Edward Tongue. <em>Cane Acres, The Perry Plantation</em>, ca. 1789-1806. Wood, paint Brooklyn Museum, West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company, 24.421. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 24.421_yr1982_installation_dining_room_IMLS_SL2.jpg)

Edward Tongue. Cane Acres, The Perry Plantation, ca. 1789-1806. Wood, paint Brooklyn Museum, West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company, 24.421. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 24.421_yr1982_installation_dining_room_IMLS_SL2.jpg)

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What is this?

This is the dining room of a plantation house from the late 18th-early 19th century.

The house originally stood in Summerville, South Carolina and an interesting fact about this period room is that when First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy was renovating the White House, she was inspired by this style of decor. The style of furniture is "Chippendale."

How difficult is it to move an entire room from a house into a museum?

Very difficult! It's done by a whole team of curators, conservators, and technicians. Rooms are disassembled, pieces are labeled and numbered, and everything is very carefully packed for the move.

Then, once the room arrives, it has to be re-assembled, and decisions are made about things like new wallpapers or upholstery, of the old ones are too worn to be displayed. Oh, and lighting has to be installed, and labels need to be researched and written. It's a really laborious and time-consuming process, but fascinating and well-worth the effort!

Yup, definitely worth the effort!

Yes indeed! And we're lucky to have so many good historic interiors here.

I'm wondering if any of the period rooms/historic houses deal with slavery?

While our more well known rooms are from New York Dutch settlers, they certainly had slaves in their home so definitely make your way to the blue Nicholas Schenck House. If you're more interested in the South and deep South you can find The Cane Acres Perry Plantation House and the Cupala House, also on the 4th floor. If you need more details about any of the homes, the rooms or the residents while there, please feel free to ask further questions.

Were there slaves on this plantation?

Yes, like most southern plantations in this period, the Cane Acres plantation relied on slave labor.

I really love the little models of the houses.

Those are great! I recently learned a little bit about the model maker. He had a fascinating life!

Albert Fehrenbacher was a master woodcarver from the Black Forest region in Germany. Taken prisoner during the Second World War, he spent five years in a Russian camp during which time he began work on a panoramic Nativity scene, designed to carry the message of peace and brotherhood for all.

Upon his release, he brought his Nativity scene to the United States, where it was shown in over 150 churches across the country. He was hired to work at several American museums, building models.

Grateful for the friendliness with which he was received in the United States, Fehrenbacher said, “This country, it has been good to me. I am happy in this work I do for the Brooklyn Museum." He apologized for “having much trouble with speaking English...but I hope I speak from heart to heart with my models.”

That is such a wonderful story. My father was born in a Russian camp during the war.

Wow, what a fascinating link.

How did all of the furniture in the period rooms stay in such good condition? Were the families just really careful with them until they were donated?

The short answer is that it depends on the room and the objects. In our Cane Acres Plantation House, for instance, the light fixture in the ceiling, the rug, and the drapes were all replaced in the 1960s, altering the original installation from the 1940s. Conservation happens on an object-to-object basis. As you can imagine, metal can't be damaged by light the way that a print on a fabric can be, and so on.

Is Georgian Style named after a King George? If so, which one?

Yes! A few of them actually. The term Georgian is used to describe the art and architecture produced during the reigns of George I - III.

Signifiers of the style in America between 1720 and 1780 were red brick and wood-clad houses, strong linear symmetry, and the use of classical ornament.

Cane Acres, The Perry Plantation

Decorative Arts

On View: Decorative Art, Cane Acres Plantation House, Dining Room, 4th Floor

MAKER Edward Tongue

MEDIUM Wood, paint

DATES ca. 1789-1806

COLLECTIONS Decorative Arts

ACCESSION NUMBER 24.421

CREDIT LINE West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Decorative Art, Cane Acres Plantation House, Dining Room, 4th Floor

CAPTION Edward Tongue. Cane Acres, The Perry Plantation, ca. 1789-1806. Wood, paint Brooklyn Museum, West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company, 24.421. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 24.421_yr1982_installation_dining_room_IMLS_SL2.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 24.421_yr1982_installation_dining_room_IMLS_SL2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

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