...so this post is inspired by a commercial for the PA Renaissance Faire - I flashed through the changing utility of a household, leading to the concepts of comfort, privacy and a sense of home. Here, in the works of (mostly Dutch) masters, I give you reason to be thankful for electricity...
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| A household comingled work/ family and consisted of immediate family, assorted relatives, employees and apprentices plus servants. Furnishings were chests, tables, cupboards and stools...the term "make a bed" literally meant piling up some straw... |
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...needless to say, secrets were hard to keep
...and it took a lot of effort to feed everyone |
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| Furnishings our Pilgrim forebears may have used in Holland prior to sailing to the New World -chimneys led to usable second storeys and some private space. With the advent of upholstery, dedicated rooms for eating became a neccesity to save the precious textiles from greasy fingers...huh; still true... |
Private space for the master and mistress went from this...
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| ...to this...hmmm...no distraction from an argument anymore... |
So while one room living for peasants didn't change much over the centuries...
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| ...for the growing middle class, going off to work in a place of business, there was now a sense of private family life with creature comforts... |
...and blessed domestic tranquility.
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