Blue ParlorAlso known as the Formal Parlor
Used for formal entertainment and special events, the Blue Parlor boasted the most expensive furnishings on the first floor. The Hand estate inventory taken in 1802 lists a total of 58L (pounds) worth of furniture in this room, a very considerable sum. In this room, a special faux painting technique called marbelization was used to make the baseboards appear to be marble. These particular baseboards were painted to resemble Valley Forge or King of Prussia marble, a black and light gray marble often used in the more expensive houses in the region. The baseboards were redone in the early 1990’s by a local artisan to match the remnants of faux marble paint uncovered during the paint analysis of the early 1960’s.
This room had the most expensive carpeting in the mansion. It is dyed ingrain carpeting, sometimes called Scotch or English Carpeting. The pattern of this carpet was of Scottish origin and is also found at historic Boscobel on the Hudson River. This carpet is a reproduction, made by Family Heirloom Weavers of Red Lion in York County, Pennsylvania.
The two gilt framed copperplate engravings in the inventory are represented by John Trumball’s “Death of General Montgomery” and “The Battle of Bunker’s Hill.” Both of these works were engraved in London in 1798 and are two of less than 2,000 produced, and among the estimated 200 that survive today. George Washington was a subscriber to these prints, ordering four from Trumball. Thomas Jefferson owned both of these engravings, and they are currently in the Book Room at Monticello.
Early in 1794, Hand wrote to Philadelphia inquiring about a pianoforte. The pianoforte was the forerunner of the modern piano. Music was considered a polite and almost necessary accomplishment for young ladies such as the daughters of Edward and Katharine Hand. The pianoforte is circa 1810 and was made in Lancaster by John Wind. The floral design on the frontispiece of the pianoforte is believed to have been painted by Jacob Eichholtz.
The elegant character of this room is seen in mahogany Philadelphia ribbon-back chairs and a late Chippendale window seat with Marlborough legs covered in indigo-colored fabric. The center of the room features a Chippendale mahogany serpentine card table with pull-out drawer. Both indigo (from South Carolina) and mahogany (from the West Indies) were highly expensive luxury items harvested by enslaved labor.