Interior furnishings and decor reflect curators' views in the 1930s as to how Williamsburg's historic interiors may have looked in the eighteenth century. Nevertheless, with new research advancements over the years, the interiors of the Governor’s Palace have changed to reflect a more authentic and accurate view of the building’s likely contents and room arrangements.
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Interior view of the Clerk's Office in the House of Burgesses, Capitol Building, 1935. Charles Willson Peale's portrait of Washington (accession # 1933-502, A&B) is featured prominently on the wall. In 1928, it was acquired by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. from Shirley Plantation, where it was likely exhibited since at least the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century (having been passed down through generations of the Carter family). Legend has it that Marion Carter Oliver agreed to the sale because Washington was not actually a family member.
Interior furnishings and decor reflect curators' views in the 1930s as to how Williamsburg's historic interiors may have looked in the eighteenth century. Nevertheless, with new research advancements over the years, the interiors of the Governor’s Palace have changed to reflect a more authentic and accurate view of the building’s likely contents and room arrangements.
Interior furnishings and decor reflect curators' views in the 1930s as to how Williamsburg's historic interiors may have looked in the eighteenth century. Nevertheless, with new research advancements over the years, the interiors of the Capitol have changed to reflect a more authentic and accurate view of the building’s likely contents and room arrangements.
At the time this photo was taken, the portrait of Queen Anne (accession #1935-218) is visible in the background to the left on the wall. A painting of Queen Anne's coat of arms is displayed to the right.
]]>Council Chamber of the Capitol, Williamsburg, Virginia, 1935. Located on the second floor (West wing) of the reconstructed Capitol building of 1705, the Council Chamber served as place for members of the Governor's Council to meet. The Council consisted of twelve colonists appointed by the King to serve for life in the upper house of Virginia's legislature.
Interior furnishings and decor reflect curators' views in the 1930s as to how Williamsburg's historic interiors may have looked in the eighteenth century. Nevertheless, with new research advancements over the years, the interiors of the Capitol have changed to reflect a more authentic and accurate view of the building’s likely contents and room arrangements.
At the time this photo was taken, the portrait of Queen Anne (accession #1935-218) is visible in the background to the left on the wall. A painting of Queen Anne's coat of arms is displayed to the right.
Above the fireplace hangs a painting entitled Imaginary Landscape (accession #1931.101.3), a gift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. In anticipation of guests' needs, a bottle case or cellaret (accession # 1930-58) is pictured to the left of the fireplace. Cellarets functioned as portable wine cellars for holding wine and bottled spirits at mealtimes.
]]>The Raleigh Tavern opened in 1932 as one of the earliest exhibition buildings at Colonial Williamsburg. One of the rooms open to visitors was the Daphne Room, a private room offered to tavern guests for holding meals and meetings. Interior decor for the Daphne Room consisted of a dining room ensemble, patterned wallpaper, and brocade curtains. Later research led to a reinterpretation of the room with plain painted walls and curtainless windows.
Above the fireplace hangs a painting entitled Imaginary Landscape (accession #1931.101.3), a gift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. In anticipation of guests' needs, a bottle case or cellaret (accession # 1930-58) is pictured to the left of the fireplace. Cellarets functioned as portable wine cellars for holding wine and bottled spirits at mealtimes.
The pillory - "or 'stretch-neck,' called 'the essence of punishment' in England - stood in the main squares of towns up and down the colonies. An upright board, hinged or divided in half with a hole in which the head was set fast, it usually also had two openings for the hands. Often the ears of the subject were nailed to the wood on either side of the head hole."
(Sources: on the Public Gaol, see Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 74; on the pillory, see Colonial Williamsburg Foundation website, "Bilboes, Brands, and Branks: Colonial Crimes and Punishments," Colonial Williamsburg Journal (Spring 2003) <http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/spring03/branks.cfm> (accessed 14 March 2014).
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Exterior view of the Public Gaol and pillory, 1933. Opened as an exhibition building in April 1936, the Public Gaol is one of eighty-eight original buildings in the Historic Area that have been restored to their eighteenth-century appearance. "In its present form, the Public Gaol has three rooms on the first floor -- a hall and chamber for the gaoler and his family and a cell at the rear for debtors -- and 'chambers' in the attic for the gaoler's use and the confinement of prisoners."
The pillory - "or 'stretch-neck,' called 'the essence of punishment' in England - stood in the main squares of towns up and down the colonies. An upright board, hinged or divided in half with a hole in which the head was set fast, it usually also had two openings for the hands. Often the ears of the subject were nailed to the wood on either side of the head hole."
(Sources: on the Public Gaol, see Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 74; on the pillory, see Colonial Williamsburg Foundation website, "Bilboes, Brands, and Branks: Colonial Crimes and Punishments," Colonial Williamsburg Journal (Spring 2003) <http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/spring03/branks.cfm> (accessed 14 March 2014).
(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 74).
]]>Exterior view of the Public Gaol, north façade, 1933. Opened as an exhibition building in April 1936, the Public Gaol is one of eighty-eight original buildings in the Historic Area that have been restored to their eighteenth-century appearance. "In its present form, the Public Gaol has three rooms on the first floor -- a hall and chamber for the gaoler and his family and a cell at the rear for debtors -- and 'chambers' in the attic for the gaoler's use and the confinement of prisoners."
(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 74).
(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 69).
]]>Interior view of the General Court Room in the Capitol, 1935. "The General Court, the highest court in the colony, convened in April and October to hear both civil and criminal cases. The governor and the twelve members of the Council served as the justices of the General Court. After 1710, the Court of Oyer and Terminer (meaning 'to hear and decide'), presided over by the councillors alone, heard criminal cases at sessions in June and December."
(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 69).
(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 69).
]]>Interior view of the General Court Room in the Capitol, 1935. "The General Court, the highest court in the colony, convened in April and October to hear both civil and criminal cases. The governor and the twelve members of the Council served as the justices of the General Court. After 1710, the Court of Oyer and Terminer (meaning 'to hear and decide'), presided over by the councillors alone, heard criminal cases at sessions in June and December."
(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 69).
(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 69).
]]>Interior view of the General Court Room in the Capitol, 1935. "The General Court, the highest court in the colony, convened in April and October to hear both civil and criminal cases. The governor and the twelve members of the Council served as the justices of the General Court. After 1710, the Court of Oyer and Terminer (meaning 'to hear and decide'), presided over by the councillors alone, heard criminal cases at sessions in June and December."
(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 69).
(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 69).
]]>Interior view of the General Court Room in the Capitol, 1935. "The General Court, the highest court in the colony, convened in April and October to hear both civil and criminal cases. The governor and the twelve members of the Council served as the justices of the General Court. After 1710, the Court of Oyer and Terminer (meaning 'to hear and decide'), presided over by the councillors alone, heard criminal cases at sessions in June and December."
(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 69).
(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 69).
]]>Interior view of the General Court Room in the Capitol, with bird's-eye view of the court justices' seats beyond the bar, 1935. "The General Court, the highest court in the colony, convened in April and October to hear both civil and criminal cases. The governor and the twelve members of the Council served as the justices of the General Court. After 1710, the Court of Oyer and Terminer (meaning 'to hear and decide'), presided over by the councillors alone, heard criminal cases at sessions in June and December."
(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 69).