Gift of the Rosalie Thorne McKenna Foundation, 2011.344.953 © 2013 The Connecticut Historical ...

Decorated Corner of a Room

PhotographerPhotographed by Harriet V. S. Thorne (American, 1843 - 1926)

Dateabout 1900

MediumPhotography; gelatin emulsion on film

DimensionsPrimary Dimensions: 4 3/4 x 6 11/16in. (12.1 x 17cm) Sheet: 5 x 7in. (12.7 x 17.8cm)

ClassificationsGraphics

Credit LineGift of the Rosalie Thorne McKenna Foundation

Object number2011.344.953

DescriptionThe corner of a room, decorated with pillows, patterned throws, and posters. There is a mantel with a framed mirror above it, and this area is decorated with small vases and statues.

Collections

Women Photographers

NotesSubject Note: This might be a view of the "Turkish Room" at Schoonhoven. "Schoonhoven" was the Thornes' name for their summer home on Black Rock Point in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was designed in 1881 either by Stanford White or Bruce Price and was completed in the summer of 1882. It was the largest individually-owned property on the point, and featured a nine-hole golf course, a bowling alley, a wharf, vegetable and flower gardens and St. Mary's by-the-Sea chapel. Schoonhoven was home to Harriet's photography studio, packed with props, costumes, backdrops and furniture. A fire gutted the top story in 1903 and after Jonathan's death in 1920, Harriet closed the studio, asked her sons to dispose of its contents. She moved to Bridgehampton, New York, for the summer months. The estate changed hands at least twice after 1920 before being razed sometime in the twentieth century.

From "Black Rock: A Bicentennial Picture Book" (Dick Jones, Charles W. Brilvitch), articles in the Bridgeport Standard (January 5, 1881, May 16, 1882) and the Bridgeport Post (September 9, 1903), and Rollie Thorne McKenna's essay for the 1979 Yale exhibition.

Status

Not on view