The American Period

For this last period, I took a look at Justine's blog. I appreciated her interest in the Victorian period becaus eit did teach me a few things that I didnt know. I also liked how she gave visuals for the specifics that she talked about. In addition to Justine's blog, I also viewed Jessica's blog. Jessica focused on the Colonial period and cleared up the confusion between the dutch styles and the french styles.

The American Period

American Period is made up of several different periods. These periods include the Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, and the Victorian Period. The Georgian Period took place between 1720-1790 and was a replication of the Queen Anne styles. The Federal Period took place between 1790-1820 and used the Adam, Hepplewhite and Sheraton styles as inspiration. The Greek Revival Period took place between 1820-1860 and focused on "temple" style architecture. Lastly, the Victorian Period took place between 1840-1880 and was inspired by Romanesque, Gothic, Mansart and Louis XV design styles.

The Shakers believed that every object in the home should have a function and that decoration was unnecessary. 'Whatever is fashioned, let it be plain and simple and for the good' and 'Beauty rests on utility' are two of their favourite sayings. But because they also believed that the quality of their work was a testament to God, each item they made was painstakingly honed to perfection.

The Victorian Era is named after the period from 1837 to 1901, the length of the rule of Great Britain's Queen Victoria. American Victorianism was an offshoot of this period and lifestyle that occurred in the United States, chiefly in heavily populated regions such as New England and the Deep South. The name was derived from the reign of Queen Victoria, which reflected the heavy British cultural influence on the nation during the time. Architecture in the Victorian era was very elaborate, romantic, and emotional. The architecture of the house advertised the amount of money that the owner had. Houses were very large with many small rooms: each room had a particular function "a place for everything and everything in its place." Houses had ballrooms, morning rooms, sitting rooms, libraries, piano rooms, etc. Houses often were set in the middle or towards the back of lots. Many houses had two hallways and two staircases, one grand for company, and one plain for the children and servants. The staircase for guests allowed for dramatic entrances. The back halls and private rooms were not decorative and were plain with whitewash and wooden floors. The public areas of the house were displays of wealth and virtue.



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Current applications...

English: Discussion

For this period I viewed Justine's blog. After reading her blog, it showed that the same things during this period interests the both of us. However, the description that she gave about the furniture made it easier for me to distinguish the difference between the different times of furniture. I also viewed Katrina's blog. I liked how she touched bases on the early, middle, and late renaissance. It gave me a good overview of all three.

English Period

The English Renaissance took place between the late 1500s to the early 1800s. England was the last of the major countries to become involved since they were isolated from continental Europe. After some time, the English style became the "hodgepodge" of styles. Their inspiration stemmed from the Italian Renaissance due to books and works of art that were brought back to England.

The Middle English Renaissance took place between the years of 1660-1750. After the Great Fire of 1666, Sir Christopher Wren set new standards of design considered to be Baroque urban design. Sir Christopher Wren was one of the most celebrated English architects of all time due to his contributions to England. The French Baroque period was extremely influential to the English design. All specifications for housing such as wall thickness, floor heights, and materials was set by Wren.

The St.Peter Cathedral


An influential couple of the English period was Mary and William III. They set all of the furniture standards and trends for this period. During this period was sort of the first time upholstery showed up in the majority of the pieces.


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Modern Applications..

Here's a video...

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French: Discussion and Video

For the French period I viewed Megan's blog. I found Megan's discussion regarding the Salon de la familie to be quite interesting. She talked about how big of a statement piece it is and how it consists of many colorful ornamentations. I also took a look at Danas blog. She really focused on the French furniture and the large impact that it has on today's furniture.


Here's a video if you're interested in learning more...

French Baroque

In France, Louis XIV, also known as the "Sun King," built the government around his own person and used art and architecture in the service of the monarchy. The French monarchs ruled with absolute power, meaning that there was little or no say so on what they could and could not do. The King also ruled, so it was believed, by divine right. The power to rule came from God. In an effort to use art in support of the state, Louis XIV established the Royal Academy of Fine Arts to control matters of art and artistic education by imposing a classic style as well as other regulations and standards on art and artists.

Louis XIV also built an opulent new palace, Versailles, which became the King's official residence in 1682. Versailles is 14 miles southwest of Paris and contains 700 rooms! It is probably impossible to get a sense of the enormity and luxury of Versailles without going there.

I really loved the famous Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors. Its a room with 17 mirrors facing the windows that look out onto gardens. The ceiling of this room is decorated with paintings displaying the virtues and achievements of Louis himself. Louis XIV eventually invited the higher French aristocrats to live there and wait upon him. And so Versailles was not just a place to live, it became the symbol of the French monarchy itself. Therefore, everything about the decor had to speak of the power and accomplishments of the King. Every aspect of the King's life was thoroughly ritualized, convincing everyone there of the incredible majesty of the King. The thousands of people who lived at Versailles also required entertainment, and so Versailles also became the seat of lavish spectacles including ballets, balls, hunts and receptions, all presided over by the King.

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Modern applications...

Spanish Renaissance: Discussion and Video

For the beautiful Spanish period, I viewed Kristina and Samanatha's blog. Samantha's blog presented me with a ton of information on the Moors that I didn't know before viewing her blog. She also presented a understandable connection between the style then and today. Kristina's pictures that she posted of the buildings, castles, and different cathedrals is what made her blog post so interesting.

Here's a video to help you learn more about the Spanish period.