Author: clermontstatehistoricsite
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The Livingstons and the Arts and Crafts
I\’ve gotten so many hits on the recent mention of Craftsman influences in Clermont\’s Library that I thought I would do a post about the Morris chair that is hunkered in the corner of Alice Livingston\’s bedroom…. Morris chairs were an early form of reclining chair, named for William Morris, founder of the English Art…
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America\'s River
This is the fourth in a series on Tourism on the Hudson… In order to have a tourism industry, you need three things: a population with enough wealth that they can take time off to go see things, a transportation network to take them to the things they want to see and, of course, something…
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Where Do the Children Play?: Closures in New York Museums and Parks
These are difficult economic times. In addition to the many other industries facing troubling decisions, historic and cultural institutions across the country are facing cutbacks and even closures. Today New York State released information about numerous closures within its 125-year-old State Park system. Many have already published the press release and various reactions. Advocacy group…
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Was Robert Livingston a Scoundrel?
Was Robert the Founder, the patriarch of the Livingston family, a scoundrel? A quick glance at his history would seem to confirm it. Robert is infamous for his “interpretation” of his land patent which allowed him to take an extra 150,000+ acres for his estate. He\’s also famous for failing to provide food for the…
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Paper Hearts: More About Silhouettes
I\’ve written about silhouettes a bit before around Halloween, but today my interest was piqued by a more traditional application… I\’ve been up to my old tricks again while decorating for Clermont\’s annual Valentine\’s Day fundraiser. I just can\’t pass up an opportunity to make a paper chandelier. Once again, paper silhouettes provided me with…
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What Style is it?
To a lot of people, Clermont can be a confusing building. When I first got here, fresh from classes about how to identify architectural styles, even I was confused. What style is it? Well, it\’s a bit of a hodgepodge. Clermont was first built in the 1740s, a typical Georgian-style mansion. But seven generations of…
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Archival Treasures: The First News of Peace
One of the joys of working in a historic house is finding creative uses for the existing space. Right now, the archives are in a modest walk-in closet on the second floor. Most of our collection comes from the last John Henry and Alice, including a stunning number of pictures from their travels. However, we…
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Wrong Time
This post is the third in a series dealing with early tourism on the Hudson … John Fitch was laboring away on a river that wasn’t likely to produce a good return on his investment. In contrast, Robert Fulton found an immediate niche to fill as he began to ferry the New York upper class…
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First Lady of Clermont?
During a painting survey last week, one of our experienced painting conservators peered through her goggles and mused, \”I think this painting is a Duyckinck.\” My interest was piqued. I looked up the portrait. For one, I have to admit that I was excited to finally here the name Duyckinck pronounced (it sounds like DIE-kink).…
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Wrong River
This post is the second in a series dealing with early tourism on the Hudson … Last time I wrote about some of the problems that John Fitch – creator of the first steamboat – had with … well, with being John Fitch. Fitch\’s temperament probably made him the wrong person to try and sell…
Clermont State Historic Site 