Next week I will be at the Program in New England Studies, hopefully amassing a wealth of knowledge about American decorative arts at various historic houses and museums in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Maine. I am so excited to get to see incomparable collections of antiques and hear about them from experts in the field, and hopefully to share some of the information with you on the blog while I’m there. For now, here is the dining room at Otis House, a Federal period home built for lawyer and politician Harrison Gray Otis in 1796. When restoring the room, the staff used an 1824 painting entitled “The Dinner Party” by Boston artist Henry Sargent for guidance on details like wallpaper and carpet. I think you’ll agree that the results are beautiful. I can’t wait to see it for myself!
