know,\’ Mr. Law asked him [Washington], \’Mr. Jones, who was recently killed in a…
-
From Our Fellow Bloggers: Deciphering Color from Black & White
After our last post involved looking at so many historic photographs, I happened upon this interesting blog (link below) through a friend. Turns out that historic black & white photography created a very different grayscale than the one we are familiar with today. While rich purples in modern film may look dark gray or even…
-
Growing up Livingston, Part 1: Photographic Timelines for a Few Livingston Women
There is something so interesting about watching the Livingstons grow up in their photographs. When you\’ve gotten to know them through their letters and stories, it is fun to watch their faces and clothes change over the years, like checking in with them as their lives progress. This is easiest with Honoria and Janet Livingston,…
-
Alida\'s Closet: Clothing in Albany 1692-1700
Alida Schuyler Livingston was a pretty 23-year-old widow when she married Robert Livingston in 1679. Alida was born to a pretty wealthy family, and she was the widow of the Van Rensselaer family (who were extremely wealthy). In spite of English laws and cultural traditions that sought to limit women\’s roles in public life,…
-
Food Glorious food!: Foodstuffs in the Letters of Alida and Robert Livingston, 1680-1700
While moving from my tiny old office to a freshly-emptied one across the hall I came across two long-lost research files. They were full of transcripts of letters between Alida, Robert Livingston (seen at left), and a small assortment of family and associates. Hooray! I put them on a shelf for a \”rainy day,\” and…
-
The Livingstons and Their Fabulous Hats
So I was inspired by this entry in Taylor Shelby\’s delightful \”Hats from History\” blog to take stock of some of the fabulous head wear the Livingstons have sported over the years. Mrs. James Duane (at right) was a daughter of Robert the 3rd Lord. Painted in 1787, she is proudly wearing an enormous day…
-
The Livingstons\' Lost Powder Mill
<!–[if !mso]>st1\\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]–> Historian Geoff Benton recalls the Robert the Judge\’s gunpowder mill, part of the patriarch\’s effort to support the Patriot Cause in the early stages of the American Revolution. April 19, 1775 was a Wednesday. Nothing ever happens on a Wednesday. Of course that morning British regulars marched out of Boston,…
-
Our Fellow Bloggers: More About Merinos
I just caught this post from The Farmer\’s Museum about Merino sheep. They mention some other early sources of merino sheep in America–including sheep smugglers. Hmmmm… Meet the Sheep:
Clermont State Historic Site 