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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